Homicide Cleanup
After investigators leave, homicide cleanup removes contaminated materials along with tissue and blood.
See homicide cleanupGet blood, body fluids, fingerprint powder and odor removed from a home, apartment, rental or business in Charlestown once police release the property. Most crime scene cleanups take one to three days.
Crime scene cleanup means taking out tissue, contaminated materials, body fluids and blood following a violent crime. Often termed trauma scene cleanup or forensic cleaning, it includes odor removal and disinfection to make the property safe for use again.
The investigation comes before any cleaning. Detectives, police and the medical examiner remove the deceased and collect evidence, but cleanup is not part of their role. After release, responsibility for the scene passes to the family, landlord or property owner.
Crime scene cleaners, also called forensic cleaners or a forensic clean up crew, treat every drop of blood as infectious. They trace how far it traveled, remove what cannot be disinfected, clean and treat every surface, and haul the hazardous materials away under medical waste rules. It is a form of biohazard remediation, and the cleanup process covers these steps from start to finish.

You receive an explanation of each step and price factor before work, allowing an informed decision for your family.
Crews separate your keepsakes, documents and photos, and ask you before discarding any of them.
You can call during the day or overnight, and unmarked vehicles help keep the situation private from neighbors.
Prepared photos, waste paperwork and scope details are available for landlords and insurance companies so you can move forward.
You may need crime scene cleaning services whenever blood or body fluids remain after a violent event. Typical situations include:
Broken glass with blood, damaged doors and fingerprint powder throughout the home.
Commercial crime scene cleanup in offices, stores and warehouses, with work areas isolated during cleaning.
Blood and tissue spread across floors, walls and furniture, often into more than one room.
A standoff may leave tear gas or pepper spray deposits across ductwork, textiles and wall surfaces.
Your health, final cost and insurance claim can all be affected by what happens in the first hours. While waiting for cleanup technicians:
Call (888) 440-9227According to published cost guides, a residential crime scene cleanup most often costs from $1,500 through $7,500. Crime scene cleanup companies commonly price the full job, not each hour. Limited surface blood may mean a lower cost, while subfloor contamination or several affected rooms can push the bill past $10,000. Final pricing follows an on-site assessment.
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) 440-9227Your policy controls whether crime scene cleanup has coverage. A homeowners or renters policy might classify the event as accidental and sudden, with a possible deductible.
The owner usually coordinates and covers crime scene cleanup costs in rentals and common areas.
Your homeowners or renters policy terms determine coverage following a violent crime. Make the event report quickly, then write down your claim number.
Discuss biohazard cleanup coverage, your ability to pick a cleanup company, and the adjuster's required photos or records.
The Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance runs a Victim Compensation Program that lists crime scene cleanup among covered expenses for victims of violent crime. Insurance is usually checked first.
Although no two crime scenes are alike, each remediation process uses one safe sequence. The crime scene cleanup process moves in that order from an initial walk-through through the final inspection.
You or your representative walks through the area with technicians, who document it in photos and settle the scope before cleaning begins.
The affected area is sealed with plastic sheeting and negative air, and technicians wear full personal protective equipment.
Saturated drywall, carpeting, padding, mattresses and furnishings are removed, placed in bags and sealed for medical waste disposal.
Technicians clean every surface before using hospital-grade disinfectant registered by the EPA for its required contact time.
Odors are addressed where they begin with air scrubbers, ozone or hydroxyl machines, while HVAC vents receive inspection.
Paperwork follows each closed container through delivery to a permitted facility for medical waste.
You receive records and photos for the claim, and technicians can use ATP testing to check surfaces.
Removed flooring and drywall can then be replaced by your contractor or your insurer's vendor.
Call any hour. You speak with a crime scene cleanup specialist who outlines the process and schedules a start time with you.
Blood and bodily fluids can carry serious health risks, and the contamination you can see is rarely all of it.
Cleaning the place where a loved one was hurt is a heavy burden. Many families choose professional crime scene cleaners for that reason alone.
Soaked materials are regulated medical waste. Disposal in home trash or dumpsters is not allowed, so an approved treatment facility must receive them.
Carpet does not stop blood from reaching the pad and subfloor, while grout and spaces under baseboards can trap it. Cleaning only the surface misses contamination, allowing bacteria and smells to return.
Can you clean it yourself? For a few drops of blood that are fresh and limited to a non-porous hard surface, use gloves plus an EPA-registered disinfectant. Anything that reached fabric, carpet, wood or drywall, or any amount you cannot see the edges of, needs professional cleanup.
The rule is simple: if a material can be fully disinfected, it is cleaned. If blood soaked into it, it is removed.

For most crime scene cleanups, time at the property is one to three days. A recent scene with a small affected area can take a day, while structural removal at a heavy scene can extend the work to two to five days.
| Scene | Typical time on site |
|---|---|
| Light scene, one area | Often one to two days |
| Typical scene, one to two rooms | Often one to three days |
| Heavy scene, several rooms or subfloor removal | Often two to five days |
Odor removal begins by taking away its source. If fragrance is sprayed over tissue or blood, the smell is hidden for only a few days.
After the contaminated materials are gone, the cleanup team can use HEPA air scrubbers to capture particles, hydroxyl generators that are safe to run while people are present, and ozone treatment in empty rooms for stubborn odor. Thermal fogging reaches odor in fabrics and wall cavities, and HVAC ductwork is checked so smell does not travel to other rooms.
The full crime scene cleanup guide covers what is cleaned or removed, odor and air quality work, and the rules that apply in Suffolk County and Massachusetts.
Read the full crime scene cleanup guide
Local population patterns, housing and site access may affect how containment and cleanup are planned.
Knowing that Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary is about 1.2 miles away helps households plan where to seek care before arranging scene cleanup.
Crews coming in from Bulfinch Triangle, North End or West End should keep vehicles and equipment staged close to the affected property for privacy.
Neighborhood level directions help narrow the location, but crews still need entrance details before bringing containment and cleaning equipment inside.
Your phone conversation can include questions about service in nearby ZIP codes and communities.
After investigators leave, homicide cleanup removes contaminated materials along with tissue and blood.
See homicide cleanup
Families are spared from facing the scene through discreet and considerate suicide cleanup.
See suicide cleanup
Trauma scene cleanup addresses the aftermath of accidents, injuries and violent incidents.
See trauma scene cleanup
Blood cleanup on carpet, hard floors, walls and furniture with safe disposal.
See blood cleanup
Cleanup when a death went unnoticed for days, with decomposition and odor control.
See unattended death cleanup
Death odor removal at the source with air scrubbers, hydroxyl and ozone treatment.
See death odor removal
Respectful sorting, item removal and deep cleaning are included in hoarding cleanup.
See hoarding cleanup
Disinfection and drying follow sewage cleanup of Category 3 black water from raw sewage.
See raw sewage cleanupCrime scene cleanup is also known as biohazard remediation, forensic cleaning, trauma cleanup or forensic clean up. The people who do it are called crime scene cleaners or forensic cleaners.
No. Once evidence collection is complete, law enforcement releases the property. The person who controls the property or its owner is responsible for arranging cleanup.
Published guides put most residential crime scene cleanups between $1,500 and $7,500. Small surface work can cost less, but large scenes or several affected rooms may rise beyond $10,000.
Detectives, police and medical examiner staff collect case evidence and remove the deceased, then leave cleaning to others. Crime scene cleanup is commonly arranged by a landlord, family or property owner and completed by professional crime scene cleaners.
Cleaning crime scenes uses a cleaning process that contains the space, removes saturated material, cleans and disinfects surfaces, treats odor and disposes of medical waste.
Affirmative. Forensic cleaning includes both chemical deposits and fingerprint dust. First comes dry collection, followed by the proper product for the material to keep powder from leaving stains.
You can request respectful, discreet crime scene cleanup 24 hours a day, and crews use unmarked vehicles.