A Step-by-Step Guide to Crime Scene Cleanup

If you have a crime scene on your property, you need to clean it up, and it might be a grisly scene. The process of crime scene cleanup can be rigorous and involved and is best left to professionals.

If you do contact specialty cleaning services, here are the steps you can expect them to take in cleaning up the crime scene.

Before Cleanup: Let the Police Do Their Job

When you or someone else discovers a crime scene, either by witnessing the crime or by seeing the evidence that a crime took place after the fact, it’s important to report the scene to police. Call 9-1-1 if you just witnessed the crime, if there are wounded people on the scene, or if there’s a dead body. The police or the 9-1-1 operator will give you instructions for handling the scene until they arrive.

Do not clean or let anyone else clean before the police arrive on the scene. Wait until after the police have finished their business at the site to start cleaning. They will officially release the scene to you and let you know it’s safe to start cleaning up.

Many cities and towns have resources to help pay for crime scene cleanup. If the police don’t mention it when they turn the scene back over to you, ask about it.

The Crime Scene Cleanup Process

When you contact specialty cleaning services, they will arrive on the scene quickly and follow a step-by-step process to make sure the site is thoroughly cleaned, making it safe to move back in and protecting the resale value of the property. Although there may be some variation among cleaners, this is a typical process.

Inspection and Assessment

First, the specialty cleaning service team will inspect the area to determine the nature and extent of the crime scene to be cleaned. They should also provide you with a cost and time estimate for completion.

If you are considering cleaning up the crime scene yourself and can’t immediately identify everything you’ll be dealing with and know how to handle it, it’s time to contact professionals.

Isolation and Safety

Next, it’s important to make sure any hazards in the area don’t spread during the cleanup process. If there’s no risk of airborne contamination, containment is simple. For more dangerous contaminants, the cleaners may need to create an isolated environment with an independent air supply.

All cleaners should wear personal protective equipment (PPE) to avoid exposure and avoid tracking out contaminants.

Cleanup of Hazardous Materials

With the area closed off, cleanup can begin. Specialty cleaning services know how to handle many different types of hazardous materials, including biohazards and chemical hazards that might be at a crime scene. Although people often think of crime scene cleanup as being related to violent crimes, some drug crime scenes need professional cleaning because of drug residue and the numerous dangerous substances used to synthesize some drugs.

Removal of Materials That Can’t Be Cleaned

Some materials from the crime scene might not be able to be cleaned. Anything porous that absorbs contaminants might be cleanable under special conditions, but in many cases, it must simply be removed. This may include contents of the room, but it might also include drywall, carpet, flooring, and even wall studs and floor joists. You can’t simply paint over these areas: odor and contamination will remain and can escape.

Disinfection

Once the area is fully cleaned, it’s important to disinfect the area. This treatment should be adequate to kill all bacteria, viruses, and parasites.

Deodorization

Although cleaning and disinfection may remove most odors, there may be some persistent smells. If that’s not the case, specialty cleaning services know what approach can eliminate different odors after cleaning.

Restoration

With contaminants removed and odors neutralized, it’s time to restore the space to its condition from before the incident. This will include replacing any structural supports, drywall, and flooring that was removed. Installing trim and painting will complete the appearance so that no-one will be able to tell that a crime happened there. When you hire specialty cleaning services, make sure that they can handle this part of the process.

Disposal of Contaminants

Finally, it’s important to dispose of all hazardous materials from the crime scene, including any and all PPE used in the cleanup. For biohazardous materials, this typically means sending them to a medical incinerator. Chemical hazards will have to go to a site that can handle them. It’s also important to document the disposition of all materials – improperly disposing of them can be a crime and lead to fines.

Crime Scene Cleanup in Idaho and Washington

If you have a crime scene on your property, cleaning it up is your responsibility. However, this doesn’t mean that you should handle it yourself. Improper cleaning of the crime scene could lead to fines, as well as exposing yourself and others to exposure risks like disease and illness. Professional cleaning benefits everyone. Many cities and towns offer assistance to help you pay for specialty cleaning services that can ensure it gets done right.

At Burke’s Restoration, we have been helping people in the Spokane and Coeur d’Alene areas with a wide variety of restoration services, including crime scene cleanup, We’ve been a leading restoration company in the area since 2012, and we offer 24/7 emergency services. Whenever you need a crime scene cleanup, we can be there and get started working quickly. We handle every step of the crime scene cleanup, including any repairs necessary.

We can also coordinate with your insurance company. We know how to properly document the damage and the repairs to make your claims process as smooth as possible. Accurate reporting ensures you will get the full amount covered under your policy and that you get it quickly.

To start the crime scene cleanup process, please contact Burke’s Restoration any time day or night.