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 Hurricane once police release the property. Most crime scene cleanups take one to three days.
Forensic cleaning, trauma scene cleanup and crime scene cleanup all describe the same work: removing tissue, blood, contaminated materials and body fluids following a violent crime. The property can safely be used again after odor treatment and disinfection.
Cleanup begins only after the investigation is finished. Evidence is gathered and the deceased is removed by police, detectives and the medical examiner, none of whom clean the property. Once released, the scene becomes the responsibility of its owner, landlord or the family.
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.

Phone support is available day and night, while crews use unmarked vehicles to protect your privacy nearby.
Keepsakes, photos and documents are set aside and reviewed with you, never thrown out without asking.
Documentation for landlords and insurance companies includes pictures, the project scope and waste records to help you move forward.
The cleaning plan and pricing factors are explained in advance, helping you decide what suits your household.
A violent event may create a need for crime scene cleaning services when body fluids or blood remain. These situations commonly include:
A standoff may leave tear gas or pepper spray deposits across ductwork, textiles and wall surfaces.
Fingerprint powder can cover the property alongside damaged doors and glass affected by blood.
Private cleanup so family members never have to face the scene themselves.
In warehouses, offices and stores, crews isolate work areas throughout commercial crime scene cleanup.
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) 351-0904According 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.
The figures shown are national ranges from published cost guides and are not based on an on-site visit. An on-site assessment determines your property's price, which is explained to you before the cleanup starts.
Ask about cost: (888) 351-0904Check the homeowners or renters policy that applies to the property. It may include crime scene cleanup when an event is classified as accidental and sudden, and you may owe a deductible.
Victims of violent crime can ask the West Virginia Crime Victims Compensation Fund whether cleanup costs can be included in a compensation claim. Insurance is usually checked first.
The terms of your renters or homeowners policy decide whether a violent crime is covered. Report the event quickly and keep the claim number.
Find out whether your policy covers biohazard cleanup, whether a cleanup company is your choice, and which records or images the adjuster requires.
In rental units and common areas, the owner usually arranges and pays for crime scene cleanup.
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.
Before starting, technicians join you or your representative for an inspection, take photos and confirm the planned work.
The crew wears complete personal protective equipment and seals the affected area with negative air and plastic sheeting.
Crews cut away soaked mattresses, furniture, carpet, pad and drywall, then bag and seal them as medical waste.
Every surface is cleaned, then treated with EPA-registered, hospital-grade disinfectant for the full contact time.
Odors are addressed where they begin with air scrubbers, ozone or hydroxyl machines, while HVAC vents receive inspection.
Each sealed container is followed through delivery by paperwork and taken to an authorized medical waste treatment site.
Surfaces can be checked with ATP testing, and you get photos and records for your insurance claim.
Removed flooring and drywall can then be replaced by your contractor or your insurer's vendor.
Call at any time. A crime scene cleanup specialist answers, explains the steps and agrees a start time with you.
Blood and bodily fluids can be hazardous to your health, and contamination often extends beyond the visible area.
Blood runs under baseboards, soaks through carpet into the pad and subfloor, and settles into grout. Surface cleaning leaves it there, where odor and bacteria come back.
Soaked materials are regulated medical waste. They cannot go in household trash or a dumpster, and must go to an approved treatment facility.
Cleaning the place where a loved one was hurt is a heavy burden. Many families choose professional crime scene cleaners for that reason alone.
Can you clean it yourself? Wear gloves and apply an EPA-registered disinfectant when fresh blood is limited to a few drops on any hard, non-porous surface. Professional cleanup is needed when you cannot identify the spill edges or when contamination reaches wood, drywall, carpeting or fabric.
Materials that can be completely disinfected are cleaned and kept. Anything penetrated by blood must be taken out.

Most crime scene cleanups take one to three days on site. A small, recent scene can be finished in a day, while heavy scenes with structural removal take two to five days.
| Scene | Typical time on site |
|---|---|
| Light scene, one area | Often one to two days |
| Standard scene affecting one to two rooms | Often one to three days |
| Several affected rooms or a subfloor removal | Often two to five days |
The source must be removed before the odor can be addressed. Spraying fragrance on tissue or blood masks the smell for just a few days.
Once contaminated materials have been removed, HEPA air scrubbers can capture particles. The cleanup team may run hydroxyl generators safely with people present, or use ozone in empty rooms when odor persists. Thermal fogging can enter wall cavities and fabrics, while checks of HVAC ductwork help keep the smell from moving into 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 West Virginia and Putnam County.
Read the full crime scene cleanup guide
Local population patterns, housing and site access may affect how containment and cleanup are planned.
The local mix includes 32.7% renter occupied homes, making it useful to establish who controls repairs before cleanup begins.
The local median home dates to 1979, making a room by room material assessment more useful than one cleaning method everywhere.
There are 332 seniors living alone locally, making simple welfare check plans useful even when the overall share is lower.
The local 78.2% single-family share makes household level privacy practical while affected rooms are isolated and treated.
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
Careful, private suicide cleanup keeps family members from having to confront the scene.
See suicide cleanup
Trauma scene cleanup addresses the aftermath of accidents, injuries and violent incidents.
See trauma scene cleanup
Walls, carpets, furnishings and hard floors receive blood cleanup, with safe disposal afterward.
See blood cleanup
Decomposition cleanup and odor control are needed after a death goes unnoticed for several days.
See unattended death cleanup
Death odor removal targets the source through ozone treatment, hydroxyl and air scrubbers.
See death odor removal
Hoarding cleanup combines respectful sorting, removal and deep cleaning.
See hoarding cleanup
Sewage cleanup removes Category 3 black water from raw sewage, then disinfects and dries the area.
See raw sewage cleanupSomeone needs to give access and agree the scope at the start. After that, many families choose not to stay while the work is done.
The medical examiner, detectives and police gather evidence and take the deceased away, but cleanup is not their role. The family, landlord or property owner generally arranges crime scene cleanup through professional crime scene cleaners.
No. Once evidence collection is complete, law enforcement releases the property. Cleanup is the responsibility of the property owner or the person in charge of the property.
Whether coverage applies depends on your renters or homeowners policy, with a possible deductible. Call your insurer, report the event and ask about biohazard cleanup coverage.
Viruses including hepatitis B may remain viable for days in dry blood left on a surface. Approach dried blood just as you would fresh blood.
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.
Respectful, discreet crime scene cleanup is available 24 hours a day, and crews arrive in unmarked vehicles.