The first call may come from law enforcement, a coroner, or a funeral director. The cleaner gathers information prior to arrival such as number of fatalities, nature of deaths (gunshot wounds vs. heart attack), and if crime scene tape is up and body removal started.
Upon arrival, the cleaner assesses the scene and establishes their work zone in terms of containment and safety for cleanup professionals and any other necessary personnel present.
Some companies only do cleanup, while others also offer full-service bioremediation—removal and sanitation or reconstruction of nonporous materials such as walls and floors.
2. Containment and waste removal
The body is removed by the medical examiner or coroner. Cleaners start by laying down floor covering like plastic sheeting to ensure any residual blood or droplets aren’t transferred anywhere else.
A fogger or mister might be used to reduce the number of bioaerosols—airborne particles such as bacteria or toxins resulting from human decomposition—and prevent cross contamination.
“In order to clean bloodstains, most crime scene cleaners use a 10% bleach solution,” says Melissa Maker, cleaning expert and host of Clean My Space TV. This dilution rate kills viruses and bacteria, effectively disinfecting the area. For floors the area rugs and carpets are rolled and bagged for disposal by a licensed hazardous waste hauler.
For solid biohazard cleanup of things such as tissues or organs, the cleaner will put them in a biohazard bag and call the waste hauler.
3. Cleaning and bioremediation
After body fluids have been removed, cleaners use special detergents to eliminate or encapsulate any remaining biohazards. In the aftermath of a death at a long-term care facility where an elderly person died of natural causes, they would wash the deceased’s bedding, spray all surfaces with a disinfectant including underneath the bed, and move the mattress and box spring into the yard to be removed.
When dealing with blood, they use techniques such as soaking bloodstains with detergent, letting it sit, then rinsing and repeating.
If there is a stain that they can’t remove they will cut out a piece of drywall; remove the affected subflooring; or cut and repair carpet or upholstery. Depending on the surface they may use a specialized air scrubber to suck up fumes to further remove any odor. “Sometimes these odors can be very strong and are only apparent when the HVAC is turned on,” Maker says.
They finish the job by mopping and vacuuming one final time.
4. Final inspection
Before leaving the property, the cleaner walks through with law enforcement or an authorized individual who signs off that the space has been appropriately cleaned. Once the cleaners leave the scene it’s safe for regular cleaning staff or the homeowners to enter.
