Crime scenes are seen on television several times weekly, especially on popular police procedural shows. These shows rarely depict the actual damage that a crime scene can do or how important it is to properly clean up after a crime has been committed. Crime scene cleanup is not for the faint of heart. They can range from cleaning up meth labs to cleaning up after a homicide, so it takes a special kind of person to not only be able to physically deal with a crime scene, but psychologically as well.
Crime scene cleanup must be done by trained professionals as soon as law enforcement allows. It is important that any cleanup be done by those who are properly trained and equipped.
Investigations Must Be Completed Before Crime Scene Cleanup Begins
Whether a property owner is doing the cleanup themselves (not recommended) or is hiring a crime scene cleanup specialist to do it for them, they will require the work to begin as soon as possible. Ideally, the building owner should contact a crime scene cleanup contractor as soon as possible after the investigation into the crime has begun in order to be prepared.
Professional crime scene cleanup specialists work with police to ensure a crime scene is not contaminated and investigations are unobstructed. This means, through their coordination with police, that they won’t start the cleanup process until the investigation is complete and the police are done with the scene.
Following Strict Cleanup Procedures
Crime scene cleanup is a messy ordeal so it is important that the proper cleanup processes are done carefully. A professional will have a clear process when it comes to cleaning up after a crime. It starts when they are given the go ahead to begin cleaning up after an investigation and ends with the final contact with the building owner. By sticking to strict processes, they can ensure a cleanup is done as quickly as possible and as safely as possible. Biohazards are the biggest issue when it comes to crime scene cleanup and cross contamination must be avoided at all times. Proper safety processes must always be strictly adhered to.
Proper Biohazard Cleanup
Biohazards are one of the biggest issues with crime scenes. Crime scenes are rarely safe environments, especially when a drug lab or murder victim is involved. Meth labs in particular are dangerous to clean up and often contain more drugs than just meth. There are often other dangerous chemicals from the meth making process that makes leaving anything behind a danger to future occupants of that building.
Additionally, any crime scene that includes blood must be handled with the greatest of care. Any blood or fluid that has come out of a body, especially when left on floors, walls, furniture, etc for hours, days, or weeks are always considered biohazards and must be treated as such. One can never know if the victim had a particularly infectious disease, so it must always be handled and disposed of as if it were dangerously contagious.
Mitigating Structural Damage
Blood, bodily fluids, or other substances related to a crime scene can be highly damaging to any surfaces that they get exposed to, especially if they aren’t discovered and properly cleaned up promptly. Blood can seep deep into floors or behind walls and must be cleaned up, otherwise it could lead to permanent structural damage or the buildup of dangerous black mold.
Fully trained crime scene cleanup professionals know which surfaces are porous and which ones are not. They also know where to look for even the smallest amount of blood or bodily fluid so they can remove the fluid fully or dispose of the materials that cannot be fully cleaned. Messy crime scenes that are not properly cleaned up can lead to major health issues later, whether it is from black mold build up from liquids staying too long or the spread of infectious diseases through the air or through rodents.
Dealing with crime scenes can be horrendous for everybody involved. In order to properly deal with a crime scene cleanup, a professional service should be called in order to prevent future health and structural issues. The cost of prompt and effective professional cleanup is worth it when the cost in the future could be so much higher.
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