Homicide Cleanup
Homicide cleanup of blood, tissue and contaminated materials after investigators leave.
See homicide cleanupYour property can become livable again once police have released it. Safe cleanup takes away fingerprint powder and odor along with blood and body fluids, with most jobs lasting 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.
Cleanup begins only after the investigation is finished. Evidence is gathered and the deceased is removed by police, detectives and the medical examiner or coroner, none of whom clean the property. Once released, the scene becomes the responsibility of its owner, landlord or the family.
A forensic clean up crew, forensic cleaners and crime scene cleaners all treat blood as infectious, down to every drop. The team tracks its spread and removes materials that disinfection cannot save. All surfaces are treated and cleaned, while hazardous items are taken away in line with medical waste rules. This end-to-end process is a form of biohazard remediation.

Crews separate your keepsakes, documents and photos, and ask you before discarding any of them.
You hear the cleanup steps and what affects the price before any work starts, so you can make the right decision for your family.
Phone support is available day and night, while crews use unmarked vehicles to protect your privacy nearby.
Prepared photos, waste paperwork and scope details are available for landlords and insurance companies so you can move forward.
A violent event may create a need for crime scene cleaning services when body fluids or blood remain. These situations commonly include:
Commercial crime scene cleanup in offices, stores and warehouses, with work areas isolated during cleaning.
Where someone fell, carpet and subfloor may be soaked while blood spatter reaches ceilings and walls.
Blood on shattered glass, broken doors and fingerprint powder may remain across the home.
Tear gas or pepper spray residue on walls, fabrics and HVAC ductwork after a standoff.
Floors, furniture and walls can have blood and tissue in several rooms.
Family members can avoid seeing the scene when cleanup is done privately.
Before cleanup technicians get there, your early actions can affect health, the insurance claim and what the work ultimately costs:
Call (888) 351-0904Published cost guides put most residential crime scene cleanups between $1,500 and $7,500. Most crime scene cleanup companies price by the job, not the hour. A small area of surface blood can cost less, and scenes where blood reached the subfloor or several rooms can pass $10,000. The final price is set after the on-site assessment.
Published national cost guides are the source for these ranges, rather than an inspection of your property. You learn what your property will cost after the on-site assessment and before any work begins.
Ask about cost: (888) 351-0904Coverage depends on your policy. Homeowners and renters insurance may cover crime scene cleanup as a sudden and accidental loss, and a deductible may apply.
Victims of violent crime can ask the Alabama Crime Victims Compensation Commission, which lists crime scene cleanup among its expense categories, whether cleanup costs can be included in a compensation claim. Insurance is usually checked first.
Find out whether your policy covers biohazard cleanup, whether a cleanup company is your choice, and which records or images the adjuster requires.
For common spaces or rented units, crime scene cleanup is generally arranged and paid for by the owner.
The terms of your renters or homeowners policy decide whether a violent crime is covered. Make the event report quickly, then write down your claim number.
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.
The affected area is sealed with plastic sheeting and negative air, and technicians wear full personal protective equipment.
Crews cut away soaked mattresses, furniture, carpet, pad and drywall, then bag and seal them as medical waste.
All surfaces receive cleaning followed by an EPA-registered hospital-grade disinfectant applied for the full contact time.
Air scrubbers, hydroxyl generators or ozone treat odor at the source, and HVAC vents are checked.
Sealed containers go to a permitted medical waste facility with the paperwork that tracks them.
You receive records and photos for the claim, and technicians can use ATP testing to check surfaces.
A contractor you choose or your insurer's vendor can replace any drywall and floors removed during cleaning.
Call at any time. Your crime scene cleanup specialist answers the phone, describes what happens next and works with you on a start time.
Blood and bodily fluids may pose serious health risks. Visible contamination is usually only part of what is present.
Grout may hold blood that also seeps below trim and penetrates carpeting, pad and subfloor. A surface-only cleaning leaves concealed residue that can bring back bacteria and odor.
You may find it deeply difficult to clean where someone close to you was harmed. Many families choose professional crime scene cleaners for that reason alone.
Hepatitis C, HIV and hepatitis B may exist in blood. Even if blood seems dry, the CDC says hepatitis B may live on a surface for at least seven days.
Medical waste rules apply to soaked materials. An approved facility must treat them because they cannot be placed with household waste or in a dumpster.
Can you clean it yourself? For a few drops of blood that are fresh and limited to a non-porous hard surface, use gloves plus an EPA-registered disinfectant. If blood touches fabric, wood, carpet or drywall, or spreads beyond visible edges, you need professional cleanup.
Whether an item stays depends on disinfection. Cleanable materials remain, but anything blood has soaked into is removed.

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 |
| Major scene with multiple rooms or removed subfloor | Often two to five days |
Odor removal starts with removing the source. Spraying fragrance over blood or tissue only hides the smell for a few days.
After the contaminated materials are gone, the cleanup team can use HEPA air scrubbers to capture particles, hydroxyl generators that are safe to run while people are present, and ozone treatment in empty rooms for stubborn odor. Thermal fogging reaches odor in fabrics and wall cavities, and HVAC ductwork is checked so smell does not travel to other rooms.
Federal rule 29 CFR 1910.1030 establishes handling, training and protective equipment requirements where occupational blood exposure is possible.
A disinfectant for blood should carry EPA registration and stay on each surface for the complete labeled contact period.
Alabama treats soaked materials from a biohazard scene as medical waste when they are saturated to the point of dripping blood. The Alabama Department of Environmental Management's rules control packing, transport and treatment, so it cannot go in household trash.
Alabama uses a county coroner system, with no statewide medical examiner, and the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences performs autopsies and supports death investigations for coroners. Cleanup starts after police or the coroner release the scene.
Crime Scene Cleanup is available across the city and the surrounding communities.
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
Trauma scene cleanup addresses the aftermath of accidents, injuries and violent incidents.
See trauma scene cleanup
Walls, carpets, furnishings and hard floors receive blood cleanup, with safe disposal afterward.
See blood cleanup
Cleanup after an undiscovered death includes odor control and the effects of days of decomposition.
See unattended death cleanup
At the source, death odor removal uses air scrubbers plus hydroxyl and ozone treatment.
See death odor removal
Deep cleaning, respectful sorting and removal are all part of hoarding cleanup.
See hoarding cleanup
Raw sewage cleanup treats Category 3 black water and includes both drying and disinfection.
See raw sewage cleanupWhether coverage applies depends on your renters or homeowners policy, with a possible deductible. Tell your insurer about the event and find out whether your policy covers biohazard cleanup.
When cleaning crime scenes, the cleaning process covers containment, affected material removal, full cleaning and disinfection, odor treatment and medical waste disposal.
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.
Most scenes take one to three days on site. A minor scene may need a day, while an extensive job involving subfloor removal may require up to five days.
Initial access and agreement on the scope require someone to be present. Once that is complete, families often leave while technicians perform the cleanup.
Law enforcement and the medical examiner or coroner remove evidence and the deceased without cleaning the property. A landlord, property owner or family typically arranges crime scene cleanup with professional crime scene cleaners.
Affirmative. Some viruses, such as hepatitis B, can survive in dried blood on surfaces for days. Approach dried blood just as you would fresh blood.
Published guides say most home crime scene cleaning costs range from $1,500 through $7,500. Small surface work can cost less, but large scenes or several affected rooms may rise beyond $10,000.
Yes. Forensic cleaning includes both chemical deposits and fingerprint dust. Dry removal is followed by a suitable cleaner for each surface to prevent powder stains.
No. Law enforcement returns control of the scene after gathering the evidence. The person who controls the property or its owner is responsible for arranging cleanup.
You can request respectful, discreet crime scene cleanup 24 hours a day, and crews use unmarked vehicles.