Homicide Cleanup
Once the investigation ends, contaminated materials, blood and tissue are cleared during homicide cleanup.
See homicide cleanupGet blood, body fluids, fingerprint powder and odor removed from a home, apartment, rental or business in Underwood once police release the property. Most crime scene cleanups take one to three days.
Crime scene cleanup means taking out tissue, contaminated materials, body fluids and blood following a violent crime. Often termed trauma scene cleanup or forensic cleaning, it includes odor removal and disinfection to make the property safe for 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.
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.

Calls are answered day and night, and crews arrive in unmarked vehicles so neighbors do not know what happened.
Photos, scope and waste records are ready for insurance companies and landlords, so you can move forward.
Crews separate your keepsakes, documents and photos, and ask you before discarding any of them.
The cleaning plan and pricing factors are explained in advance, helping you decide what suits your household.
Crime scene cleaning services are needed any time a violent event leaves blood or body fluids behind. Common situations include:
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.
A fall can leave blood on walls and ceilings, with saturation reaching carpet and subfloor.
Family members can avoid seeing the scene when cleanup is done privately.
What you do during the first hours matters to your insurance claim, health and total cost. Take these steps before technicians arrive:
Call (888) 351-0904Published guides show that most residential crime scene cleanups cost from $1,500 to $7,500. Pricing is usually based on the job instead of an hourly rate. A small surface-blood area can fall below that range, but blood in multiple rooms or reaching the subfloor can bring the total above $10,000. The on-site assessment sets your final price.
These national ranges are taken from published cost guides, rather than a property visit. The price for your property is set after the on-site assessment, and you hear it before work starts.
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.
The owner usually coordinates and covers crime scene cleanup costs in rentals and common areas.
Discuss biohazard cleanup coverage, your ability to pick a cleanup company, and the adjuster's required photos or records.
The terms of your renters or homeowners policy decide whether a violent crime is covered. Keep your claim number after reporting the event without delay.
Victims of violent crime can ask the Indiana Violent Crime Victim Compensation Program, run by the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute, about cleanup. The program lists crime scene cleanup as an eligible expense for crimes after July 1, 2022. Insurance is usually checked first.
A safe, consistent order guides the remediation process, even though every crime scene differs. From the opening walk-through until final inspection, the crime scene cleanup process follows that sequence.
Before starting, technicians join you or your representative for an inspection, take photos and confirm the planned work.
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.
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 carry serious health risks, and the contamination you can see is rarely all of it.
Blood can enter grout, flow beneath baseboards and pass through carpet to padding and subfloor. A surface-only cleaning leaves concealed residue that can bring back bacteria and odor.
HIV and the hepatitis B and C viruses may be carried in blood. Despite dry-looking blood, hepatitis B may survive on surfaces for at least seven days, according to the CDC.
Materials that are saturated become regulated medical waste. They cannot go in household trash or a dumpster, and must go to an approved treatment facility.
Can you clean it yourself? With gloves and disinfectant registered by the EPA, you can clean a few fresh blood drops from a solid, non-porous surface. Anything that reached fabric, carpet, wood or drywall, or any amount you cannot see the edges of, needs professional cleanup.
For most crime scene cleanups, time at the property is one to three days. A recent scene with a small affected area can take a day, while structural removal at a heavy scene can extend the work to two to five days.
| Scene | Typical time on site |
|---|---|
| Light scene, one area | Often one to two days |
| One to two rooms in a typical scene | Often one to three days |
| Extensive scene requiring subfloor removal or several rooms | Often two to five days |
Odor removal begins by taking away its source. If fragrance is sprayed over tissue or blood, the smell is hidden for only 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 sets requirements for protective equipment, training and handling whenever workers can be exposed to blood.
For blood cleanup, use an EPA-registered disinfectant and let it remain for all of the label's stated contact time.
Indiana treats soaked materials from a biohazard scene as infectious waste. Indiana Department of Health rules control containment, labeling and transport, and IDEM regulates offsite management, so it cannot go in household trash.
Indiana relies on elected county coroners to investigate deaths, and the state has no statewide medical examiner. 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 Clark County and Indiana.
Read the full crime scene cleanup guide
Local population patterns, housing and site access may affect how containment and cleanup are planned.
At 12.6% renter occupancy, most housing is owner occupied, which can reduce the number of parties involved in cleanup authorization.
The local median home dates to 1973, making a room by room material assessment more useful than one cleaning method everywhere.
A 16.3% share living alone still matters because delayed discovery can increase odor movement and the amount of affected material.
Detached and single-family properties account for 82.0% locally, so exterior access and safe waste movement should be planned early.
Your phone conversation can include questions about service in nearby ZIP codes and communities.
Once the investigation ends, contaminated materials, blood and tissue are cleared during homicide cleanup.
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
Carpet, solid floors, walls and furnishings receive blood cleanup that includes safe disposal.
See blood cleanup
When a death remains undiscovered for days, cleanup addresses decomposition and controls odors.
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
Raw sewage cleanup treats Category 3 black water and includes both drying and disinfection.
See raw sewage cleanupOn-site work lasts one to three days for most scenes. A minor scene may need a day, while an extensive job involving subfloor removal may require up to five days.
Coverage depends on the terms of your homeowners or renters policy, and a deductible may apply. Call your insurer, report the event and ask about biohazard cleanup coverage.
Published guides put most residential crime scene cleanups between $1,500 and $7,500. Small surface cleanups can cost less, and large or multi-room scenes can pass $10,000.
Someone needs to give access and agree the scope at the start. After access and scope are settled, your family can choose not to remain during cleanup.
Common names include forensic cleaning, biohazard remediation, crime scene cleanup, trauma cleanup and forensic clean up. The people who do it are called crime scene cleaners or forensic cleaners.
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.
Crews carry out respectful, discreet crime scene cleanup, arrive in unmarked vehicles and take calls 24 hours a day.