Crime Scene Cleanup
Crime scene cleaning begins after police release and covers blood, odor and the affected property.
See crime scene cleanupGet blood, bodily fluids, contaminated materials and odor removed after investigators release a home, rental, business or vehicle in Fulton County. The cleanup scope is based on where contamination traveled.
Homicide cleanup means removing blood, other bodily fluids and contaminated material from a released property after investigative work is complete. It is a specialized type of crime scene cleanup.
Cleaning the property is not part of the work performed by law enforcement or the medical examiner or coroner, whose attention is on the investigation. After scene release, the homicide cleaning service may be arranged by relatives, a property owner, a landlord or another authorized person.
Cleanup technicians first trace where contamination reached, including areas around the affected room. Unaffected spaces are protected. Materials that cannot be disinfected come out, while surfaces suitable for disinfection receive treatment. This goes beyond routine cleaning and also includes odor removal, proper hazardous waste packaging and disposal, plus insurance company records if requested.

Your discussions with insurance companies and property owners may be supported by photographs, item inventories, work notes and waste documentation.
Personal property that may be saved is separated so you can discuss it before deciding what needs removal.
You can request unmarked vehicles and limit entry to authorized people, which helps protect privacy during a painful event.
You can request details about cleaning, necessary removals, waste movement off the property and the work left for restoration.
Homicide cleanup services may be necessary after a violent death affects a rental, vehicle, home or business with blood or biological material. Common circumstances include:
A bedroom, hall, living area and surrounding exposed surfaces may all require blood cleanup after the event.
An assessment of seats, insulation, trim and carpet identifies what may remain after cleaning and what needs removal.
A visible blood mark can extend beneath flooring and behind trim, so wiping only the surface is insufficient.
Because blood and tissue may affect ceilings, furniture, walls, hidden joints and carpet, every travel path must be located.
Begin by honoring the investigation, limiting exposure and keeping information that may help with a claim. Take these steps before cleanup technicians are allowed to enter:
Call (888) 440-9227The available homicide cleanup cost guides list $2,500 to $9,000 for a violent crime scene. They also list $2,000 to $6,000 for a smaller scene and $3,000 to $10,000 for a larger scene. These are published planning ranges, not a quote. The final scope depends on the assessment.
These national ranges are taken from published cost guides, rather than a property visit. The price for your property is set after the on-site assessment, and you hear it before work starts.
Ask about cost: (888) 440-9227A homeowners, renters or commercial policy may pay for homicide cleanup, but coverage depends on the policy, the loss and the deductible.
Ask the insurance company which photos, item lists, scope notes, invoices and waste records it needs. Keep copies of everything you submit.
Tell the insurer what happened after police release the scene. Find out whether the policy includes damaged building components, restoration and biohazard cleanup.
Who organizes and pays for the work may depend on ownership, the lease, applicable local law and insurance terms. Tenants and landlords should each contact the appropriate insurer.
Victims of violent crime can ask the Georgia Crime Victims Compensation Program, run by the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, about crime scene cleanup. The program lists crime scene sanitization among eligible expenses. Insurance is usually checked first.
Scene release comes before a controlled remediation process can start. Decisions at every stage depend on contamination travel, applicable waste rules and whether each material is suitable to be saved.
Known affected areas are identified by the authorized person, then technicians assess surrounding surfaces, contents, floor borders and possible routes of spread.
The work zone is separated from clean rooms. Cleanup technicians use suitable personal protective equipment and controls that reduce tracking beyond the scene.
Collection of visible blood and bodily fluids comes first, using surface-specific methods before the area is carefully cleaned and disinfected.
Removal focuses on the smallest practical area when affected padding, upholstery, drywall, carpet or subfloor cannot be fully disinfected.
Cleanable materials undergo detailed scene cleaning before an EPA-registered disinfectant is applied and stays wet throughout the label contact time.
After source removal, filtered air and focused treatments can reduce odor affecting indoor air, materials that remain and adjoining areas.
Contaminated waste is sealed, labeled and moved according to applicable rules, with disposal records retained when available.
The completed scope is reviewed, saved personal property is returned as agreed and removed finishes are listed for restoration services.
Call at any time. You speak with a homicide cleanup specialist who outlines the process and schedules a start time with you.
Serious health risks can come from blood, bodily fluids and contamination you cannot see. The concern remains even if visible signs seem dry or limited.
Fluids may travel into carpet padding, joints, grout, walls and the subfloor. Cleaning the visible mark does not address material below or behind the surface.
Applicable medical waste rules may require regulated disposal, transportation and packaging for used protective equipment and saturated porous materials.
Hepatitis C, HIV and hepatitis B may be present in blood. The CDC says hepatitis B can survive on surfaces for at least seven days, so dried blood still requires careful controls.
Can you clean it yourself? Disposable gloves may be used to clean a minor amount of fresh blood from hard non-porous material, along with an EPA-registered disinfectant left for the entire label contact time. Stay out and seek professional cleanup if blood affected drywall, fabric, wood, carpet or any space whose boundaries are uncertain.
Homicide cleaning has no set schedule. Scene size, access, contamination depth, room count and the volume of material requiring removal all affect timing. The initial assessment allows for a more useful timeline.
| Scene | Typical time on site |
|---|---|
| A small affected area on reachable surfaces | Schedule set after inspection and scene release |
| A single room requiring removal of porous materials | May require cleaning plus a separate restoration phase |
| Several rooms or structural contamination | Usually needs a staged scope and longer restoration work |
Odor cannot be corrected with fragrance alone when fluids remain absorbed in drywall, hidden cavities, carpet, furniture or subfloor. The source must be located and removed first.
HEPA air scrubbers may filter particles from the air following removal of contaminated material. If equipment instructions permit, hydroxyl treatment can be suitable where a space remains occupied. Strict controls apply to ozone, and nobody may be in the treatment area. Vents and rooms next to the scene may also be checked as part of cleaning before you continue.
The OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard, 29 CFR 1910.1030, establishes requirements for worker protective equipment, training and controls for exposure.
A disinfectant should be EPA-registered for the intended use and remain on the surface for the full contact time shown on its label.
Georgia treats soaked materials from a biohazard scene as biomedical waste. Georgia Environmental Protection Division solid waste rules control how it is handled, transported and treated, so it cannot go in household trash.
Georgia uses a mixed system. Elected county coroners lead local death investigations, and the state Medical Examiner or Coroner's Office within the Georgia Bureau of Investigation performs forensic autopsies. Cleanup starts after police or the medical examiner or coroner release the scene.
The full homicide cleanup guide covers what is cleaned or removed, odor and air quality work, and the rules that apply in your state.
Read the full homicide cleanup guide
Containment, entry and cleanup plans can be influenced by local housing, population and access details.
In an area with 28.1% renter occupancy, direct homeowner approval can simplify choices about opening walls or replacing affected finishes.
Homes with a median construction year of 1989 may contain layered renovations that hide affected materials beneath newer finishes.
The 4,013 older residents who live alone may rely on family or neighbors to notice when something is wrong at home.
In an area with 71.5% single-family housing, sewage or fluids may reach lower levels through stairs, drains, and utility openings.
Your phone conversation can include questions about service in nearby ZIP codes and communities.
Crime scene cleaning begins after police release and covers blood, odor and the affected property.
See crime scene cleanup
Carpet, solid floors, walls and furnishings receive blood cleanup that includes safe disposal.
See blood cleanup
Following accidents, violence or injuries, trauma scene cleanup addresses the affected area.
See trauma scene cleanup
Fluids, odor and impacted belongings are addressed when a home is cleaned after a death.
See death cleanup
Suicide cleanup is completed privately and with care, protecting families from seeing the scene.
See suicide cleanup
Decomposition cleanup and odor control are needed after a death goes unnoticed for several days.
See unattended death cleanup
Forensic cleaning addresses investigation residue, fingerprint powder and tissue along with cleaning of blood.
See forensic cleaning
Air scrubbers, hydroxyl and ozone treatment support death odor removal at its source.
See death odor removalDIY cleaning is not appropriate when blood reached carpet, wood, fabric, drywall, furniture or a hidden space. Serious health risks can result from contamination you cannot see and bloodborne pathogens. Until official release, keep pets and people outside, then arrange professional cleanup if you cannot identify the affected area's complete limits.
A homeowners policy may cover death cleanup or homicide scene cleanup, but the answer depends on the event, exclusions, deductible and policy language. Contact the insurer before work begins. Ask the insurer about required documentation, biohazard cleanup, damaged materials, personal property and restoration before work starts.
Items outside the contaminated zone can be protected in place or moved to a clean area. Scene property is evaluated item by item. Non-porous belongings made from hard materials may be cleanable. Before deciding, the team should speak with you about papers, photos and keepsakes, while absorbent property may have to be removed.
Some or all covered expenses may be paid after the deductible, although terms vary for every policy and every situation. Share claim facts with the insurance company, then ask how the policy addresses restoration, building materials, biohazard cleanup and emergency response work. Retain all photos, work notes, bills and waste records.
Each falls under death cleanup and trauma scene cleanup, yet the conditions may not be the same. Law enforcement retains control of the homicide location before release, and the property may have residue left by evidence work. An unattended death often involves decomposition and wider odor concerns because time passed before the person was found.
Once property clearance comes from law enforcement as well as the medical examiner or coroner, an authorized manager, relative, owner or landlord may organize cleanup. For biohazard remediation and blood cleanup, homicide cleaners can disinfect surfaces, treat odors and complete hazardous waste removal. Police conduct the investigation, but the cleaning service is not part of their work.
You can request respectful, discreet homicide cleanup 24 hours a day, and crews use unmarked vehicles.