Death Cleanup Services
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Florida Emergency Cleaning
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What is a Professional Death Cleanup Service?
A professional death cleanup service is the service provided by those specially trained to cleanup after a death. The concept might seem morbid, but reality tells us that there is a significant need for this service. (1) When a murder takes place in an office building, or a suicide happens in a home, and it could be weeks before anyone finds the body – causing an “unattended death.” Other times, a simple accident or a turn of events necessitates the help of professionals, and we all know that families lose those they love everyday. No matter the circumstances, somebody must be there to clean up blood and other potentially infectious material left behind – even some things most of us would cringe to even see.
“These ‘hygiene specialists’ see the goriest, darkest side of society: after a murder or a suicide takes place, these are the people sent in to clean up after the emergency services have removed the body.”
HuffPost
Death cleanup specialists may also be called ‘biohazard cleanup’ or ‘trauma cleanup’ specialists who take care of the mess to make building and living spaces tenable again. It must be done, but it is also important to get the job done right to ensure that people can safely navigate the area again without risk of biohazard infection.
Understanding the After Death Biohazard Cleanup Process
Step 1: Assess – The remediation or death cleanup team will complete an initial assessment walkthrough of the building according to OSHA biohazard standards. This gives them a bird’s eye view of what needs to be cleaned and how thoroughly.
Step 2: Control and Set Up – Once the cleanup begins, the first step is to set up a perimeter around the trauma scene to help control the area and prevent unintentional biohazard spread into other areas.
Step 3: Remove and Clean – The initial cleaning removes any porous materials, fabrics, and bodily fluids from the scene. While it is a cursory cleanup, it helps break the rest of the job into more manageable steps.
Step 4: Disinfect and Deodorize – Once the space is cleared and ready for the thorough cleaning step, the team goes through every square inch of the scene and disinfects and deodorizes the space using specialty-rated chemicals.
Step 5: Verify – Once the space is disinfected, the team will verify the quality of the work both with visual and forensic methods to ensure the space is tenable again.
Common Mistakes Family Members Make After A Death
In the face of a loved one’s death, it can be difficult to find all the answers right away. You are beginning to grieve, and it’s easy to make mistakes. Here are the top four mistakes that family members make after discovering a deceased loved one:
- Don’t attempt to clean the scene yourself, or with household cleaners. Only when used properly will industrial cleaning chemicals remove biohazards such as blood, urine, decomposition, and other bodily fluids. Common household cleaners do not have this capability, and will not get underneath floor panels or into porous materials which may need to be removed completely for disinfection.
- Don’t underestimate the emotional and mental toll of cleanup. After the death of a loved one, you are already in the beginning stages of grief. Being at or near the scene of the death can have a strong psychological toll. This is true even for people who are not especially close to the departed; only professionals should clean up the scene.
- Any smell of death should be addressed. After cleanup, the smell of death can linger. This may indicate that the space was not thoroughly cleaned. This is an issue that should be addressed by the cleaning company, not something that will ‘go away with time,’
- Do your research on death cleanup services. Asking your insurance company is a good place to start, but you need to know that the cleanup service you hire is qualified and that you can trust them to do a good job.
For the longest time, it was believed that it was the responsibility of family and friends to clean up after an unattended death. Even a decade ago, few people knew about death cleaning services. Unfortunately, this is not only damaging to the psyche of those who clean up after the body, but it’s also dangerous. Not only should the space be cleaned according to thorough biohazard remediation guidelines, but it should be done in the correct order to prevent the accidental spreading of biohazard material. Remediation specialists, or a death cleanup team, wear protective gear to prevent biohazard infection of themselves and follows a strict protocol to ensure the space is tenable once they are finished. In some extreme cases, additional safety measures may be recommended, such as the removal and reconstruction of part of the flooring, wall, or building fixtures to prevent contamination.
Who pays for blood cleanup or After a Death?
Typically, the owner of the building is responsible for paying for all services related to the immediate any blood cleanup or cleanup of the body. Some or all of this cost may be covered by homeowner’s or renter’s insurance depending on the circumstances of the unattended death. In the case of murders or suicides happening in a place of business, the business owner may be responsible for the blood cleanup or other cleanup death related costs.
If the costs are not covered, there is a federal relief fund for individuals who need help paying cleanup costs. This ensures that family members and friends do not have to clean up after their loved one’s passing, and the building can be sanitized to current health standards. The Crime Victims’ Fund is a 12-billion-dollar fund that provides victims with financial relief from various costs related to the incident. Some eligible costs include counseling, medical treatments, crime scene cleanup services, unattended or some other type of cleanup costs, affordable funeral costs, and assistance programs.
How Much Does Biohazard Cleanup Cost after an Unattended Death?
The cost to clean up an unattended death varies based on how much biohazard must be cleaned up. In cases where the body is found quickly and there is little additional biohazard to clean, costs will be lower as there is less labor involved. In cases where the unattended death may not have been discovered for weeks and decomposition has set in, or if there is a lot of blood cleanup or other biohazardous material to clean, costs and time to effectively clean the area will expand.
On average, unattended death cleanup costs range anywhere from $1,800 to $5,000. An estimate must be provided after the scene has been assessed, however, as it’s impossible to provide an accurate quote over the internet or phone – and extreme situations can be in excess of $5,000. A clean-up crew will visit the place of residence or business and, after a quick walk-through, will be able to provide an accurate estimate of the cleanup time and cost.
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How long does it take to clean up a Crime Scene or after a Death?
There is no set time that it takes to clean up an unattended death, as this all depends on the circumstances around the death. If the scene is relatively clean and limited to a small area, it may only take an hour to ensure the building is tenable again.
If the death reveals a hoarding situation, or if the death is particularly messy and encompasses multiple rooms and surfaces, it could take the cleanup team the better part of a week to handle it appropriately. Crime scene clean-up services are not typically done by the first responders, but by a third party that comes in after the scene has been cleared for maintenance. Cleaning teams may not begin until the crime scene has been cleared by first responders, which may delay the cleaning process until the forensics team has all the information they need.
When Should You Call a Death Cleanup Service?
After the body is discovered, you should alert first responders to allow the forensics team to take pictures and ask the family questions. Once the forensics team is done with their initial analysis, the body will be taken away to the morgue, and if necessary, an investigation will be launched into the circumstances of the death.
First responders, however, do not take care of the biohazard cleanup that is still required once the body has been taken. They have done their job, and they have moved on to the next step of the process. That leaves you with a house or building that needs to be thoroughly cleaned. This is where a death cleanup service comes in. A death cleanup team will assess the scene and begin the cleaning and disinfection of the building, disposing of any hazardous materials as needed, and disinfecting the remaining surfaces.
Once done, the building will look cleaner than ever with no sign of the incident remaining.
References:
- HuffPost, Trauma Cleaners: Meet the People Who Clear Up After Murders, Meth Labs, and Hoarders, https://www.huffpost.com/archive/in/entry/trauma-cleaners-murder-meth-labs-and-hoarders_in_5d183768e4b03d61163cbb4e
Happy Customers
We’re Here to Help You in Your Greatest Time of Need
Regardless of whether you choose Florida Emergency Cleaning as your after death cleanup service provider, we sincerely offer you our deepest condolences in this most trying time.
We also hope that the information in this article will help you make the best decision possible for you and your family.
Enduring the death of a loved one is always difficult. It’s often unexpected and many times very devastating, and the aftermath can be most difficult to navigate.
We are here to help you get your home or business cleaned up and help you get through this difficult time.
Our Expertise
Should you decide that our team would be the right fit for your cleanup after a death, our qualified cleanup technicians are standing by.
Our team is highly trained in any after death cleanup, suicide cleanup, hazmat cleanup, biohazard cleanup, and other disinfection services. We work quickly and conscientiously to ensure a painless experience on our end.
We are serving counties and cities all across Florida from Jensen Beach to Tampa and from Key West to Miami, Orlando, Jacksonville, and anywhere else in North, Central, or South Florida.
Florida Emergency Cleaning is one of the best death cleanup companies available to help you when you need it most. Call (772) 486-4100 today for a free quote!
Our Other Services
Hazmat Cleanup
If you have hazardous chemicals or dangerous locations that need to be cleaned up professionally, the experienced team at Florida Emergency Cleaning Services has the equipment and knowledge to cleanup any hazardous situation safely and effectively.
Crime Scene Cleanup
Cleaning up a crime scene can be a difficult and dangerous situation for anyone that hasn’t been professionally trained. Our experienced team of crime scene and biohazard cleanup specialists can assist you with cleaning up blood, body fluids, hazardous chemicals, damaged property, and much more.
Disinfection Services
Bacteria, pathogens, and other bugs are impossible to see and extremely difficult to clean. Still, the professional team at Florida Emergency Cleaning Services can come to your business and disinfect it from top to bottom. We are here to help you.
Property Board Up Services
If you have a vacant property or there is bad weather on the way, the team at Florida Emergency Cleaning Services can effectively and professionally board-up your building or property, making it safe and secure and prevent storm damage and unauthorized access.
Hoarder Cleanup
After someone has been hoarding in their home for years, the mess they leave can look like a nightmare to cleanup, but it doesn’t have to be! Our experienced and professional team at Florida Emergency Cleaning Services can assist you with all hoarder cleanup services.
Foreclosure Clean Outs
Unfortunately, after foreclosure, the last thing that most people do is leave their home or property in a clean and tidy condition. The professional team at Florida Emergency Cleaning Services has decades of combined experience with all foreclosure clean outs.
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We can get a team of our thorough and professional cleaning technicians to your location quickly. Don’t hesitate to contact us.