Crime Scene Cleanup
Crime scene cleaning after police release the property, from blood to odor.
See crime scene cleanupGet private suicide cleanup for blood, bodily fluids, affected materials and odor in a home, rental, workplace or vehicle in Uptown. You do not have to enter or clean the scene yourself.
Suicide cleanup is private biohazard cleaning that takes away bodily fluids, blood and materials that cannot be cleaned safely. Technicians then disinfect the area and address odor at the source.
The property must first be released once work by the medical examiner or coroner and law enforcement is finished. Cleaning is not part of their role. After release, suicide scene cleanup can be arranged by the family, the property owner or whoever is responsible for the space. Work may take place in a vehicle, workplace, hotel room, apartment or home.
Trained technicians follow a controlled cleaning method while wearing protective equipment. Their work includes checking surrounding surfaces, disinfecting items that can be saved and removing porous materials that have absorbed contamination. They prepare hazardous waste for proper disposal. Careful sorting is used for personal property, and whenever possible, you are included in decisions about meaningful belongings.
If you or someone near you may be in immediate danger, call emergency services. Call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline for emotional support anywhere in the United States. Wait to arrange cleanup until everyone is safe and law enforcement releases the scene.

Calls can be answered at any hour, and crews can arrive in unmarked vehicles to help protect your privacy at a home, rental or workplace.
Your input guides careful decisions about keepsakes, photographs, documents and other belongings when a meaningful item might require removal.
Records of items, disposal documents, photos and scope details can be arranged for the property manager or insurance company.
You can move forward after hearing what affects the cost and what may need cleaning or removal.
Suicide cleaning services become necessary if bodily fluids or blood are left after the property is released by authorities. Scene conditions, surface types and the distance contamination spread determine the proper scope.
The person controlling the property must grant access, and law enforcement must confirm the release before cleanup starts.
Work may focus on the affected unit, with nearby areas, common halls and stairs checked only where contamination could have traveled.
The scope may include a private room such as a bedroom, bathroom or living area, with potentially affected possessions and nearby halls.
Hotels, shops, workplaces and managed properties may require cleanup space controls and cooperation from building management.
Protecting yourself is the immediate priority. You can stay outside the affected area while preserving the scene and taking the first steps on an insurance claim.
Call (888) 351-0904Published guides list suicide and related biohazard cleanup ranges from $1,500 to $15,000. A suicide cleanup cost guide lists $1,500 to $5,500. Broader biohazard and crime scene guides list higher ranges for more involved work. The actual price depends on the surfaces affected, what must be removed, odor treatment and waste disposal. These figures are planning ranges, not a quote.
Published national cost guides are the source for these ranges, rather than an inspection of your property. You learn what your property will cost after the on-site assessment and before any work begins.
Ask about cost: (888) 351-0904A homeowners, renters or commercial property policy may include coverage for suicide cleanup. Your policy and the loss determine coverage, the deductible and which records are required.
Relevant insurance policies and the lease should be checked by the tenant, family and property owner. The person who controls the property usually arranges access and authorizes work.
Ask whether the policy covers biohazard cleanup, death cleanup, damaged building materials and personal property. Keep both the claim number and adjuster contact.
Ask the insurance company to specify the needed photos, lists of items, waste records and invoices. Family members do not have to go inside for photographs of the affected area.
Homeowners or renters insurance is usually the first place to ask about cleanup costs. After a death the estate often pays, and in a rental the owner usually arranges the cleanup. Check directly with the program about deadlines, documentation, eligibility and eligible expenses before counting on payment.
Assessment and containment come first in the suicide cleanup process. Material removal comes next, followed by disinfection, odor treatment and documentation. Each part is adapted to the affected spaces and specific materials found there.
Cleanup technicians first check that the scene is released, evaluate the affected and surrounding areas, identify surfaces and document the work needed.
Technicians isolate the work zone from unaffected rooms and wear gloves, protective garments and other equipment appropriate for exposure to bloodborne pathogens.
Carpet, pad, drywall, upholstery or other porous material is removed when contamination soaked in and full disinfection is not possible.
Technicians clean each hard surface, apply an EPA-registered disinfectant and maintain wetness for all of the contact time listed on the label.
Items are separated by what can be cleaned, what must be removed and what needs your decision because it may have personal meaning.
Odor sources are removed first. The next step may involve air filtering and other odor treatments chosen for the space, structure and materials that remain.
Suitable containers hold removed biohazard waste before it moves through required medical waste or hazardous waste disposal procedures.
The cleaned area is reviewed, records are organized for the insurance claim and any removed flooring, wall material or fixtures can be scheduled for replacement.
Phone any hour. A specialist in suicide cleanup takes your call, explains each step and agrees on a start time with you.
Blood and bodily fluids present a risk of exposure to bloodborne pathogens. What you see may not show contamination that spread behind or below a surface.
Fluids can reach carpet pad, floor seams, baseboards, subfloor and wall cavities. Material beneath the surface can remain contaminated after the visible area is wiped.
At a difficult time, seeing the scene may cause added emotional distress. Professional cleanup allows you to remain away while someone calmly explains each practical choice.
Blood can carry hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV. According to the CDC, hepatitis B remains viable on surfaces for at least seven days, which means dried material requires careful treatment.
Can you clean it yourself? If only a few fresh drops are present on material that is hard and non-porous, you may clean them while wearing disposable gloves. Keep an EPA-registered disinfectant in place for its entire label contact time. If the complete affected area is unclear or fluid soaked into porous materials such as fabric, drywall, unfinished wood or carpet, professional biohazard cleanup is safer.
The size of the area, its materials and any contamination within hidden layers determine how long cleanup takes. A small scene affecting hard surfaces is generally quicker than cleanup that calls for removing drywall, flooring or a large number of personal items.
| Scene | Typical time on site |
|---|---|
| Limited hard-surface cleanup | Less time when affected material remained on reachable sealed surfaces |
| One room with porous materials | More time if walls, furniture, carpet or padding require removal |
| Several areas or hidden contamination | Most time when several areas require inspection, odor treatment and structural removal |
Finding the odor source and taking it away is the first step in odor removal. Fragrance cannot substitute for disinfection, and it does not clean contaminated porous material or bodily fluids.
Once affected material has been removed or cleaned, HEPA air scrubbers may be used to filter particles from the air. Treatments for remaining surfaces and the unoccupied space can also be chosen. When moving air could have taken odor outside the original room, adjoining areas and vents are checked.
The OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard, 29 CFR 1910.1030, sets worker requirements for protective equipment, training and practices when blood exposure can occur.
For use on blood, the chosen disinfectant should be EPA-registered for that purpose and stay on the surface throughout the label's contact time.
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. Cleanup planning should include the required treatment, transportation and packaging of contaminated materials.
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. Cleaning may begin only once the investigating authority confirms the scene's release.
The full suicide cleanup guide covers what is cleaned or removed, odor and air quality work, and the rules that apply in Louisiana and Orleans Parish.
Read the full suicide cleanup guide
Planning for access, containment and cleanup can depend on local population, housing and entry conditions.
A listed distance of 0.5 miles to Touro Infirmary gives a practical medical reference when someone has contacted blood or waste.
Uptown Historic District, Broadmoor, and Central City Historic District are nearby, which helps define practical routes for crews, equipment, and sealed waste containers.
Properties within this New Orleans neighborhood may share alleys, entries, or parking, so equipment movement should be planned around nearby residents.
Your phone conversation can include questions about service in nearby ZIP codes and communities.
Crime scene cleaning after police release the property, from blood to odor.
See crime scene cleanup
Following accidents, violence or injuries, trauma scene cleanup addresses the affected area.
See trauma scene cleanup
Blood cleanup on carpet, hard floors, walls and furniture with safe disposal.
See blood cleanup
After a person dies at home, cleanup addresses fluids, odors and belongings that were affected.
See death cleanup
Cleanup following a quickly discovered death treats the family home with care.
See attended death cleanup
Death odor removal targets the source through ozone treatment, hydroxyl and air scrubbers.
See death odor removal
A contaminated space is restored to safe use through biological remediation and contaminant removal.
See biohazard remediation
Medical waste removal covers disposal through an approved facility used for treatment.
See medical waste removalTiming is shaped by the number of affected spaces, the materials that soaked up contamination and any need to remove wall material or flooring. A contained hard-surface area often takes less time than a scene with several rooms, hidden layers, numerous possessions or extensive odor work. An assessment should outline the sequence you can expect.
Law enforcement and the medical examiner or coroner complete the investigation, but they do not clean the property. Once the scene is released, a property manager, landlord, owner or family member can arrange for a suicide cleanup company. Trained technicians clean and disinfect the affected area, remove materials that cannot be treated and prepare contaminated waste for proper disposal.
Material type and degree of contamination guide the assessment of belongings. Hard, sealed belongings may be suitable for cleaning, but porous items or fabrics with deep contamination might require removal. Meaningful property, including keepsakes, papers and photos, should be separated when it is safe, giving you a role in important choices.
Coverage for biohazard or death cleanup may apply under a homeowners policy, depending on the specific policy and loss. Contact your insurance company, explain what happened and ask about deductibles, required documentation, personal property and affected building materials. Keep the claim number and adjuster contact with the cleanup documents.
Yes, but the source must be removed first. To reach the cause, technicians inspect adjacent spaces, clean and disinfect affected surfaces and take out materials that cannot be treated. The next step may be air filtration or a different odor treatment. Using fragrance by itself can hide odor, but it cannot make an affected area safe.
One source lists suicide cleanup at $1,500 to $5,500. More extensive work can reach $15,000 in broader cost guides for biohazard and crime scene cleaning. Factors shaping the total include porous contamination, surfaces, odor control, waste disposal and materials requiring removal. An assessment is needed to set the actual scope and price.
You can request respectful, discreet suicide cleanup 24 hours a day, and crews use unmarked vehicles.