Homicide Cleanup
Homicide cleanup of blood, tissue and contaminated materials after investigators leave.
See homicide cleanupGet blood, body fluids, fingerprint powder and odor removed from a home, apartment, rental or business in West Highland once police release the property. Most crime scene cleanups take one to three days.
Crime scene cleanup, also called forensic cleaning or trauma scene cleanup, is the removal of blood, body fluids, tissue and contaminated materials after a violent crime, then disinfection and odor removal so the property is safe to use again.
The investigation comes before any cleaning. Detectives, police and the medical examiner or coroner remove the deceased and collect evidence, but cleanup is not part of their role. After release, responsibility for the scene passes to the family, landlord or property owner.
Every trace of blood is treated as infectious by a forensic clean up crew. These workers are also known as forensic or crime scene cleaners. They follow its path, take out materials that cannot be disinfected, treat and clean all surfaces, then transport hazardous material according to medical waste rules. This complete work is a type of biohazard remediation.

Your documents, photographs and keepsakes are separated for you to check, and nothing is discarded without your permission.
Photos, scope and waste records are ready for insurance companies and landlords, so you can move forward.
Before work begins, you learn the process and cost factors so your family can choose what is right.
You can call during the day or overnight, and unmarked vehicles help keep the situation private from neighbors.
Crime scene cleaning services are needed any time a violent event leaves blood or body fluids behind. Common situations include:
A standoff may leave tear gas or pepper spray deposits across ductwork, textiles and wall surfaces.
In warehouses, offices and stores, crews isolate work areas throughout commercial crime scene cleanup.
Blood on shattered glass, broken doors and fingerprint powder may remain across the home.
Floors, furniture and walls can have blood and tissue in several rooms.
Before cleanup technicians get there, your early actions can affect health, the insurance claim and what the work ultimately costs:
Call (888) 440-9227Published guides put a typical residential crime scene cleanup at $1,500 to $7,500 for most homes. A small area of surface blood can run $500 to $2,500 while scenes with blood in the subfloor or several rooms can reach $10,000 and up. Most companies price by the job, not the hour. The final price is set after the on-site assessment.
The figures shown are national ranges from published cost guides and are not based on an on-site visit. After an on-site assessment, the price for your property is determined and shared with you before cleanup begins.
Ask about cost: (888) 440-9227Crime scene cleanup coverage is determined by the terms in your renters or homeowners policy. The loss may qualify as sudden and accidental, subject to your deductible.
Your homeowners or renters policy terms determine coverage following a violent crime. Keep your claim number after reporting the event without delay.
Ask whether biohazard cleanup is covered, whether you can choose the cleanup company and what photos or records the adjuster needs.
Victims of violent crime can ask their judicial district's Crime Victim Compensation program whether cleanup costs can be included in a compensation claim, since several district programs list crime scene cleanup. Insurance is usually checked first.
Property owners typically pay for and organize crime scene cleanup in shared areas and rental homes.
Differences between crime scenes do not change the safe order of the work. Often described as the remediation process, crime scene cleanup proceeds step by step, beginning with the first walk-through and ending at final inspection.
Before starting, technicians join you or your representative for an inspection, take photos and confirm the planned work.
Technicians put on full personal protective equipment, then contain the affected area using plastic sheeting and negative air.
Any saturated carpet, drywall, furniture, padding or mattress is cut out and secured in sealed medical waste bags.
Technicians clean every surface before using hospital-grade disinfectant registered by the EPA for its required contact time.
Air scrubbers, hydroxyl generators or ozone treat odor at the source, and HVAC vents are checked.
Paperwork follows each closed container through delivery to a permitted facility for medical waste.
ATP testing can be used to check surfaces, while photographs and records support your insurance claim.
Removed flooring and drywall can then be replaced by your contractor or your insurer's vendor.
Phone any hour. Your crime scene cleanup specialist answers the phone, describes what happens next and works with you on a start time.
Blood and bodily fluids can be hazardous to your health, and contamination often extends beyond the visible area.
Soaked materials are regulated medical waste. An approved facility must treat them because they cannot be placed with household waste or in a dumpster.
Hepatitis C, HIV and hepatitis B may exist in blood. The CDC reports that hepatitis B can survive on surfaces for at least seven days, even when the blood looks dry.
Carpet does not stop blood from reaching the pad and subfloor, while grout and spaces under baseboards can trap it. Odor and bacteria may return when hidden material remains after a surface wipe.
Can you clean it yourself? A few drops of fresh blood on a hard, non-porous surface can be cleaned with gloves and an EPA-registered disinfectant. Anything that reached fabric, carpet, wood or drywall, or any amount you cannot see the edges of, needs professional cleanup.
Most crime scene cleanups take one to three days on site. A small, recent scene can be finished in a day, while heavy scenes with structural removal take two to five days.
| Scene | Typical time on site |
|---|---|
| Light scene, one area | Often one to two days |
| A common scene across one to two rooms | Often one to three days |
| Extensive scene requiring subfloor removal or several rooms | Often two to five days |
Removing the source is the first step in odor removal. Fragrance sprayed onto blood or tissue merely covers the odor for a few days.
With contaminated material gone, the cleanup team can capture airborne particles using HEPA air scrubbers. Hydroxyl generators may operate safely around people, and stubborn odor can be treated with ozone when rooms are empty. Thermal fogging gets into fabrics and wall cavities. HVAC ductwork is also inspected to prevent smells from spreading between rooms.
Under federal rule 29 CFR 1910.1030 for blood exposure, workers need training, safe handling and protective equipment.
For blood cleanup, use an EPA-registered disinfectant and let it remain for all of the label's stated contact time.
Colorado treats waste that can cause infectious disease, including human blood and body fluids, as infectious waste. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment's medical waste rules apply to its handling, so it should not go in household trash.
Colorado has no statewide medical examiner. Death investigation is county-based, led mostly by elected county coroners, with a few counties using a medical examiner or coroner. Cleanup starts after police or the coroner release the scene.
The full crime scene cleanup guide covers what is cleaned or removed, odor and air quality work, and the rules that apply in Colorado and Denver County.
Read the full crime scene cleanup guide
Local housing, population and access details can shape containment, access and cleanup planning.
If direct exposure occurs, the closest listed emergency option is Denver Health & Hospital Authority, about 2.2 miles away, not the cleanup site.
Families often arrive from Highlands Square, Highlands Garden Village, and Berkeley. Agree on one meeting point and one entrance so the scene stays private.
Properties within this Denver neighborhood may share alleys, entries, or parking, so equipment movement should be planned around nearby residents.
During your call, ask whether cleanup is available in surrounding communities and ZIP codes.
Homicide cleanup of blood, tissue and contaminated materials after investigators leave.
See homicide cleanup
Families are spared from facing the scene through discreet and considerate suicide cleanup.
See suicide cleanup
Following accidents, violence or injuries, trauma scene cleanup addresses the affected area.
See trauma scene cleanup
Carpet, solid floors, walls and furnishings receive blood cleanup that includes safe disposal.
See blood cleanup
Decomposition cleanup and odor control are needed after a death goes unnoticed for several days.
See unattended death cleanup
Air scrubbers, hydroxyl and ozone treatment support death odor removal at its source.
See death odor removal
Deep cleaning, respectful sorting and removal are all part of hoarding cleanup.
See hoarding cleanup
Disinfection and drying follow sewage cleanup of Category 3 black water from raw sewage.
See raw sewage cleanupNo. Law enforcement releases the scene once evidence is collected. Either the owner or the person managing the property is responsible for arranging cleanup.
Police, detectives and the medical examiner or coroner collect evidence and remove the deceased, but they do not clean. The property owner, the family or the landlord arranges crime scene cleanup, usually with professional crime scene cleaners.
When cleaning crime scenes, the cleaning process covers containment, affected material removal, full cleaning and disinfection, odor treatment and medical waste disposal.
Some viruses, such as hepatitis B, can survive in dried blood on surfaces for days. Approach dried blood just as you would fresh blood.
Fingerprint powder and chemical residue are part of forensic cleaning. Dry removal is followed by a suitable cleaner for each surface to prevent powder stains.
The service may be described as trauma cleanup, forensic clean up, biohazard remediation, forensic cleaning or crime scene cleanup. Crime scene cleaners or forensic cleaners are the terms for people who perform the work.
Crews carry out respectful, discreet crime scene cleanup, arrive in unmarked vehicles and take calls 24 hours a day.