Crime Scene Recovery Services
Cleaning up a Crime Scene and Biohazard Remediation Need Expert CareCrime Scene Recovery guarantees a 24-hour or less response time to any bio-recovery incident in our immediate service area, including North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, and eastern Tennessee. We help you, your family, and your business recover.
Consider the following situations that necessitate biohazard remediation services.
Unattended Death Cleanup
After 48 hours, a decomposing body emits gases that can penetrate porous surfaces (e.g., fabric, upholstery, carpet, and drapes), and cling to non-porous surfaces (e.g., walls, ceilings, floors, and drapes). CSR will wipe down surfaces with anti-microbial agents that attack and break down residue and odors at a molecular level, making dwellings habitable again.
Overpowering odors inside a building can be more than unpleasant. Odors develop as a result of dangerous biohazardous bacteria lingering on surfaces and traveling through the air.
If left untreated, bacteria can multiply and cause irreparable damage to the building’s interior. This can often ruin personal property and potentially impact the safety and health of future visitors or occupants. Once the body is removed, Crime Scene Recovery conducts thorough after-death cleaning services to restore the environment to livable condition.
Call a Biohazard Remediation Company if You Smell Any of These Gaseous Odors
Decomposing bodies emit distinct odors due to the gasses and compounds that develop as a body decomposes. If you smell any of these odors in your apartment building, business, or neighborhood, this is a warning sign that decomposition could be the culprit.
- Rotting flesh odors: Putrescine and cadaverine
- Intense feces stink: Skatole
- Musty, mothball-like scent: Indole
- Rotten egg stench: Hydrogen sulfide
- Pungent rotting cabbage odor: Methanethiol
- Foul, garlic tang: Dimethyl disulfide and trisulfide
It’s essential to keep in mind that not all compounds produce odors. But that doesn’t mean it’s safe. Decomposing bodies harbor bacteria that can become airborne, causing an unhealthy environment.
For that reason, it’s best to call a biohazard remediation company to thoroughly clean and disinfect the area. Call your local authorities when in doubt. Leave the cleanup to a well-trained biohazard remediation company like Crime Scene Recovery.
We equip Crime Scene Recovery personnel with safety gear and clothing to enable effective and efficient cleanup as they sanitize every affected surface. Our team also removes permanently damaged personal property, following local, state, and federal biohazard waste regulations.
At Crime Scene Recovery, no call goes unanswered. And we treat every individual with respect.
Hoarding Cleanup — Distressed Properties
About 4–5% of the U.S. population engages in some hoarding behavior. Although this seems like a small incidence, hoarding situations can be a big problem to clean. It can also lead families to frustration and embarrassment.
Crime Scene Recovery understands that hoarding goes beyond a tendency to collect things. It can lead to safety hazards and biohazards due to the accumulation of filth, human or animal feces or remains, and bacteria buildup.
We also understand the underlying reasons for hoarding, which can often occur with individuals whose physical or mental limitations lead to these unsanitary living conditions. So, we train our staff to provide our hoarding cleanup service discreetly to protect your family’s privacy.
Houses with piles of trash and garbage can pose many dangers.
- Sharp objects (e.g., syringes, bottles, nails, broken glass, carpet tacks, and wood splinters)
- Rat urine and feces (Hantavirus)
- Bacterial colonies
- And more
These dwellings should be cleaned by professionals dressed in full Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). Crime Scene Recovery cleans the home and hauls away contaminated furniture and appliances. In addition, we photograph the dwelling before, during, and after cleaning to provide evidence for a complete inventory for insurance recovery purposes.
Meth Lab Cleanup
Meth lab cleaning procedures may vary. Sometimes, contamination is so broad and extensive that the inside of a building or home may need complete renovation. Crime Scene Recovery will assess property damage, then clean salvageable items. We will properly dispose of all unsalvageable items.
Blood Cleanup
Blood, a biohazard so complex that hospitals dispose of it in separate waste containers, is no less dangerous outside of hospital settings. With the considerable potential for disease outbreaks, blood biohazard remediation involves special handling by trained experts.
Crime Scene Recovery follows OSHA’s bloodborne pathogen regulations and protects your family or employees and our staff using science-based, universal precautions. We take proactive measures to prevent cross-contamination as we remove blood and biological material and disinfect the area.
Homicide, Suicide, and Severe Trauma Cleaning
Emergency crews stay at the scene until the body is removed and CSI is complete. But what happens when you’re left to deal with the aftermath? Homeowners, property managers, and commercial business owners can rely on Crime Scene Recovery to handle all aspects of after-death cleaning services.
Cleaning up a crime scene aftermath necessitates special handling. Trauma scenes often involve biological material that lead to unsafe, dangerous conditions if improperly treated. Crime Scene Recovery provides forensic cleaning, disinfecting, and sanitizing of all contaminated surfaces to bring your home or business back to a livable, workable environment.
NOTE: Many porous items, such as blood-soaked carpet, padding, and upholstery, cannot be cleaned. We haul these items away for incineration.
Fingerprint Powder Removal
In criminal cases, crime scene investigators will dust items with fingerprint powder. This powder is extremely difficult and sometimes impossible to remove. CSR is your best bet to remove this residue from surfaces.
Other Biohazard Remediation Services
Crime Scene Recovery also conducts biohazard cleaning for the following situations.
- Homes
- Businesses
- Outdoor sites
- Emergency services vehicles and equipment
- Other vehicles
- Jail and holding cells (e.g., prisons, courthouses)
- Traffic accidents
- Assaults while on public property
- Evidence rooms
- And more
What Situations Need a Forensic Cleaning Company?
Forensic cleaning companies train employees to follow local and federal rules and regulations to reestablish safe, habitable living conditions. They provide safe aftermath trauma cleaning for the following events.
- Unattended deaths
- Accidents
- Suicides
- Communicable disease contamination
- Hoarding sites
- Homicides, shootings
- Tear gas scenes
- Fingerprint dust removal
- And more
Why Can’t I Clean It Myself?
Blood cleanup requires special handling and special chemicals. Some blood and bodily fluids and other matter contain potentially infectious materials (PIM) that can cause severe illness or disease. Examples include the following.
- Clostridium difficile (C. diff)
- Hepatitis B and C (HBV, HCV)
- Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
- Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)
How Does the Forensic Cleaning Team Keep Themselves and Others Safe?
Forensic cleaning companies provide staff with personal protective equipment (PPE), including shoe coverings, biohazard suits, goggles, and double-layer gloves.
Forensic cleaning teams also establish three zones to ensure cross-contamination control.
- The Control Zone: This is where the cleanup happens.
- The Buffer Zone: This is where the forensic cleanup professionals put on their PPE.
- The Clean Zone: This is where forensic cleanup technicians store their equipment.
The driving force behind forensic cleaning is health, safety, and restoring a site to habitable living and working conditions. See our FAQs page for more information.
For dangerous biological hazards, call the experts at Crime Scene Recovery.