Why you need crime scene cleanup services

By Alex Thomson

Crime scene cleanup or trauma scene cleanup after the death of someone either violently or naturally is by and large the responsibility of the victim’s family. Even till few years ago, there were a handful of cleaning companies that specialized in trauma cleaning service. But today this niche service has emerged as a lucrative business and there are many companies who provide this service.

Trauma cleaning service requires special experience, skills, equipment and expertise to deal with different types of bio-hazardous waste and dispose them efficiently with the minimum possible emotional stress to the victim’s family.

The most traumatic form of death is violent death and leaves the victim’s family feeling both victimized and traumatized. Coming to terms with the unnatural death of a loved one is in itself an uphill task for the bereaved family, and to top it they have to deal with other practical matters like making funeral arrangements, dealing with insurance issues, contacting surviving family and friends and locating wills. Furthermore, in case of violent crimes the police and the media are also involved. This can really overwhelm any family. Here is where trauma cleaning service comes to your rescue. They lighten one of the heaviest burdens, that is of dealing with the horrid murder cleanup. They will take care of the crime scene cleanup, ensuring that the scene is restored to its pre-incidental state as far as possible and in the most quick and efficient manner thus allowing you to deal with other important matters. Most service providers work discreetly and protect the confidentiality of the sufferer and family.

Most of the times, the crime scenes are so ghastly that they can induce additional emotional trauma in victim’s friends and family. By hiring professionals for cleanup, you can reduce this emotional stress. Immediately after death the nature begins its process of breaking down the body. Unattended death scene and dead bodies can be dangerous as it gives rise to blood borne pathogens, mold spores and bacteria. You may try to clean the area by yourself but the exposure may result in flu-like diseases or direct attack on the respiratory system. So it is advisable to leave this job to professionals who specialize in bio fluid and blood remediation.

The total cost involving a trauma scene cleanup will depend on a number of factors. One of the most major factors is that how many technicians will be needed for the job, how long will the job take and the quantity of hazardous material that needs to be treated and disposed of. It can range anywhere in the range of $100 to $1000 per hour. Some people might call this business as capitalizing on death but it is still essential and indispensable in case of a death.

Crime Scene Cleanup: What It Involves

A crime scene cleanup service is not without its complications. Crime scene cleaning encompasses restoring the crime scene to its original state. When a crime is usually discovered, crime scene cleaners are not called until after officers of the law, like the crime scene investigators, have done their jobs first and have given the go ahead for the cleaners to come in. If you intend to hire a crime scene cleanup company, you must make sure that they are well equipped and fit right to get the job done. A crime scene presents challenging conditions.

The Use Of Protective Gears:
Crime scenes can very well involve the use of hazardous or deadly substances. For safety reasons then, it has become imperative that crime scene cleaners use protective clothing, in addition to protective tools and gadgets. You must see to it that they have all the necessary protective gears and gadgets. The protective clothing can consist of disposable gloves and suits. A disposable gear is preferred nowadays since it offers the best protection against contamination. You use it one time and get rid of it. That way, the dangers of contamination is virtually brought down to zero percent. Protective clothing extends to respirators and the use of heavy-duty industrial or chemical-spill protective boots.

Among the gadgets that a crime scene cleaning company must have are special brushes, special sprayers, and wet vacuum. These special tools ensure added protection against getting into contact with the hazard could very well be present in the crime scene. There is large, special equipment such as a mounted steam injection tool that is designed to sanitize dried up biohazard materials such as scattered flesh and brain. You would also need to check if they have the specialized tank for chemical treatments and industrial strength waste containers to collect biohazard waste.

Of course, any crime scene clean up must have the usual cleaning supplies common to all cleaning service companies. There are the buckets, mops, brushes and spray bottles. For cleaning products, you should check if they use industrial cleaning products. A crime scene cleaning company must have these on their lists:

1 - Disinfectants including hydrogen peroxide and bleaches - The kinds that the hospitals used are commonly acceptable.

2 - Enzyme solvers for cleaning blood stains. It also kills viruses and bacteria.

3 - Odor removers such as foggers, ozone machines, and deodorizers

4 - Handy tools for breaking and extending such as saws, sledgehammers, and ladders

Established crime scene operators also equip themselves with cameras and take pictures of the crime scene before commencing work which. The pictures taken may prove useful for legal matters and insurance purposes. You never know which.

Needless to say, a specially fitted form of transportation and proper waste disposal is also needed. These requirements are specific. As you can imagine, crime scene cleaning is in a different category on its own. A home cleaning or janitorial service company may not be able to cope up with the demands of a crime scene. A crime scene cleanup service requires many special gears and tools that a home cleaning or a janitorial service company does not usually have or does not require. Crime scene cleaning if not done correctly can expose the public to untold hazards.

What Else To Look For In A Crime Scene Cleanup Company
You may also want to hire a company that has established itself. An experienced company with a strong reputation is always a plus but it could be expensive too. You will do well to balance your needs with what is your budget. There are several companies that offer specific prices such as for death scene clean up categories and suicide clean up categories. Most companies own a website and have round the clock customer service as receptionists.

When looking for a suitable crime scene cleaning service, among the first things you need to do is to scout for price quotes. Crime scene cleanup services usually provide quote after they have examined the crime scene and then they give you a definite quote. Factors that are usually considered include the number of personnel that will be needed to get the job done. It also includes the amount of time that might be needed. The nature and amount of the waste materials that need to be disposed will also be factored in. You can be sure that the more sophisticated equipments needed the more expensive it will get.

Crime Scene Cleanup And Your Insurance
For homeowners, the best approach is always to make sure that crime scene cleanup services clauses and provisions are written down on the contracts or policies. The inclusion of crime cleanup services clauses is very common and has become standard clause in most homeowner’s policy. Make sure that you are covered for this unforeseen event. Make sure that your policy directs the crime scene cleaning company to transact directly with the homeowner insurance company. A crime scene cleaning service is usually a standard clause in many homeowners’ insurance clause. These companies often do the paperwork in behalf of clients.

If for some reason you do not have such coverage by any policies relating to crime scene cleanup on your home, there are ways to keep your expenses controlled.

Finding the right company can be very taxing, especially that you have to deal with the emotional stress stemming from the crime itself, especially with a crime scene involving death.

There are many crime scene cleanup companies in operation nowadays. There are reliable professionals that you can hire and prices are relatively competitive. As of recently, crime-scene cleanup services can cost up to $600 for an hour of their service. A homicide case alone involving a single room and a huge amount of blood can cost about $1,000 to $3,000.

In recent years, crime scene cleaning has come to be known as, "Crime and Trauma Scene Decontamination or CTS. Basically, CTS is a special form of crime scene cleaning focusing on decontamination of the crime scene from hazardous substances such as those resulting from violent crimes or those involving chemical contaminations such as methamphetamine labs or anthrax production. This type of service is particularly common when violent crimes are committed in a home. It is rare that the residents move out of the home after it has become a scene of a crime. Most often, the residents just opt to have it cleaned up. That is why, it is very important to hire the best crime scene cleaning company out there. The place needs to be totally free from contamination of any kind. You have to make sure that the company is able to remove all traces of the violent crime that took place. This includes cleaning biohazards that are sometimes invisible to the untrained eye.

Legally speaking, federal laws state that all bodily fluids are deemed biohazards and you should make sure that the cleanup service company you hire understands this and includes it in the cleanup. These things appear as blood or tissue splattered on a crime scene. You must be able to hire a company that is equipped with special knowledge to safely handle biohazard materials. The company must have the knowledge what to search for in any give biohazard crime scene. For instance, the company should be able to tell clues such that if there is a bloodstain the size of a thumbnail on a carpet, you can bet that there is about a huge bloodstain underneath. Federal and State laws have their own laws in terms of transport and disposal of biohazard waste. Make sure that the company you hire has all the permits necessary.

It will also be a huge plus if you could hire people who not only has the special trainings but also who have the nature to be sympathetic. If you are close to the victim and have the cleaning done at the behest of the victim’s relatives, it would matter that the cleaners tread the site with some level of respect. It is a common site that family members and loved ones are often there at scene. In general, when looking for a suitable crime scene cleaners, you would take into considerations the kind of situation that the crimes scene presents and the demands that it require. Crime scene cleaning companies handle a wide variety of crime scenes and prices may vary from one to the other crime scene and one to the other company.

Each type of scene requires its own particular demands not only to make the crime scene look clean and neat on the surface but to make it germ free, and clean inside and to make it free from all deadly and infectious substances. The cleanup cost for biohazards may vary depending on degree of the bio hazard(s) on the scene. There may even be a category that changes the cleanup pricing which usually involves decomposing bodies and carcasses. Likewise, a cleanup of chemical hazards vary, depending on the amount of chemical hazards as well as the grades i.e. how hazardous the substance is in terms of human contact. Prices are also determined by the number of hours and personnel that it would to get the crime scene cleaned. In addition, the "gross factor" from crime scene involving death and gore needs to be taken under consideration regarding the chemicals that will be used as opposed to those crimes' that do not have gore involved.

At bloody crime scenes, they wipe away the gore

By IRA PORTER
The News Journal

When Bryon Brainard was called to a crime scene in Milltown, he looked like an astronaut in a lab suit and respirator.

But instead of exploring space, Brainard was recruited in March to clean up after a man fatally stabbed his wife and then himself in their home in the 2700 block of Charles Place, according to police.

"It wasn't an in-and-out job type situation," Brainard recalled.

The wife's bloody remains were in the entrance way while the husband's were in the living room.

It also wasn't an unfamiliar scene to Brainard, the lead technician for Wilmington's Diamond Chemical & Supply Co.

"I feel like we do something good for the family, because you'll have good memories and I think that goes a long way," he said about the company's specialty -- wiping away the gory reminders of violent crime.

Because of the amount of blood at the Milltown house, Brainard needed to assemble a team of technicians that was armed with tools ranging from scrub brushes and sponges to ozone air purifiers.

"It's typically not a pretty scene," said Cpl. Trinidad Navarro of New Castle County police. "We do not do cleanups. We take pictures, video and DNA for blood fibers, but we're not involved in the actual cleanup."

Because police focus only on evidence, companies such as Diamond Chemical & Supply are popping up all over the country to clean up after slayings, suicides and some deaths from natural causes.

Though police don't endorse any of them, they generally advise crime victims' families to let professionals eliminate the messy, bloody and potentially infectious telltale signs of a violent death.

"I would certainly recommend to a family to have a professional company do it for all the safety reasons," Navarro said.

Not for the faint of heart

After 12 years on the job, Brainard is no stranger to what sometimes happens when emotions turn violent.

And he's cleaned up settings that make even the most bloody horror films seem tame -- the stench of decaying flesh, coagulated blood on hardwood floors, skin left behind by gunshots.

"I must have a strong stomach," said Brainard, 51, of Wilmington. "A couple of my technicians have gotten a little queasy at times."

Recently he was called to a Wilmington apartment where a man died of natural causes but wasn't discovered for days. Brainard grabbed an air purifier to remove the stench, scrubbed the floor with a deodorizer and disinfectant and then sealed it.

Any items made of cloth -- including the sofa, clothes and shoes -- were tossed, he said. The job was done in less than a day.

Though he's now a veteran, Brainard got into the business in 1997 when he needed a job and answered a newspaper ad.

At first, managers at Diamond talked to him about their air and odor division but then asked if he would be up to cleaning trauma scenes.

"They explained it to me, and I thought it would be a good experience," Brainard said recently, while dressed head to toe in a biohazard suit and full-face respirator.

"I had the stomach to do it," he added. "It's funny. My wife likes to watch TV shows with doctors in the emergency room. I can't watch that stuff, but I can do this. I guess I just don't think about it."

But he does think about the potential hazards of his job.

"Anytime anyone has a carpet and blood has gotten on it, I advise them to get rid of it," Brainard said.

That's because blood -- and its ability to spread disease -- is always a concern for Brainard and his crew, whether they have to clean up specks or pools, he said.

Before starting a job, they interview families and try to learn if the person who died had hepatitis, HIV or any other infectious disease. And because blood can get into the air, they're quick to respond.

"Our response time is immediate," said Richard Ventresca, president of Diamond Chemical & Supply. "If you call me and tell me that you have a situation, I'll try to have someone out there within an hour."

The business of it all

Diamond Chemical & Supply has 27 employees, Ventresca said, adding that some have been with him for 28 years.

The company charges anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars per job, based on its complexity, he said.

Although cleaning up trauma scenes is not a top career choice among most, the market for companies such as Diamond Chemical is growing across the country.

Firms that clean crime scenes are represented by the American Bio-Recovery Association, a trade group based in Ipswich, Mass., that was founded in 1996 and now has 75 companies as members.

President Dale Cillian said there are hundreds of other companies across the country, some that specialize in crime scene cleanup and others that also offer trauma restoration services.

"I thought about doing something else -- but then I wondered, 'What else can I do?' " said Cillian, who owns a crime scene cleanup company in Phoenix.

Though grisly to some, the work helps families who could not deal with clearing away the physical reminders of what happened to a loved one, Brainard said.

"You don't want that to be your last memory of your loved one," Ventresca said. "You want to have good memories and I think that goes a long way."

Additional Facts
DO-IT-YOURSELF TIPS

Diamond Chemical recommends that families call professionals for help after a tragedy. But if they try to clean up themselves, they should: