Crime Scene Cleanup
After police release the property, crime scene cleaning addresses blood and odor.
See crime scene cleanupGet blood, bodily fluids, contaminated materials and odor removed after investigators release a home, rental, business or vehicle in Broward County. The cleanup scope is based on where contamination traveled.
Homicide cleanup is a specialized form of crime scene cleanup that removes blood, bodily fluids and other contaminated materials after investigators finish their work and release the property.
While the medical examiner and law enforcement concentrate on investigative duties, they do not clean what remains at the property. Homicide cleaning can be arranged after release of the scene by an authorized person, including an owner, landlord or relative.
Ordinary cleaning services do not cover the full process. Cleanup technicians protect rooms outside the scene while locating affected material in the immediate space and nearby areas. They treat surfaces that are cleanable and remove those materials where disinfection is not possible. Odor treatment, the packaging and disposal of hazardous waste, and requested records for an insurance company are also included.

You can ask what will be cleaned, what must be removed, how waste will leave the property and what remains for restoration.
To help preserve your privacy during a painful time, you may ask for unmarked vehicles and restrict access to authorized people.
Disposal records, scope details, photos and item lists can help when you speak with insurance companies or property owners.
Personal property that may be saved is separated so you can discuss it before deciding what needs removal.
Homicide cleanup services may be necessary after a violent death affects a rental, vehicle, home or business with blood or biological material. Common circumstances include:
Seats, carpet, trim and insulation are checked to decide what can be cleaned and what must be removed.
The affected area can be isolated while offices, stores, warehouses or shared spaces are assessed for contamination.
Blood cleanup may involve a bedroom, living area, hallway and nearby surfaces that were exposed during the event.
A visible blood mark can extend beneath flooring and behind trim, so wiping only the surface is insufficient.
Respect for the investigation comes first. You should also avoid exposure and retain details that may be useful for a claim. Before cleanup technicians enter, take these steps:
Call (888) 351-0904The published planning figures in available homicide cleanup cost guides range between $2,500 and $9,000 when the work involves a violent crime scene. A smaller scene has figures from $2,000 to $6,000 while a larger scene has figures from $3,000 to $10,000 under those guides. These amounts do not serve as a quote. The assessment shapes the final scope.
The figures shown are national ranges from published cost guides and are not based on an on-site visit. The price for your property is set after the on-site assessment, and you hear it before work starts.
Ask about cost: (888) 351-0904Insurance may pay toward homicide cleanup through a commercial, homeowners or renters policy. Coverage is determined by the loss, the policy and its deductible.
Have the insurance company identify every needed invoice, photo, item list, disposal record and scope note. Make copies of all materials before submission.
After the scene is released by police, inform the insurer about the loss. Find out whether the policy includes damaged building components, restoration and biohazard cleanup.
Responsibility for arranging the work and covering the cost can vary with local law, ownership, insurance terms and the lease. Landlords and tenants should each speak with an insurer.
Victims of violent crime can ask the Florida Attorney General's Bureau of Victim Compensation about cleanup, since its rules count crime scene cleanup costs as a compensable loss. Insurance is usually checked first.
Scene release comes before a controlled remediation process can start. Decisions at every stage depend on contamination travel, applicable waste rules and whether each material is suitable to be saved.
Known affected areas are identified by the authorized person, then technicians assess surrounding surfaces, contents, floor borders and possible routes of spread.
Clean rooms are kept apart from the work area. Cleanup technicians use suitable personal protective equipment and controls that reduce tracking beyond the scene.
Collection of visible blood and bodily fluids comes first, using surface-specific methods before the area is carefully cleaned and disinfected.
If carpet, drywall, pad, subfloor or upholstery cannot be thoroughly disinfected, removal is limited to the minimum workable area.
Each retained surface receives detailed scene cleaning, then an EPA-registered disinfectant stays wet for its full label contact time.
After source removal, filtered air and focused treatments can reduce odor affecting indoor air, materials that remain and adjoining areas.
Contaminated waste is sealed, labeled and moved according to applicable rules, with disposal records retained when available.
The closing assessment examines completed work, returns salvageable personal property according to the agreement and records removed finishes for restoration services.
Call any hour. Your homicide cleanup specialist answers the phone, describes what happens next and works with you on a start time.
Blood, bodily fluids and hidden contaminated materials can present serious health risks, even when the visible area looks small or dry.
Applicable medical waste rules may require regulated disposal, transportation and packaging for used protective equipment and saturated porous materials.
Seeing the affected space can cause loved ones deep distress. Professional cleanup lets family members avoid direct contact with the affected space and personal property.
Hepatitis C, HIV and hepatitis B may be present in blood. The CDC says hepatitis B can survive on surfaces for at least seven days, so dried blood still requires careful controls.
Can you clean it yourself? Disposable gloves may be used to clean a minor amount of fresh blood from hard non-porous material, along with an EPA-registered disinfectant left for the entire label contact time. Stay out and seek professional cleanup if blood affected drywall, fabric, wood, carpet or any space whose boundaries are uncertain.
The time required for homicide cleaning depends on how large the scene is, how deep contamination went, how many rooms are involved, available access and how much material needs removal. A useful schedule can be discussed following the initial assessment.
| Scene | Typical time on site |
|---|---|
| Accessible surfaces within a small affected area | Inspection and official scene release determine the schedule |
| Porous material removal within one room | May require cleaning plus a separate restoration phase |
| Several rooms or structural contamination | A staged plan and more extensive restoration work are usually necessary |
Source removal comes before other odor work. Adding fragrance cannot resolve odor from fluid absorbed by subfloor, furniture, concealed cavities, drywall or carpet.
Once contaminated materials are gone, airborne particles can be filtered with HEPA air scrubbers. Hydroxyl treatment is an option for occupied spaces when permitted by equipment instructions. Ozone treatment needs an empty area and strict controls. Before you proceed, the cleaning process may also involve inspecting neighboring rooms and vents.
The OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard, 29 CFR 1910.1030, sets worker requirements for exposure controls, training and protective equipment.
Use an EPA-registered disinfectant suitable for the purpose, and leave the surface wet throughout the contact time on the product label.
Florida calls it biomedical waste, and the term covers absorbent materials saturated with blood or body fluids. The Florida Department of Health's rules control packing, transport and treatment, so it cannot go in household trash.
Florida uses district medical examiners, with the Medical Examiners Commission under the Florida Department of Law Enforcement overseeing them. Cleanup starts after police or the medical examiner release the scene.
The full homicide cleanup guide covers what is cleaned or removed, odor and air quality work, and the rules that apply in your state.
Read the full homicide cleanup guide
Local population patterns, housing and site access may affect how containment and cleanup are planned.
Knowing that Holy Cross Hospital is about 3.6 miles away helps households plan where to seek care before arranging scene cleanup.
The nearby places of South Middle River, Durrs, and Home Beautiful Park give useful orientation when arranging equipment delivery and waste pickup.
In Lauderdale Manors, identifying the correct building entrance can reduce unnecessary movement through shared spaces during a sensitive cleanup.
You can ask about cleanup in nearby communities and ZIP codes during the call.
After police release the property, crime scene cleaning addresses blood and odor.
See crime scene cleanup
Blood cleanup clears blood from furniture, walls, hard floors and carpet, followed by safe disposal.
See blood cleanup
Trauma scene cleanup after accidents, injuries and violent events.
See trauma scene cleanup
Home cleaning following a death includes affected possessions as well as fluid and odor cleanup.
See death cleanup
Careful, private suicide cleanup keeps family members from having to confront the scene.
See suicide cleanup
Cleanup after an undiscovered death includes odor control and the effects of days of decomposition.
See unattended death cleanup
Forensic cleaning addresses investigation residue, fingerprint powder and tissue along with cleaning of blood.
See forensic cleaning
Death odor removal targets the source through ozone treatment, hydroxyl and air scrubbers.
See death odor removalUnaffected items can remain under protection or be moved away from the contaminated zone to a clean location. Each belonging inside the scene receives its own assessment. Non-porous belongings made from hard materials may be cleanable. Before deciding, the team should speak with you about papers, photos and keepsakes, while absorbent property may have to be removed.
You should not attempt cleanup when blood has entered furniture, drywall, carpet, fabric, wood or a concealed area. Bloodborne pathogens and hidden contamination may lead to serious health risks. Keep people and pets away, wait for scene release and arrange professional cleanup for any affected area whose full boundary is unclear.
Once property clearance comes from law enforcement as well as the medical examiner, an authorized manager, relative, owner or landlord may organize cleanup. Biohazard remediation, blood cleanup, surface disinfection, odor treatment and hazardous waste removal may be completed by homicide cleaners. Police investigate the scene, but they do not perform the cleaning service.
After your deductible, insurance might pay part or all of the covered expense, but the answer differs for every policy and every situation. Give claim information to the insurance company and ask whether emergency response work, affected building materials, biohazard cleanup and restoration are covered. Save your invoices, disposal paperwork, scope details and photographs.
A murder scene is cleaned by professional homicide cleaners after investigators allow access. Their work can include containment, removal of absorbed fluids, detailed cleaning, disinfection, odor removal and waste disposal. Do not ask a family member to enter or clean a room that still contains bodily fluids or blood.
The conditions can vary between them. Trauma scene cleanup and death cleanup are categories that apply to each. Law enforcement retains control of the homicide location before release, and the property may have residue left by evidence work. Decomposition and broader odor problems are often present after an unattended death because some time elapsed before discovery.
Respectful, discreet homicide cleanup is available 24 hours a day, and crews arrive in unmarked vehicles.