No one likes to think of crime scene cleanup in a beautiful city like Los Angeles, but it’s a reality here just like it is and many different places across the country.
When a crime is committed or an accident happens in which someone is hurt or killed, the scene where the accident took place is usually covered with matter and debris from the incident. There may be a large amount of blood, body tissue, bodily fluids, and many other types of physical evidence of the fact that something happened in the space. This matter is called biohazardous waste, and it must be completely removed from the crime scene. Failure to do so could cause dangerous pathogens from the waste to spread illness and disease.
Once the police and first responders have done their work and released the scene back to the building or space owners, it’s time for crime scene cleaners like us at Eco Bear to come in and do everything to restore the space back to its original state. Not only does this mean that the crime scene will be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized per California Department of Health rules and regulations, but it also means that our clients are able to focus on healing from the trauma without having to access the scene.
What Type of Equipment Is Used To Clean Crime Scenes?
Crime scene cleanup specialists use specific equipment, chemicals, and gear to securely, professionally, and thoroughly sanitize all types of crime scenes. A small portion of that equipment list includes the following items.
- An ozone generator machine is a machine that uses ozone gas to neutralize and destroy the microorganisms that cause the toxic odors that are very common at crime scenes. The ozone machine is able to get inside the nooks, crannies, and cracks that would otherwise be difficult or next to impossible to reach.
- We use biohazardous waste containers that include sealed plastic containers or 55-gallon heavy duty waste bags. These containers seal away the contaminated waste, preventing the spread of disease. Once the crime scene has been cleaned, these containers are taken away from the site and safely discarded.
- We load up with PPE gear. The list includes gloves, disposable bodysuits, respirators, non-porous gloves, and boots that repel chemical spills or sealed shoe covers. A lot of the PPE we use is single use, so once a job is done, we discard the items in special containers. This helps prevent the spread of biohazardous material from one crime scene to another.
- We use industrial-strength, hospital-grade disinfectants and deodorizers that are OSHA-approved. These products fully disinfect and sanitize crime scenes, making them safe for habitability. Once we finish with these supplies, they’re disposed of so that we don’t inadvertently bring pathogens from one crime scene to another.
- We’re fully stocked with Items like sprayers, scrubbing brushes, putty knives, scrapers, shovels, razor blades, and wet vacuums that allow our cleaners to perform a no-touch cleaning system in even the most challenging crime scenes.
- We use special enzyme solvents that work by dissolving stuck-on substances like dried blood. These enzymes not only reliquefy the blood but they also disinfect the area where the blood was located.
What Are Some Facts About Crime Scenes Cleanup That Many People Don’t Know?
Following are a few key facts people may not know about crime scenes.
- Police don’t clean up crime scenes. Once they’ve finished investigating a crime scene, they release it to the property owners. The responsibility of cleaning the scene falls to the tenants or owners of the crime site.
- Crime scene cleanup teams only start work once law enforcement has released the scene.
- Trusted crime scene cleanup companies follow strict OSHA and EPA standards. The OSHA regulations that cleanup teams need to cover things like PPEs for the cleaning team, Hazard Communication (the classifying and reporting the chemicals and other hazards found at the scene), and heat illness protection for workers.
- Cleanup companies must be licensed to dispose of biohazard waste in the state they’re practicing in.
- Crime scene cleaners don’t only clean scenes where crimes are committed. Even though the words “crime scene” are in the term, crime scene cleaners also clean sites where a crime hasn’t occurred. This includes injuries or deaths that took place at work sites, unattended natural deaths that took place at home, meth lab cleanups, or science or medical labs where there was some sort of biohazard spill. The ultimate goal of a crime scene cleaner is to remove biohazardous waste from a trauma or crime scene while simultaneously cleaning it, sanitizing it, and disinfecting the entire space. There are many different types of sites that need this type of cleanup besides crime scenes, making the scope of work that these professionals are responsible for much larger than expected.
How Much Does Crime Scene Cleaning Cost?
One important issue on the minds of people looking for a crime scene cleaning company in Los Angeles, California is how much the entire process will cost. How much the service will cost will depend on several factors.
One determining factor is to determine how big the crime scene is. All things being equal, arger sites will cost more money to clean. On the other hand, some large crime scene sites may require easy clean up, while a smaller crime scene with multiple layers of biohazardous waste may take a lot more time and cost more.
If you’re looking for a crime scene cleaning company in Los Angeles, we at Eco Bear are available to help. Give us a call so that we can answer any questions you have. We understand the crime scene cleaning process can be very traumatic and stressful. Our goal is to get the job done so that our clients can focus on rebuilding their lives.