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 King County. The cleanup scope is based on where contamination traveled.
Homicide cleanup is crime scene cleanup focused on the removal of contaminated materials, blood and bodily fluids. The specialized work starts only when investigators are finished and the property has been released.
While the medical examiner or coroner and law enforcement concentrate on investigative duties, they do not clean what remains at the property. Homicide cleaning can be arranged after release of the scene by an authorized person, including an owner, landlord or relative.
This work involves more than an ordinary cleaning service. Technicians identify contamination both in and around the affected space, isolate rooms that were not affected and take out anything that cannot be disinfected. Surfaces that can remain are treated. When requested, the scope also covers insurance company records, hazardous waste packaging and disposal, and odor removal.

You can request details about cleaning, necessary removals, waste movement off the property and the work left for restoration.
You are consulted about recoverable personal property after it is isolated and before a removal decision occurs.
You may protect privacy by requesting unmarked vehicles and allowing only authorized people into the property during this difficult event.
Photos, item lists, scope notes and disposal documents can support conversations with insurance companies and property owners.
Homicide cleanup services are needed when a violent death leaves blood or other biological material in a home, rental, business or vehicle. Common situations include:
An assessment of seats, insulation, trim and carpet identifies what may remain after cleaning and what needs removal.
Because blood and tissue may affect ceilings, furniture, walls, hidden joints and carpet, every travel path must be located.
Blood cleanup may cover exposed surfaces in a bedroom, hallway, living space and nearby affected areas.
The landlord or an authorized property manager may schedule scene cleanup once police release the rental and essential items have been taken by the family.
Your first steps are to respect the investigation, avoid exposure and preserve useful claim information. Before cleanup technicians enter:
Call (888) 440-9227A typical violent crime scene runs $2,500 to $9,000 according to published guides. Smaller homicide scenes are listed lower, at $2,000 to $6,000 and larger ones higher, at $3,000 to $10,000 each. Treat these as planning figures rather than a quote. The assessment of your scene decides the final scope.
These ranges come from published national cost guides, not from a site visit. After an on-site assessment, the price for your property is determined and shared with you before cleanup begins.
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.
Washington's Crime Victims Compensation Program, run by the Department of Labor and Industries, does not pay for crime scene cleanup, so victims of violent crime should ask what it does cover. Insurance is usually checked first.
The lease, local law, property ownership and policy terms can affect who arranges work and who pays. Tenants and landlords should each contact the appropriate insurer.
Once police release the property, explain the event to your insurer. Ask about policy coverage for biohazard cleanup, affected construction materials and the restoration phase.
Find out which waste documents, photographs, item inventories, invoices and scope records the insurance company requires. Save a copy of every submitted document.
After scene release, a controlled order guides the remediation work. Each step reflects how far contamination went, which items can remain and the waste rules that govern the material.
After the authorized person points out known affected areas, technicians examine floor edges, belongings, adjacent surfaces and potential travel routes.
Clean rooms are kept apart from the work area. Cleanup technicians rely on proper personal protective equipment and containment controls to keep contamination from being tracked past the scene.
Visible blood and bodily fluids are collected with methods suited to each surface before detailed cleaning and disinfection begin.
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.
Once the source is gone, air filtration and targeted treatment can address odor in room air, remaining materials and connected spaces.
After contaminated waste is sealed and labeled, it is moved in accordance with applicable requirements and available disposal records are retained.
The closing assessment examines completed work, returns salvageable personal property according to the agreement and records removed finishes for restoration services.
Phone any hour. Your homicide cleanup specialist answers the phone, describes what happens next and works with you on a start time.
Serious health risks may remain in bodily fluids, blood and contaminated material out of sight. Those risks can still be present if the visible spot appears dry or limited.
Seeing the affected space can cause loved ones deep distress. With professional cleanup, your family can avoid touching personal property or entering the affected area.
Soaked absorbent materials and used protective equipment may need compliant packaging, transport and disposal under relevant medical waste rules.
Blood may contain HIV, hepatitis B or hepatitis C. Dried blood must still be controlled carefully because the CDC says hepatitis B survives on surfaces for at least seven days.
Can you clean it yourself? For a minor fresh blood spot on solid material that does not absorb fluids, wear disposable gloves and apply an EPA-registered disinfectant throughout the contact time stated on its label. Stay out and seek professional cleanup if blood affected drywall, fabric, wood, carpet or any space whose boundaries are uncertain.
Blood-absorbing porous materials generally must be taken out. A non-porous surface can often stay if the entire exposed portion can be reached and disinfected.

The time required for homicide cleaning depends on how large the scene is, how deep contamination went, how many rooms are involved, available access and how much material needs removal. A useful schedule can be discussed following the initial assessment.
| Scene | Typical time on site |
|---|---|
| Small affected area on accessible surfaces | Timeline determined once the scene is released and inspected |
| A single room requiring removal of porous materials | Could need a distinct restoration stage after cleaning |
| Several rooms or structural contamination | A staged plan and more extensive restoration work are usually necessary |
Odor removal begins by finding and removing the source. Fragrance alone cannot correct fluids absorbed into carpet, subfloor, drywall, furniture or hidden cavities.
After contaminated material is removed, HEPA air scrubbers can filter airborne particles. Hydroxyl treatment may be used in occupied settings when equipment instructions allow it. Ozone requires strict controls and an empty treatment area. The cleaning process may also include checking vents and adjacent rooms before you move forward.
The full homicide cleanup guide covers what is cleaned or removed, odor and air quality work, and the rules that apply in Washington and King County.
Read the full homicide cleanup guide
Containment, entry and cleanup plans can be influenced by local housing, population and access details.
The nearest listed emergency facility is Harborview Medical Center, about 3.8 miles away, so medical care remains separate from property cleanup.
Directions that mention Van Asselt, South Seattle or Jefferson Park can describe the general area, but crews still need the exact street address and entrance.
In Georgetown, identifying the correct building entrance can reduce unnecessary movement through shared spaces during a sensitive cleanup.
During your call, ask whether cleanup is available in surrounding communities and ZIP codes.
Crime scene cleaning begins after police release and covers blood, odor and the affected property.
See crime scene cleanup
Blood cleanup on carpet, hard floors, walls and furniture with safe disposal.
See blood cleanup
Following accidents, violence or injuries, trauma scene cleanup addresses the affected area.
See trauma scene cleanup
Home cleaning following a death includes affected possessions as well as fluid and odor cleanup.
See death cleanup
Suicide cleanup is completed privately and with care, protecting families from seeing the scene.
See suicide cleanup
When a death remains undiscovered for days, cleanup addresses decomposition and controls odors.
See unattended death cleanup
Forensic cleaning of blood also covers investigation residue, tissue and fingerprint powder.
See forensic cleaning
Air scrubbers, hydroxyl and ozone treatment support death odor removal at its source.
See death odor removalIf blood affected wood, furnishings, fabric, drywall, carpet or somewhere hidden, the cleanup is not suitable for DIY work. Bloodborne pathogens and hidden contamination may lead to serious health risks. Keep people and pets out while awaiting scene release, then arrange professional cleanup when any affected area has uncertain edges.
Cleanup technicians start by locating the affected area's boundaries before putting containment in place. Technicians use protective gear while collecting visible material and removing porous items that disinfection cannot make safe. Remaining surfaces are cleaned before an EPA-registered disinfectant is left on for its labeled contact time. They then package hazardous waste and check the completed scope.
Right. Each falls under death cleanup and trauma scene cleanup, yet the conditions may not be the same. A homicide scene remains under law enforcement control until release and may include evidence-processing residue. An unattended death often involves decomposition and wider odor concerns because time passed before the person was found.
Yes, different hazards can affect the same location. After evidence limits are lifted, hoarding cleanup services can address the large volume of contents. After a sewage backup, sewage cleanup may be necessary along with drying for areas affected by water damage. Every hazard requires its own cleaning process, containment steps and disposal planning.
Both authorities must clear the property first: law enforcement and the medical examiner or coroner. A relative, landlord, manager or owner with authority can then arrange cleanup. Biohazard remediation, blood cleanup, surface disinfection, odor treatment and hazardous waste removal may be completed by homicide cleaners. Police are responsible for investigating the scene, not performing the cleaning service.
A homeowners policy may cover death cleanup or homicide scene cleanup, but the answer depends on the event, exclusions, deductible and policy language. Speak with the insurer before cleanup starts. Check which exact records you need before work begins, along with policy terms for affected materials, personal property, restoration and biohazard cleanup.
Discreet, respectful homicide cleanup, 24 hours a day, with crews in unmarked vehicles.