If you’re about to manage crime scene clean-up in Yorba Linda, you may be going through a tough time, especially if the crime scene is one that’s connected to you personally. When a crime is committed at a site and someone is hurt or killed, the scene is usually left covered with evidence of what happened. That evidence could consist of everything from bodily tissue to blood to many other types of evidence. 

What many people don’t realize is that if a crime has been committed on property that they own, they are responsible for cleaning up the site. This comes as a surprise to many people who may have watched tons of crime television. They’ll see the crime being committed. They’ll see the investigation as it unfolds at the crime scene, but the actual cleanup of the site is never addressed. This is why most people simply assume that crime scene cleanup is something that law enforcement or the coroner’s office manages and takes care of. Nothing could be further from the truth. Crime scene clean-up is handled by the people who own the site where the crime was committed.

When Does Crime Scene Clean-Up Begin?

Crime scene clean-up begins as soon as a site is released by law enforcement. Law enforcement has to go over the site and collect fingerprints, take photographs, and collect all the evidence that they need in order to be able to solve the crime. Only when they’re completely done with their investigation will they hand it over to the owners of the site so that cleaning can commence.

What Is Biohazardous/Infectious Waste?

Biohazardous and infectious waste is waste that contains pathogens. Pathogens are the microorganisms that make humans sick. They can cause illnesses like HIV, hbv, hepatitis A, and pneumonia. Biohazardous and infectious waste needs to be handled very carefully because if it’s not, it can easily spread from human-to-human. In order to prevent that from happening, special cleaning teams need to be sent to the scenes so that they can rid the site of all waste. Once cleaning is done, the room will be sanitary and ready for use.

What Types of Sites Constitute Crime Scenes?

In some cases, the term crime may be considered some sort of a misnomer. This is because crime scene clean-up takes place even at places where no crime was committed at all. This is why crime scene clean-up is sometimes called “trauma scene clean-up”. The term used will depend on the incident itself.Crime scene clean-up can take place anywhere trauma has happened or where biohazardous waste needs to be collected. The ultimate goal when cleaning all of these sites is to make them safe for human use again. 

Some scenes that require crime scene clean-up include the following.

Meth Labs

Meth labs require a crime scene cleaning team because of the very nature of the drug itself. Meth is a very dangerous and volatile substance, and it can cause an explosion or a fire if handled incorrectly. It’s also extremely dangerous if it’s breathed in by accident. Experienced crime scene cleaning teams can go in and neutralize the site so that it can be cleaned and restored to habitability.

Homicides

Homicides are usually quite violent, and they result in a lot of organic matter like blood, tissue, bodily fluids, and other organic matter left at the scene. This matter is considered biohazardous waste and needs to be cleaned up properly so that it doesn’t cause the spread of disease.

Suicides

Whether a suicide is violent or non-violent, it will still need crime scene clean-up. A violent suicide site often mimics that of a homicide. Both types of crime scenes usually contain lots of blood, body tissue, or bodily fluids. 

Nonviolent suicides have to be handled by crime scene cleaning specialists because the victim may have been suffering from a contagious illness. If they are, the site will have to be cleaned properly so that that contagion does not spread. Suicides are also often found long after the incident has actually happened, resulting in decomp that will need to be cleaned up by crime scene cleaning specialists.

Tear Gas

A site where tear gas has been deployed will also need to be cleaned up by crime scene cleaners. Tear gas is extremely dangerous to breathe in, and it lingers in the air long after it’s been deployed. A crime scene specialist can make sure that every particle of tear gas is removed from the air and surfaces so that the room is once again safe for moving about in.

Unattended Death

Sometimes, a person dies alone. If they die alone and they don’t have friends or family who regularly check in on them, their bodies could be lying alone for days, weeks, or months. They’re decomposing body has now become a biohazard risk. On top of that, vermin and pests are usually drawn to decomposing bodies. This creates an entirely different level of biohazardous waste that crime scene clean-up crews me to deal with.

How Do Crime Scene Clean-Up Crews Get Rid of Smells at Death Scenes?

One very troubling aspect of a crime scene is the smell that’s left behind. That smell could come from anything, including chemicals, blood, and decomposing tissue. That smell can be extremely difficult to remove, and it cannot be removed with household or commercial deodorizers. The smell needs to be removed by special OSHA-approved deodorizers that target the microorganisms that cause bad odors. In the worst cases, ozone generator machines are used. These machines are aces at targeting and destroying aggressive orders.

Give us a call if you have any questions about the crime scene cleaning process. We know that it can be tough, so we’re here to help.