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 DeKalb County. The cleanup scope is based on where contamination traveled.
Homicide cleanup is specialized crime scene work performed after investigators complete their duties and release the property. It removes bodily fluids, blood and other contaminated materials.
Cleaning the property is not part of the work performed by law enforcement or the medical examiner or coroner, whose attention is on the investigation. After scene release, the homicide cleaning service may be arranged by relatives, a property owner, a landlord or another authorized person.
Cleanup technicians first trace where contamination reached, including areas around the affected room. Unaffected spaces are protected. Materials that cannot be disinfected come out, while surfaces suitable for disinfection receive treatment. This goes beyond routine cleaning and also includes odor removal, proper hazardous waste packaging and disposal, plus insurance company records if requested.

To help preserve your privacy during a painful time, you may ask for unmarked vehicles and restrict access to authorized people.
When discussing the loss with property owners and insurance companies, you can use photos, inventories, scope notes and disposal paperwork.
You can ask what will be cleaned, what must be removed, how waste will leave the property and what remains for restoration.
Personal property that can be saved is separated and discussed with you before removal decisions are made.
A homicide cleaning service is needed if a violent death leaves biological material or blood in a vehicle, business, rental or home. Situations that commonly require this work include:
While stores, offices, shared spaces or warehouses are checked for contamination, the affected area can remain isolated.
The complete path needs assessment because blood and tissue may extend to furniture, carpet, ceilings, hidden joints and walls.
A bedroom, hall, living area and surrounding exposed surfaces may all require blood cleanup after the event.
Blood that appears on the surface may travel behind trim or below flooring, leaving a wipe incomplete.
Begin by honoring the investigation, limiting exposure and keeping information that may help with a claim. Take these steps before cleanup technicians are allowed to enter:
Call (888) 440-9227Available homicide cleanup cost guides put violent crime scenes in the $2,500 to $9,000 range. They place smaller scenes in a range from $2,000 to $6,000 and larger scenes between $3,000 and $10,000 based on their published figures. These are planning ranges rather than a quote. An assessment determines the final scope.
These ranges come from published national cost guides, not from a 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) 440-9227A homeowners, renters or commercial policy may pay for homicide cleanup, but coverage depends on the policy, the loss and the deductible.
Report what occurred to the insurance company after police clear the scene. Check if coverage includes restoration, biohazard cleanup and damaged structural materials.
Local requirements, property ownership, lease conditions and policy language can determine who pays and arranges cleanup. The tenant and landlord should contact their respective insurance companies.
Check with your insurance company about its requirements for photos, inventories, work notes, bills and waste documentation. Make copies of all materials before submission.
Victims of violent crime can ask the Georgia Crime Victims Compensation Program, run by the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, about crime scene cleanup. The program lists crime scene sanitization among eligible expenses. Insurance is usually checked first.
The remediation process follows a controlled order after scene release. Every step is based on where contamination traveled, which materials can be saved and what waste rules apply.
Known affected areas are identified by the authorized person, then technicians assess surrounding surfaces, contents, floor borders and possible routes of spread.
The work zone is separated from clean rooms. Cleanup technicians use suitable personal protective equipment and controls that reduce tracking beyond the scene.
Surface-specific methods collect bodily fluids and blood that are visible before detailed cleaning and disinfection.
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.
With the source removed, remaining materials, adjoining areas and the room air may receive air filtration and targeted odor treatment.
After contaminated waste is sealed and labeled, it is moved in accordance with applicable requirements and available disposal records are retained.
The completed scope is reviewed, saved personal property is returned as agreed and removed finishes are listed for restoration services.
You can call anytime. You speak with a homicide cleanup specialist who outlines the process and schedules a start time with you.
Serious health risks can come from blood, bodily fluids and contamination you cannot see. The concern remains even if visible signs seem dry or limited.
Soaked absorbent materials and used protective equipment may need compliant packaging, transport and disposal under relevant medical waste rules.
Fluids can enter seams, grout, carpet pad, subfloor and wall cavities. Material concealed behind or under a surface remains after only the visible spot is cleaned.
Blood can carry hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV. 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. When blood enters carpet, drywall, wood, fabric or an area without clear limits, avoid the space and get professional cleanup.
Blood-absorbing porous materials generally must be taken out. A non-porous surface can often stay if the entire exposed portion can be reached and disinfected.

The OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard, 29 CFR 1910.1030, establishes requirements for worker protective equipment, training and controls for exposure.
Use an EPA-registered disinfectant suitable for the purpose, and leave the surface wet throughout the contact time on the product label.
Georgia treats soaked materials from a biohazard scene as biomedical waste. Georgia Environmental Protection Division solid waste rules control how it is handled, transported and treated, so it cannot go in household trash.
Georgia uses a mixed system. Elected county coroners lead local death investigations, and the state Medical Examiner or Coroner's Office within the Georgia Bureau of Investigation performs forensic autopsies. Cleanup starts after police or the medical examiner or coroner release the scene.
The schedule depends on scene size, the depth of contamination, the number of rooms, scene access and the amount of material that must be removed. You can get a more useful timeline after the initial assessment.
The full homicide cleanup guide covers what is cleaned or removed, odor and air quality work, and the rules that apply in Georgia and DeKalb County.
Read the full homicide cleanup guide
Containment, entry and cleanup plans can be influenced by local housing, population and access details.
Knowing that Emory University Hospital is about 2.1 miles away helps households plan where to seek care before arranging scene cleanup.
Connections to Candler Park, Edgewood, and Kirkwood make a precise address important for coordinating cleanup access without unnecessary neighborhood attention.
As an Atlanta neighborhood, Lake Claire may include several building styles, so cleanup planning should start with the exact property type.
Ask on the call about cleanup options for neighboring communities and ZIP codes.
After police release the property, crime scene cleaning addresses blood and odor.
See crime scene cleanup
Blood cleanup on carpet, hard floors, walls and furniture with safe disposal.
See blood cleanup
Trauma scene cleanup is needed after violent events, accidents and injuries.
See trauma scene cleanup
Fluids, odor and impacted belongings are addressed when a home is cleaned after a death.
See death cleanup
Private, careful suicide cleanup so families do not have to face 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 of blood also covers investigation residue, tissue and fingerprint powder.
See forensic cleaning
Death odor removal at the source with air scrubbers, hydroxyl and ozone treatment.
See death odor removalDIY cleaning is not appropriate when blood reached carpet, wood, fabric, drywall, furniture or a hidden space. Bloodborne pathogens and unseen spread can create 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.
First, cleanup technicians identify the affected area and establish containment around it. After putting on protective gear, technicians collect material they can see. They remove porous items beyond disinfection, clean surfaces left in place and follow the label contact time when using a disinfectant registered by the EPA. The team finishes by packaging hazardous waste and checking the completed cleanup scope.
Right. Both are forms of death cleanup and trauma scene cleanup, but the conditions can differ. Until law enforcement releases a homicide scene, it stays under official control and may contain residue from evidence processing. Time between death and discovery means an unattended death may involve decomposition along with more extensive odor issues.
Belongings beyond the affected area may stay protected where they are or be relocated to an uncontaminated space. Every object within the scene is reviewed separately. Hard, non-porous belongings may be cleanable. Absorbent items may require removal, but decisions about keepsakes, records and photographs should first be reviewed with you.
A homeowners policy might pay for homicide scene cleanup or death cleanup, but coverage varies according to policy language, exclusions, the event and the deductible. Contact the insurer before work begins. Before work starts, find out which documents are required and ask about biohazard cleanup, personal property, restoration and damaged materials.
For violent crime scene work, the published homicide cleanup cost is $2,500 to $9,000. A smaller scene is listed at $2,000 to $6,000, while a larger scene is listed at $3,000 to $10,000. Scene size, depth, room count, disposal and police release affect the final scope.
Respectful, discreet homicide cleanup is available 24 hours a day, and crews arrive in unmarked vehicles.