Homicide Cleanup
After investigators depart, homicide cleanup removes blood, tissue and contaminated materials.
See homicide cleanupGet blood, body fluids, fingerprint powder and odor removed from a home, apartment, rental or business in Saint Roch 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.
The investigation comes before any cleaning. Detectives, police and the medical examiner or coroner remove the deceased and collect evidence, but cleanup is not part of their role. After release, responsibility for the scene passes to the family, landlord or property owner.
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.

Crews separate your keepsakes, documents and photos, and ask you before discarding any of them.
You can call during the day or overnight, and unmarked vehicles help keep the situation private from neighbors.
You receive an explanation of each step and price factor before work, allowing an informed decision for your family.
Photos, scope and waste records are ready for insurance companies and landlords, so you can move forward.
Crime scene cleaning services are needed any time a violent event leaves blood or body fluids behind. Common situations include:
Tear gas or pepper spray residue on walls, fabrics and HVAC ductwork after a standoff.
Floors, furniture and walls can have blood and tissue in several rooms.
Where someone fell, carpet and subfloor may be soaked while blood spatter reaches ceilings and walls.
Discreet cleaning keeps relatives from having to enter the affected space.
The first hours matter for your health, your insurance claim and the final cost. Before the cleanup technicians arrive:
Call (888) 351-0904Published cost guides put most residential crime scene cleanups between $1,500 and $7,500. Most crime scene cleanup companies price by the job, not the hour. A small area of surface blood can cost less, and scenes where blood reached the subfloor or several rooms can pass $10,000. The final price is set after the 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) 351-0904Crime scene cleanup coverage is determined by the terms in your renters or homeowners policy. The loss may qualify as sudden and accidental, subject to your deductible.
Victims of violent crime can ask the Louisiana Crime Victims Reparations Board, supported by the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement, about crime scene cleanup. The program lists it among eligible expenses. Insurance is usually checked first.
For common spaces or rented units, crime scene cleanup is generally arranged and paid for by the owner.
Your homeowners or renters policy terms determine coverage following a violent crime. Tell your insurer about the event soon and save the claim number.
Discuss biohazard cleanup coverage, your ability to pick a cleanup company, and the adjuster's required photos or records.
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.
Technicians put on full personal protective equipment, then contain the affected area using plastic sheeting and negative air.
Saturated drywall, carpeting, padding, mattresses and furnishings are removed, placed in bags and sealed for medical waste disposal.
Technicians clean every surface before using hospital-grade disinfectant registered by the EPA for its required contact time.
Technicians inspect HVAC vents and target the odor source using ozone, hydroxyl generators or air scrubbers.
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.
A contractor you choose or your insurer's vendor can replace any drywall and floors removed during cleaning.
Call any hour. You speak with a crime scene cleanup specialist who outlines the process and schedules a start time with you.
Blood and bodily fluids may pose serious health risks. Visible contamination is usually only part of what is present.
The task of cleaning a place where your loved one suffered can feel overwhelming. That burden alone leads many families to hire professional crime scene cleaners.
Carpet does not stop blood from reaching the pad and subfloor, while grout and spaces under baseboards can trap it. Cleaning only the surface misses contamination, allowing bacteria and smells to return.
Saturated items count as regulated medical waste. They must be taken to an authorized treatment site instead of a dumpster or household garbage.
Can you clean it yourself? A few drops of fresh blood on a hard, non-porous surface can be cleaned with gloves and an EPA-registered disinfectant. Call for professional cleanup if the amount has no visible boundary or has entered carpet, textiles, drywall or wood.
Most crime scene cleanups are completed on site in one to three days. One day may be enough for a recent, small scene. Heavy cleanup that includes structural removal may require two to five days.
| Scene | Typical time on site |
|---|---|
| Light scene, one area | Often one to two days |
| Typical scene, one to two rooms | Often one to three days |
| Extensive scene requiring subfloor removal or several rooms | Often two to five days |
Removing the source is the first step in odor removal. Fragrance sprayed onto blood or tissue merely covers the odor for a few days.
After the contaminated materials are gone, the cleanup team can use HEPA air scrubbers to capture particles, hydroxyl generators that are safe to run while people are present, and ozone treatment in empty rooms for stubborn odor. Thermal fogging reaches odor in fabrics and wall cavities, and HVAC ductwork is checked so smell does not travel to other rooms.
Under federal rule 29 CFR 1910.1030 for blood exposure, workers need training, safe handling and protective equipment.
Choose a disinfectant with EPA registration for blood cleanup, then keep it in place throughout the label's stated contact period.
Louisiana treats soaked materials from a biohazard scene as potentially infectious biomedical waste. Louisiana Department of Health sanitary code rules control how it is packaged, stored and transported, so it cannot go in household trash.
Louisiana has no statewide medical examiner. Each parish has an elected coroner who investigates deaths involving violence, accidents or suspicious circumstances. Cleanup starts after police or the coroner release the scene.
The full crime scene cleanup guide covers what is cleaned or removed, odor and air quality work, and the rules that apply in your state.
Read the full crime scene cleanup guide
Local housing, population and access details can shape containment, access and cleanup planning.
If direct exposure occurs, the closest listed emergency option is University Medical Center New Orleans, about 1.9 miles away, not the cleanup site.
Nearby communities include Faubourg Marigny, Bywater, and Tremé, useful geographic references when explaining a property location to a cleanup crew.
The Orleans Parish location helps orient travel, while the neighborhood and full address identify where private cleanup work actually occurs.
Your phone conversation can include questions about service in nearby ZIP codes and communities.
After investigators depart, homicide cleanup removes blood, tissue and contaminated materials.
See homicide cleanup
Private, careful suicide cleanup so families do not have to face the scene.
See suicide cleanup
Following accidents, violence or injuries, trauma scene cleanup addresses the affected area.
See trauma scene cleanup
Blood cleanup clears blood from furniture, walls, hard floors and carpet, followed by safe disposal.
See blood cleanup
When a death remains undiscovered for days, cleanup addresses decomposition and controls odors.
See unattended death cleanup
Death odor removal at the source with air scrubbers, hydroxyl and ozone treatment.
See death odor removal
Hoarding cleanup combines respectful sorting, removal and deep cleaning.
See hoarding cleanup
Raw sewage cleanup of Category 3 black water, with disinfection and drying.
See raw sewage cleanupAffirmative. Hepatitis B and some other viruses can live for days within blood that has dried on surfaces. Take equal care with blood whether fresh or dried.
Cleaning crime scenes uses a cleaning process that contains the space, removes saturated material, cleans and disinfects surfaces, treats odor and disposes of medical waste.
Forensic cleaning includes both chemical deposits and fingerprint dust. The powder is removed dry before a surface-appropriate cleaner is used to prevent staining.
For most residential crime scene cleanups, guides report typical costs from $1,500 through $7,500. Small surface work can cost less, but large scenes or several affected rooms may rise beyond $10,000.
Law enforcement and the medical examiner or coroner remove evidence and the deceased without cleaning the property. The family, landlord or property owner generally arranges crime scene cleanup through professional crime scene cleaners.
Someone needs to give access and agree the scope at the start. Once that is complete, families often leave while technicians perform the cleanup.
You can request respectful, discreet crime scene cleanup 24 hours a day, and crews use unmarked vehicles.