Crime Scene Cleanup
Crime scene cleaning begins after police release and covers blood, odor and the affected property.
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 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.
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.
The cleanup process goes beyond ordinary cleaning services. Cleanup technicians locate contamination in the affected area and surrounding areas, protect unaffected rooms, remove materials that cannot be disinfected and treat cleanable surfaces. The work also includes hazardous waste packaging, waste disposal, odor removal and records for an insurance company when requested.

When discussing the loss with property owners and insurance companies, you can use photos, inventories, scope notes and disposal paperwork.
You can request details about cleaning, necessary removals, waste movement off the property and the work left for restoration.
You are consulted about recoverable personal property after it is isolated and before a removal decision occurs.
During a painful event, privacy can be supported when you limit entry to approved people and ask that crews arrive in unmarked vehicles.
When blood or other biological material remains after a violent death, a home, vehicle, rental or business may require homicide cleanup services. Common examples are:
Visible blood may continue beneath flooring or behind trim, which makes surface wiping incomplete.
A living space, bedroom, hallway and adjacent surfaces may each require blood cleanup after the event.
While stores, offices, shared spaces or warehouses are checked for contamination, the affected area can remain isolated.
Once police release the unit and essential belongings are removed by the family, an authorized manager or landlord may arrange scene cleanup.
Before technicians enter for cleanup, focus on staying away from exposure, preserving helpful claim details and respecting the active investigation. Your first steps are:
Call (888) 440-9227The 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) 440-9227A homeowners, renters or commercial policy may pay for homicide cleanup, but coverage depends on the policy, the loss and the deductible.
Tell the insurer what happened after police release the scene. Ask whether biohazard cleanup, damaged building materials and restoration are included.
Responsibility for arranging the work and covering the cost can vary with local law, ownership, insurance terms and the lease. The tenant and landlord should contact their respective insurance companies.
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.
Check with your insurance company about its requirements for photos, inventories, work notes, bills and waste documentation. Keep copies of everything you submit.
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.
Technicians check contents, nearby surfaces, possible travel paths and flooring edges after an authorized person identifies the affected areas already known.
Clean rooms are kept apart from the work area. Suitable personal protective equipment and controls help cleanup technicians limit the movement of contamination outside the scene.
Visible blood and bodily fluids are collected with methods suited to each surface before detailed cleaning and disinfection begin.
The smallest practical sections of upholstery, subfloor, carpet, padding or drywall are removed when complete disinfection is not possible.
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.
Waste containing contamination is labeled, sealed and transported under relevant rules, and disposal records are saved when available.
A final check covers finished work, the agreed return of saved personal property and a list of removed finishes for restoration services.
Phone any hour. A specialist in homicide cleanup takes your call, explains each step and agrees on 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.
Wall cavities, subfloor, padding, grout and seams can absorb fluids. Wiping what you can see leaves contamination within material below the surface or behind it.
Seeing the affected space can cause loved ones deep distress. Direct contact with the affected room and personal property can be avoided by family members through professional cleanup.
Hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV can be carried through blood. According to the CDC, hepatitis B remains viable on surfaces for at least seven days, meaning dried blood needs careful controls.
Can you clean it yourself? With disposable gloves, a small quantity of fresh blood may be cleaned off a hard, non-porous area by keeping an EPA-registered disinfectant on it for the full label contact time. If blood reached carpet, wood, fabric, drywall or an area with unclear edges, keep away and seek professional cleanup.
Whether an item absorbed blood helps determine what remains. Porous material usually requires removal, while non-porous surfaces may stay when all exposed parts are reachable for disinfection.

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.
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.
A timeline for homicide cleaning is shaped by scene access and size, the number of affected rooms, depth of contamination and amount that must be taken out. You can receive a more practical schedule once the initial assessment is complete.
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 housing, population and access details can shape containment, access and cleanup planning.
Since 81.7% of local homes are rentals, a cleanup plan may need to protect tenant privacy while keeping the property contact informed.
Because the median home dates to 1979, cleanup plans should distinguish washable surfaces from absorbent carpet, padding, and wallboard.
With 20.2% of seniors living alone, private cleanup communication may need to include a relative who lives somewhere else.
At 24.1% single-family housing, containment should account for adjoining units and shared air movement before cleanup work starts.
Your phone conversation can include questions about service in nearby ZIP codes and communities.
Crime scene cleaning begins after police release and covers blood, odor and the affected property.
See crime scene cleanup
Carpet, solid floors, walls and furnishings receive blood cleanup that includes safe disposal.
See blood cleanup
Trauma scene cleanup addresses the aftermath of accidents, injuries and violent incidents.
See trauma scene cleanup
Fluids, odor and impacted belongings are addressed when a home is cleaned after a death.
See death cleanup
Careful, private suicide cleanup keeps family members from having to confront the scene.
See suicide cleanup
Cleanup when a death went unnoticed for days, with decomposition and odor control.
See unattended death cleanup
Forensic cleaning addresses investigation residue, fingerprint powder and tissue along with cleaning of blood.
See forensic cleaning
Death odor removal at the source with air scrubbers, hydroxyl and ozone treatment.
See death odor removalInsurance may pay some or all covered costs after the deductible, but no answer applies to every policy or every situation. Give claim information to the insurance company and ask whether emergency response work, affected building materials, biohazard cleanup and restoration are covered. Store copies of photographs, scope documentation, invoices and disposal papers.
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. Time between death and discovery means an unattended death may involve decomposition along with more extensive odor issues.
Items outside the contaminated zone can be protected in place or moved to a clean area. Each belonging inside the scene receives its own assessment. Belongings with hard, non-porous surfaces might be cleaned. Absorbent items may need removal, while photos, documents and keepsakes should be discussed with you before a decision is made.
The published homicide cleanup cost for a violent crime scene ranges from $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. Police release status, scene dimensions, depth of contamination, number of rooms and disposal requirements all affect the scope.
You should not attempt cleanup when blood has entered furniture, drywall, carpet, fabric, wood or a concealed area. Contamination that is not visible, along with bloodborne pathogens, can present 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.
Yes, additional hazards may be present at the property. Heavy accumulations may be addressed through hoarding cleanup services once evidence restrictions have ended. A sewage backup may make sewage cleanup necessary, while resulting water damage might also need drying. Containment, disposal and the cleaning process must each be planned for the specific hazard.
You can request respectful, discreet homicide cleanup 24 hours a day, and crews use unmarked vehicles.