Homicide Cleanup
After investigators leave, homicide cleanup removes contaminated materials along with tissue and blood.
See homicide cleanupGet blood, body fluids, fingerprint powder and odor removed from a home, apartment, rental or business in Stickney once police release the property. Most crime scene cleanups take one to three days.
Crime scene cleanup, also called forensic cleaning or trauma scene cleanup, is the removal of blood, body fluids, tissue and contaminated materials after a violent crime, then disinfection and odor removal so the property is safe to use again.
Police and detectives gather evidence, while the medical examiner removes the deceased. Their work does not include cleaning. When the investigation ends, they release the scene, leaving cleanup to the landlord, the family or whoever owns the property.
Crime scene cleaners, also called forensic cleaners or a forensic clean up crew, treat every drop of blood as infectious. They trace how far it traveled, remove what cannot be disinfected, clean and treat every surface, and haul the hazardous materials away under medical waste rules. It is a form of biohazard remediation, and the right team takes care of the entire process.

You can take the work scope, disposal documents and photographs to landlords or insurance companies and move forward.
Phone support is available day and night, while crews use unmarked vehicles to protect your privacy nearby.
Nothing important is thrown away without asking you, including keepsakes, documents and pictures set apart for inspection.
The cleaning plan and pricing factors are explained in advance, helping you decide what suits your household.
Any violent event that leaves body fluids or blood behind calls for crime scene cleaning services. Common examples include:
Tissue and blood may affect furniture, walls and flooring across multiple rooms.
Commercial crime scene cleanup in offices, stores and warehouses with minimal downtime.
A standoff may leave tear gas or pepper spray deposits across ductwork, textiles and wall surfaces.
Fingerprint powder can cover the property alongside damaged doors and glass affected by blood.
What you do during the first hours matters to your insurance claim, health and total cost. Take these steps before technicians arrive:
Call (888) 351-0904Most residential crime scene cleanup costs between $1,500 and $7,500. Published cost guides show this range. Companies generally set a price for the whole job rather than charging by the hour. Surface blood limited to a small area may cost less. When several rooms or the subfloor are affected, costs may exceed $10,000. An on-site assessment determines the final price.
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) 351-0904Coverage is available in many cases. Renters and homeowners insurance may classify crime scene cleanup as both sudden and accidental, then subtract your deductible.
Victims of violent crime can ask the Illinois Attorney General's Crime Victim Services Division whether cleanup costs can be included in a compensation claim. Insurance is usually checked first.
Most insurance policies for renters or homeowners include violent crime as a covered loss. Notify the insurer promptly and save your claim number.
For common spaces or rented units, crime scene cleanup is generally arranged and paid for by the owner.
Confirm your biohazard cleanup coverage, your right to select a cleanup company, and which documents or pictures your adjuster requires.
A safe, consistent order guides the remediation process, even though every crime scene differs. From the opening walk-through until final inspection, the crime scene cleanup process follows that sequence.
Before starting, technicians join you or your representative for an inspection, take photos and confirm the planned work.
The affected area is sealed with plastic sheeting and negative air, and technicians wear full personal protective equipment.
Any saturated carpet, drywall, furniture, padding or mattress is cut out and secured in sealed medical waste bags.
All surfaces receive cleaning followed by an EPA-registered hospital-grade disinfectant that stays wet for the full contact time.
HVAC vents are examined, and air scrubbers, ozone or hydroxyl generators are used to treat the source of smells.
Sealed containers go to a permitted medical waste facility with the paperwork that tracks them.
You receive records and photos for the claim, and technicians can use ATP testing to check surfaces.
Your own contractor or a vendor selected by your insurer can reinstall the flooring and drywall that were taken out.
Call at any time. Your crime scene cleanup specialist answers the phone, describes what happens next and works with you on a start time.
Blood and bodily fluids can carry serious health risks, and the contamination you can see is rarely all of it.
HIV and the hepatitis B and C viruses may be carried in blood. Hepatitis B can stay infectious on surfaces for at least seven days, the CDC reports, despite blood looking dry.
Carpet does not stop blood from reaching the pad and subfloor, while grout and spaces under baseboards can trap it. Surface cleaning leaves it there, where odor and bacteria come back.
You may find it deeply difficult to clean where someone close to you was harmed. Many families choose professional crime scene cleaners for that reason alone.
When a small blood spill is safe to clean yourself. Wear gloves and apply an EPA-registered disinfectant when fresh blood is limited to a few drops on any hard, non-porous surface. Call for professional cleanup if the amount has no visible boundary or has entered carpet, textiles, drywall or wood.
Whether an item stays depends on disinfection. Cleanable materials remain, but anything blood has soaked into is removed.

Most crime scene cleanup work requires one to three days at the property. A small scene that happened recently may take one day, but a heavy scene requiring structural removal can last two to five days.
| Scene | Typical time on site |
|---|---|
| Light scene, one area | Often one to two days |
| Standard scene affecting one to two rooms | Often one to three days |
| Heavy scene, several rooms or subfloor removal | Often two to five days |
The source must be removed before the odor can be addressed. Spraying fragrance on tissue or blood masks the smell for just a few days.
The cleanup team can address the air after taking out contaminated materials. HEPA air scrubbers capture particles, while hydroxyl generators are safe to operate with people in the space. For persistent odor, ozone treatment can be used in vacant rooms. Thermal fogging reaches fabrics and cavities inside walls, and checking HVAC ducts keeps smell from traveling to other rooms.
Most crime scene cleanup work requires one to three days at the property. A small scene that happened recently may take one day, but a heavy scene requiring structural removal can last two to five days.
The full crime scene cleanup guide covers what is cleaned or removed, odor and air quality work, and the rules that apply in Cook County and Illinois.
Read the full crime scene cleanup guide
Local population patterns, housing and site access may affect how containment and cleanup are planned.
With renters in 16.7% of local homes, owner occupied properties form most of the housing context for cleanup planning.
The 1954 median build year matters because fluids can travel through seams in older flooring and reach the subfloor.
The 498 seniors living alone may need support from relatives or trusted contacts when a cleanup decision follows a medical emergency.
Single-family homes make up 81.5% of housing in Stickney, so cleanup often centers on one household and its private living areas.
You can ask about cleanup in nearby communities and ZIP codes during the call.
After investigators leave, homicide cleanup removes contaminated materials along with tissue and blood.
See homicide cleanup
Careful, private suicide cleanup keeps family members from having to confront the scene.
See suicide cleanup
Following accidents, violence or injuries, trauma scene cleanup addresses the affected area.
See trauma scene cleanup
Carpet, solid floors, walls and furnishings receive blood cleanup that includes safe disposal.
See blood cleanup
Cleanup after an undiscovered death includes odor control and the effects of days of decomposition.
See unattended death cleanup
At the source, death odor removal uses air scrubbers plus hydroxyl and ozone treatment.
See death odor removal
Hoarding cleanup combines respectful sorting, removal and deep cleaning.
See hoarding cleanup
Disinfection and drying follow sewage cleanup of Category 3 black water from raw sewage.
See raw sewage cleanupCleaning crime scenes uses a cleaning process that contains the space, removes saturated material, cleans and disinfects surfaces, treats odor and disposes of medical waste.
Crews typically spend one to three days working at the property. A minor scene may need a day, while an extensive job involving subfloor removal may require up to five days.
After subtracting the deductible, renters or homeowners coverage often applies to the event as a sudden loss. Notify the insurance company, then ask if biohazard cleanup is included in your coverage.
No. Once evidence collection is complete, law enforcement releases the property. Either the owner or the person managing the property must take care of cleanup.
Initial access and agreement on the scope require someone to be present. After that, many families choose not to stay while the work is done.
For most residential crime scene cleanups, guides report typical costs from $1,500 through $7,500. Small surface cleanups can cost less, and large or multi-room scenes can pass $10,000.
Discreet, respectful crime scene cleanup, 24 hours a day, with crews in unmarked vehicles.