If you’re thinking about looking into crime scene cleanup in West Hollywood, California, you probably have a lot of questions going through your mind. When people think of West Hollywood, they think of cool bars, excellent restaurants, top universities, and hip cafe culture. The one thing they’re most likely not thinking about is crime scene cleanup, but crime happens here. When it comes to crime scene cleanup, you want to go with a company that has a lot of experience in this area.

Who’s responsible for crime scene cleanup?

What comes as a shock to most people is that the people who are responsible for crime scene cleanup are the people who own the spaces where crimes have taken place. This means if the crime happened in a restaurant, the restaurant owners need to pay for crime scene cleanup. If it happened in a private residence, the owners of the residence would have to pay for crime scene clean-up. Many people who are already reeling from the effects of a crime or traumatic incident are startled when confronted with this reality. 

The good news is that you don’t have to go through it alone. Companies like ours have specially trained teams that clean crime scenes so that the spaces are restored to their natural state.

What types of incidents require crime scene cleanup?

The very term “crime scene” implies that crime scene cleanup only takes place at the scene of a crime. Crime scene cleanup actually refers to a specific type of cleanup. It focuses on removing biohazardous and infectious waste from a crime scene. During the process, crime scenes are cleared of the waste, cleaned, disinfected, and restored to a sanitary state. There are many different types of “crime” scenes that require this type of cleaning. In some circumstances, a crime wasn’t committed, but a traumatic accident did happen in which someone was injured or killed. 

Some of the types of incidents that would require crime scene cleanup include the following.

Homicides

When people think of crime scene cleanup, they automatically think of homicides. When a homicide occurs, biohazardous waste is usually left at the scene. Biohazardous waste is waste that contains pathogens like bacteria, worms, or viruses that cause diseases in humans. At crime scenes, pathogens are found in waste like blood, bodily tissue, bodily fluids, anything else in the room that’s been associated with the incident.

Suicides

Even though suicide isn’t a crime, it does require crime scene cleanup. Some suicides are very traumatic, necessitating the need for the same type of crime scene clean-up that one would expect for a homicide. Other types of suicides are non-violent, but they still require crime scene cleanup. This is because the deceased body itself is biohazardous waste. It could have pathogens that could spread to other humans. A crime scene cleanup team will come in to make sure that all biohazardous waste is removed from all surfaces in the room so that any pathogens are cleared away.

Tear gas

Tear gas is an extremely toxic chemical, and it’s notoriously difficult to remove. Once it’s been dispensed, it can remain on surfaces and in the air for a long time. If someone were to touch a surface contaminated with it or breathe in air that still has tear gas particles floating in it, the substance can get into their eyes or into their lungs,causing them serious respiratory issues down the line. Crime scene cleaning teams go into sites where tear gas has been dispensed and rid the site of every single spec of the chemical. Tear gas has a way of getting into cracks and crevices, but cleanup teams know exactly how to remove it.

Unattended Death

An unattended death is a death that takes place when no one else is around, so the body is not discovered for a while. It could be a situation where someone dies alone of natural causes. These types of deaths are often not discovered for days, weeks, or longer when the person lives alone. When crime scene cleaning teams arrive on the scene, they’ll get to work removing all evidence of biohazardous waste and disinfecting the area so that it’s once again safe for use. 

Another serious issue with unattended deaths is that if they aren’t discovered for a while, all types of pests and vermin may show up. Pests like rats and maggots are drawn to decomposition. This creates another level of biohazard risk in the space, a situation that a professional crime scene cleaning team is prepared to deal with.

How can you be sure that a crime scene is actually clean after crime scene cleaning is done?

The ultimate goal with crime scene cleaning is to make sure that the site is once again safe for habitation or use. We want to leave the site knowing that it reaches hospital levels of sanitization. Cleaning companies use special tools like ATP testing kits. ATP stands for “adenosine triphosphate”, a molecule that’s found in living cells. The amount of ATP on a surface will determine how sanitized it is. The goal is to get the test results down to zero. Once you reach that result, you’ll know that there are no longer any pathogens that can cause harm to the future inhabitants of the space.

Crime scene cleaning is one of the hardest things that most people have to deal with. Even if they’re not directly connected to the victims of the crime, it can still be a hard hard road to travel. Reach out to us if you have any questions. We are here to help.