Why Crime Scenes Require Professional Cleaning Services

CONTENTS

• What are trauma cleaners?
• What do trauma cleaners do?
• Why do trauma cleaners handle crime scene cleaning?
• The risks of tackling a clean by yourself
• What to do if a death has occurred on your property
• Get in touch

Trauma cleaners are unknown to the public due to common misconceptions about who exactly cleans up a crime scene. Even though the job requires no university qualifications, it does require a passion for specialist cleaning and a strong stomach.

Here at ICE Cleaning, we provide rapid response crime scene cleaning services. Our crime scene cleaners are accredited by the National Association of Crime Scene Cleaners (NACSC) and will use industry-leading products and equipment to quickly restore your property.

Read on to find out more about trauma cleaners and why crime scenes require cleaning services.

What are trauma cleaners?

When faced with a distressing scene or a hazardous environment, you must bring in trauma cleaners as soon as possible. They are highly trained specialist cleaners who make the scene of crimes clean and safe, and restore the affected area.

Trauma cleaners handle biohazards like blood, bodily fluids, and drug paraphernalia which can be very dangerous to be exposed to without personal protective equipment.

What do trauma cleaners do?

Trauma cleaners remove biohazards from trauma scenes, like the aftermath of suicides, crime scenes, or car accidents, and decontaminate the affected area. They use industry-grade cleaning chemicals and disinfectants to remove all of the dangerous blood pathogens which could be present, such as:  

• Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)
• Hepatitis B
• Hepatitis C
• Malaria

This process can take hours or even days to complete, and trauma cleaners must ensure the area is thoroughly decontaminated and safe.

Why do trauma cleaners handle crime scene cleaning?

Whilst the police and ambulance services will be responsible for collecting evidence and removing bodies from the site, it is not their responsibility to handle the trauma cleaning. Emergency service members are also not qualified to handle the cleaning process.

The responsibility falls to the person who owns the land or property where the incident happened. However, it is very unsafe and can be emotionally distressing for an untrained individual to carry out a trauma clean.

The risks of tackling a clean yourself

Not only is the cleaning process of a crime scene or any site of a death an incredibly stressful task, but it is also dangerous without PPE and specialist cleaning products and equipment.

By attempting to tackle a clean by yourself, you may be exposing yourself to:

• Hazardous debris such as glass or bullets
• Infectious diseases
• Bloodborne pathogens such as HIV or Hepatitis
• Toxic DIY solutions
• Drug paraphernalia
• Blood and bodily fluids
• Decomposing biomatter

What to do if a death has occurred on your property

If you discover an unexpected death, you should contact 999 immediately. It may be that the site is now considered a crime scene or that an individual committed suicide on-site, requiring the authorities to begin collecting evidence.

If this area was considered a crime scene, you must keep away from the area until the investigation is completed. You could accidentally contaminate and disturb the crime scene by entering the property and attempting to clean up.

If the individual was in palliative care and their death was expected, you must contact their GP or a family member if you are the landlord. This will begin the proper process of registering a death and having the body taken to prepare for the family to take the next steps.

Once proper authorities have examined the scene and collected the body, the property or business owner will be responsible for hiring trauma clean-up services.

Get in touch

ICE Cleaning's qualified crime scene cleaners provide a discreet and delicate service to ensure a less stressful process for all involved. Our technicians can be on-site within a matter of hours in an emergency and are available 24/7, 365 days a year.

You can contact us at either 0208 066 0360 or email us at enquiries@icecleaning.co.uk for a free, no-obligation quote for a trauma clean today.