Crime Scene Cleanup
After the property is released by police, crime scene cleaning removes blood and controls odor.
See crime scene cleanupGet blood, bodily fluids, contaminated materials and odor removed after investigators release a home, rental, business or vehicle in Orleans Parish. The cleanup scope is based on where contamination traveled.
Homicide cleanup is a specialized form of crime scene cleanup that removes blood, bodily fluids and other contaminated materials after investigators finish their work and release the property.
The investigation is the responsibility of law enforcement and the medical examiner or coroner, not property cleaning. A relative, landlord, owner or other person with authorization can arrange homicide cleaning once officials have released the scene.
Ordinary cleaning services do not cover the full process. Cleanup technicians protect rooms outside the scene while locating affected material in the immediate space and nearby areas. They treat surfaces that are cleanable and remove those materials where disinfection is not possible. Odor treatment, the packaging and disposal of hazardous waste, and requested records for an insurance company are also included.

Personal property that may be saved is separated so you can discuss it before deciding what needs removal.
Your questions can cover items marked for removal, surfaces to be cleaned, plans for taking waste away and remaining restoration needs.
Disposal records, scope details, photos and item lists can help when you speak with insurance companies or property owners.
You can request unmarked vehicles and limit entry to authorized people, which helps protect privacy during a painful event.
A homicide cleaning service is needed if a violent death leaves biological material or blood in a vehicle, business, rental or home. Situations that commonly require this work include:
Blood cleanup may involve a bedroom, living area, hallway and nearby surfaces that were exposed during the event.
While stores, offices, shared spaces or warehouses are checked for contamination, the affected area can remain isolated.
An assessment of seats, insulation, trim and carpet identifies what may remain after cleaning and what needs removal.
Visible blood may continue beneath flooring or behind trim, which makes surface wiping incomplete.
Your first steps are to respect the investigation, avoid exposure and preserve useful claim information. Before cleanup technicians enter:
Call (888) 440-9227The published planning figures in available homicide cleanup cost guides range between $2,500 and $9,000 when the work involves a violent crime scene. A smaller scene has figures from $2,000 to $6,000 while a larger scene has figures from $3,000 to $10,000 under those guides. These amounts do not serve as a quote. The assessment shapes the final scope.
The figures shown are national ranges from published cost guides and are not based on an on-site visit. The price for your property is set after the on-site assessment, and you hear it before work starts.
Ask about cost: (888) 440-9227Insurance may pay toward homicide cleanup through a commercial, homeowners or renters policy. Coverage is determined by the loss, the policy and its deductible.
Have the insurance company identify every needed invoice, photo, item list, disposal record and scope note. Retain everything you send to the insurance company.
After the scene is released by police, inform the insurer about the loss. Check if coverage includes restoration, biohazard cleanup and damaged structural materials.
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.
Local requirements, property ownership, lease conditions and policy language can determine who pays and arranges cleanup. The tenant and landlord should contact their respective insurance companies.
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.
The authorized person identifies known affected areas, and technicians inspect nearby surfaces, floor edges, contents and possible travel paths.
Clean rooms are kept apart from the work area. Suitable personal protective equipment and controls help cleanup technicians limit the movement of contamination outside the scene.
Visible blood and bodily fluids are collected with methods suited to each surface before detailed cleaning and disinfection begin.
If carpet, drywall, pad, subfloor or upholstery cannot be thoroughly disinfected, removal is limited to the minimum workable area.
Cleanable surfaces receive detailed scene cleaning, followed by an EPA-registered disinfectant kept wet for the label contact time.
Targeted treatment and air filtration can address odors in connected spaces, room air and retained materials once the source has been removed.
Applicable rules guide the sealing, labeling and movement of contaminated waste, while available disposal documentation is kept.
Once work is complete, retained personal property is returned as arranged, and removed finishes are documented for restoration services.
Phone any hour. A specialist in homicide cleanup takes your call, explains each step and agrees on a start time with you.
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.
Fluids may travel into carpet padding, joints, grout, walls and the subfloor. Wiping what you can see leaves contamination within material below the surface or behind it.
Soaked absorbent materials and used protective equipment may need compliant packaging, transport and disposal under relevant medical waste rules.
Loved ones may find the scene profoundly upsetting. With professional cleanup, your family can avoid touching personal property or entering the affected area.
Can you clean it yourself? A small amount of fresh blood on a hard, non-porous surface may be cleaned with disposable gloves and an EPA-registered disinfectant used for its full label contact time. Seek professional cleanup and keep away whenever blood reaches fabric, carpet, drywall, wood or a location with unknown edges.
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 |
|---|---|
| Accessible surfaces within a small affected area | Inspection and official scene release determine the schedule |
| One room with porous material removal | Could need a distinct restoration stage after cleaning |
| Several rooms or structural contamination | Typically requires work in stages followed by a longer restoration |
Odor removal begins by finding and removing the source. Fragrance alone cannot correct fluids absorbed into carpet, subfloor, drywall, furniture or hidden cavities.
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.
Under 29 CFR 1910.1030, the OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard addresses worker training, protective equipment and exposure controls.
For its stated use, the disinfectant should be EPA-registered and allowed to remain on the surface for every minute required by the label.
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 homicide 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 homicide cleanup guide
Planning for access, containment and cleanup can depend on local population, housing and entry conditions.
Greenville is listed about 1.1 miles from Childrens Hospital, a relevant distance when prompt evaluation follows a biohazard exposure.
With Black Pearl, Uptown Historic District, and Leonidas close by, accurate street and unit details help avoid confusion during a sensitive response.
In Greenville, identifying the correct building entrance can reduce unnecessary movement through shared spaces during a sensitive cleanup.
Your phone conversation can include questions about service in nearby ZIP codes and communities.
After the property is released by police, crime scene cleaning removes blood and controls odor.
See crime scene cleanup
Blood cleanup clears blood from furniture, walls, hard floors and carpet, followed by 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
Cleanup after an undiscovered death includes odor control and the effects of days of decomposition.
See unattended death cleanup
Forensic cleaning of blood, tissue, fingerprint powder and investigation residue.
See forensic cleaning
Death odor removal at the source with air scrubbers, hydroxyl and ozone treatment.
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 unseen spread can create serious health risks. Keep people and pets away, wait for scene release and arrange professional cleanup for any affected area whose full boundary is unclear.
After your deductible, insurance might pay part or all of the covered expense, but the answer differs 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. Store copies of photographs, scope documentation, invoices and disposal papers.
A violent crime scene carries a published homicide cleanup cost range of $2,500 to $9,000. While the smaller range is $2,000 to $6,000, costs for a larger scene are listed at $3,000 to $10,000. Scene size, depth, room count, disposal and police release affect the final scope.
Yes. 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. Because the person was not found immediately, an unattended death commonly brings decomposition and odor concerns across a larger area.
Unaffected items can remain under protection or be moved away from the contaminated zone to a clean location. Each belonging inside the scene receives its own assessment. Cleaning may work for hard, non-porous items. Absorbent items may need removal, while photos, documents and keepsakes should be discussed with you before a decision is made.
First, cleanup technicians identify the affected area and establish containment around it. After putting on protective gear, technicians collect material they can see. They remove porous items beyond disinfection, clean surfaces left in place and follow the label contact time when using a disinfectant registered by the EPA. Hazardous waste is packaged before the finished scope receives a final check.
Crews carry out respectful, discreet homicide cleanup, arrive in unmarked vehicles and take calls 24 hours a day.