Homicide Cleanup
After investigators depart, homicide cleanup removes blood, tissue and contaminated materials.
See homicide cleanupGet blood, body fluids, fingerprint powder and odor removed from a home, apartment, rental or business in Audubon Park 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.
Forensic cleaners, also known as a forensic clean up crew or crime scene cleaners, assume that each drop of blood may be infectious. Their work includes finding where it spread, taking away anything that cannot be disinfected, treating and cleaning the surfaces, and removing hazardous materials under medical waste rules. The full process is biohazard remediation and covers cleanup from start to finish.

You receive an explanation of each step and price factor before work, allowing an informed decision for your family.
Keepsakes, photos and documents are set aside and reviewed with you, never thrown out without asking.
You can call during the day or overnight, and unmarked vehicles help keep the situation private from neighbors.
Documentation for landlords and insurance companies includes pictures, the project scope and waste records to help you move forward.
Crime scene cleaning services are needed any time a violent event leaves blood or body fluids behind. Common situations include:
Ceilings and walls may have blood spatter, and the carpet and subfloor beneath a person may be saturated.
For offices, retail spaces and warehouses, commercial crime scene cleanup includes isolating each work area while it is cleaned.
Walls, HVAC ductwork and fabrics may hold pepper spray or tear gas residue following a standoff.
Broken glass with blood, damaged doors and fingerprint powder throughout the home.
What you do during the first hours matters to your insurance claim, health and total cost. Take these steps before technicians arrive:
Call (888) 351-0904Most residential crime scene cleanup costs between $1,500 and $7,500. Published cost guides show this range. Companies generally set a price for the whole job rather than charging by the hour. Surface blood limited to a small area may cost less. When several rooms or the subfloor are affected, costs may exceed $10,000. An on-site assessment determines the final price.
These ranges come from published national cost guides, not from a site visit. An on-site assessment determines your property's price, which is explained to you before the cleanup starts.
Ask about cost: (888) 351-0904Crime 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.
Coverage after a violent crime depends on the terms of your homeowners or renters policy. Report the event quickly and keep the claim number.
Victims of violent crime can ask the Kentucky Crime Victims Compensation Board about cleanup. State law lists crime scene cleanup at the victim's home or business, with a short time limit, so ask early. Insurance is usually checked first.
In rental units and common areas, the owner usually arranges and pays for crime scene cleanup.
Find out if biohazard cleanup is covered, if the cleanup company is your choice, and what records and photos the adjuster requires.
Every crime scene is different, but the crime scene cleanup process, often called the remediation process, follows the same safe order through the entire process, from the first walk-through to the final inspection.
Technicians walk the scene with you or your representative, photograph it and agree the scope before work starts.
The crew wears complete personal protective equipment and seals the affected area with negative air and plastic sheeting.
Saturated drywall, carpeting, padding, mattresses and furnishings are removed, placed in bags and sealed for medical waste disposal.
All surfaces receive cleaning followed by an EPA-registered hospital-grade disinfectant applied for the full contact time.
HVAC vents are examined, and air scrubbers, ozone or hydroxyl generators are used to treat the source of smells.
Paperwork follows each closed container through delivery to a permitted facility for medical waste.
Technicians can check surfaces with ATP testing, and you receive claim records and photographs.
Removed flooring and drywall can then be replaced by your contractor or your insurer's vendor.
Call 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 may pose serious health risks. Visible contamination is usually only part of what is present.
Cleaning the place where a loved one was hurt is a heavy burden. For that reason alone, many households turn to professional crime scene cleaners.
Materials that are saturated become regulated medical waste. They must be taken to an authorized treatment site instead of a dumpster or household garbage.
Blood can contain HIV, hepatitis C and hepatitis B. Even if blood seems dry, the CDC says hepatitis B may live on a surface for at least seven days.
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. Professional cleanup is needed when you cannot identify the spill edges or when contamination reaches wood, drywall, carpeting or fabric.
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 |
| Typical scene, one to two rooms | Often one to three days |
| Several affected rooms or a subfloor removal | 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.
Once contaminated materials have been removed, HEPA air scrubbers can capture particles. The cleanup team may run hydroxyl generators safely with people present, or use ozone in empty rooms when odor persists. Thermal fogging can enter wall cavities and fabrics, while checks of HVAC ductwork help keep the smell from moving into other rooms.
The full crime scene cleanup guide covers what is cleaned or removed, odor and air quality work, and the rules that apply in Kentucky and Jefferson County.
Read the full crime scene cleanup guide
Local population patterns, housing and site access may affect how containment and cleanup are planned.
The 26.4% renter share suggests many residents can make direct decisions about removing contaminated flooring, walls, or personal items.
In housing centered around 1944, crews may need to check behind baseboards and below older floor coverings before declaring cleanup complete.
Even at 22.5%, seniors living alone can benefit from regular contact that shortens the time before an emergency is noticed.
In an area with 74.5% single-family housing, sewage or fluids may reach lower levels through stairs, drains, and utility openings.
You can ask about cleanup in nearby communities and ZIP codes during the call.
After investigators depart, homicide cleanup removes blood, tissue and contaminated materials.
See homicide cleanup
Suicide cleanup is completed privately and with care, protecting families from seeing the scene.
See suicide cleanup
Trauma scene cleanup is needed after violent events, accidents and injuries.
See trauma scene cleanup
Blood cleanup clears blood from furniture, walls, hard floors and carpet, followed by safe disposal.
See blood cleanup
Decomposition cleanup and odor control are needed after a death goes unnoticed for several days.
See unattended death cleanup
Death odor removal at the source with air scrubbers, hydroxyl and ozone treatment.
See death odor removal
Hoarding cleanup combines respectful sorting, removal and deep cleaning.
See hoarding cleanup
Sewage cleanup removes Category 3 black water from raw sewage, then disinfects and dries the area.
See raw sewage cleanupSomeone needs to give access and agree the scope at the start. Once that is complete, families often leave while technicians perform the cleanup.
When cleaning crime scenes, the cleaning process covers containment, affected material removal, full cleaning and disinfection, odor treatment and medical waste disposal.
Your homeowners or renters policy terms determine coverage, and you may have a deductible. Call your insurer, report the event and ask about biohazard cleanup coverage.
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.
Law enforcement and the medical examiner or coroner remove evidence and the deceased without cleaning the property. The property owner, the family or the landlord arranges crime scene cleanup, usually with professional crime scene cleaners.
Crime scene cleanup is also known as biohazard remediation, forensic cleaning, trauma cleanup or forensic clean up. The people doing this work are known as forensic cleaners and crime scene cleaners.
You can request respectful, discreet crime scene cleanup 24 hours a day, and crews use unmarked vehicles.