After a murder or any serious violent crime, the family of the deceased will be the ones left to take care of the scene after the police and other investigators are done with their job. Still, some departments may work closely with crime scene cleaning agents and offer referrals, the responsibility of cleaning falls upon the property owner.
This daunting task might be emotionally and physically draining, not to mention how stressful it will be. That’s why it’s better to hire a professional crime scene cleanup company that specializes in this aspect. But before doing that, it’s important to familiarize yourself with the cleanup equipment used for the service. This article will walk you through the tools and procedures used for cleaning crime scenes.
The Right Tools to Clean Up a Crime Scene
It’s not recommended for an amateur to consider taking on the cleanup of a crime scene. Bodily fluids are considered hazardous materials, and thus, they require special equipment and methods to be eliminated and disposed of properly to protect the person handling the cleanup and the general public. Equipment that is usually used for crime scene cleanup includes:
PPE
Personal protective equipment is a set of tools used by crime scene cleaners. They include items like disposable non-porous gloves, chemical spill boots, filtered respirators, and protective suits. Most of this equipment is designed to be used once and needs to be discarded immediately after the job is done. Visit https://www.osha.gov/personal-protective-equipment to learn more about PPE.
Biohazard Disposal Containers
These include solid plastic containers and heavy-duty hazmat bags that the disposable items are put into and sealed safely.
Cleanup Supplies and Disinfectant Solutions
Cleanup supplies include traditional mops, buckets, sponges, and cleaning cloths. They are disposed of immediately after use. Once the cleaning is done, disinfectant solutions like bleach and peroxide are applied to the environment.
Industrial Strength Deodorizers
These come in different types and may be used in a fogger machine. Ozone machines are utilized to help deodorize the area.
Solvents
These are enzyme substances that are used to disinfect the place and re-liquefy dried blood.
Shovels
These are used to shovel coagulated fluids into disposable bags.
Putty Knives
Putty knives are used to remove organic matter from hard surfaces in the crime area.
Razor Blades or Box Cutters
These are used to saturate carpet or upholstery, which must be cut away or removed.
Ladders, Long Reach Cleanup Brushes, and Camera.
These are used to reach high walls and ceilings. Professional cleaners also used cameras to snap before and after shots for insurance purposes.
Step-By-Step Crime Scene Cleanup Guide
Crime scene cleanup requires professional attention. For expert crime scene cleanup in Colchester, VT, hired cleaners follow safety principles to ensure that they carry out their job efficiently. Here is the step-by-step guide these professionals follow for this cleaning process:
Protection
Crime scene cleaners use several pairs of heavy cleaning gloves, shoe coverings, and a pair of goggles. They also use full respiratory equipment.
Dispose of Everything Necessary
The cleaners will disinfect items like metal or other non-porous materials, but they may likely cut down or break wood or upholstered furniture, carpet, and electronics, then throw them away.
Disinfect Everything Else
They will then remove any other object from the environment after properly cleaning and disinfecting the area to prevent the spread of infectious diseases.
Check The Scene Carefully
They will also look at the scene carefully to identify areas that are affected by bodily fluid or organic matter.
Work From the Top Down
Once all these are done, they will begin cleaning from the ceiling, if necessary, and work their way down to the walls and floor. This reduces the chances of re-contaminating already cleaned areas.
Scrape Dried Material
Next, they will use putty knives or shovels to remove the materials that need to be eliminated and dispose of them afterward.
Scrub
Using traditional cleaning instruments and heavy-duty or industrial-strength cleaning chemicals, the cleaners will clean all the affected areas while being thorough. They will ensure the area appears clean and dispose of all the cleaning instruments in approved biohazard containers before moving to the next step.
Disinfect
They will use bleach and hydrogen peroxide to clean the areas and kill any bacteria or viruses that are present. While doing so, they will ensure they read all the chemical labels to prevent dangerous interactions between chemicals.
Deodorize
There might still be a faint odor in the area. To eliminate the odor, the cleaning service will ventilate the area and apply industrial-strength deodorizers.
Dispose
The last step involves disposing of the water bags and containers and moving them to a proper biohazard site. Once all these are done, you can move all your items back and make structural repairs where necessary.
Conclusion
Equipment that is used for crime scene cleanup includes PPE, cleaning supplies, biohazard disposable containers, and many more. The prices involve protection, disinfecting the area, working from top to bottom, scrubbing, deodorizing, and discarding the items used for the cleaning.
