The Steps To Cleaning Up A Crime Scene On Your Property
Although it's not pleasant to think about, a homicide or suicide on your property is always a possibility in an apartment complex. With a large number of people living on the grounds who have a wide range of temperaments and life problems, any number of things can happen in the best of communities. If there is a stabbing, shooting, or suicide on your property, then you'll need to deal with the mess that's left behind once the police have processed the scene. It's best to call in crime scene cleaning specialists for your protection. Here are some steps to the cleanup process.
Blocking Off The Area
The first step is to keep people away from the crime scene so they don't contaminate themselves with blood. Curious neighbors could step in blood and then track it through the building and complicate the cleanup process. Keeping everyone out of the area is an important safety measure that prevents the widening of the biohazard scene.
Removing Contaminated Materials
Materials soaked with blood or other biological hazards are removed from the area. The police might take some for their crime lab, and what's left behind must be disposed of in a medical waste facility. This requires carefully removing carpeting, furniture, and personal items with blood or other bodily fluids on them. Since there will be a time lapse while the police investigate, the blood could be dried and difficult to remove. The cleanup crew may need to use a variety of tools and machines to collect all the waste. The contaminated waste is bagged and then removed from the scene. The crew working on the cleanup uses protective equipment to avoid direct contact with possible contamination.
Disinfecting Hard Surfaces
Once all disposable items are removed, the hard surfaces left behind are disinfected. This kills off any disease-causing microbes that might have been in the person's blood or that grew due to decomposition. Cleaning is also undertaken to remove stains left behind on surfaces such as concrete, stone flooring, or other hard surface. Industrial-strength cleaners and disinfectants are needed for cleaning up a contaminated crime scene.
Testing With ATP
An ATP test detects living microbes, so it is often used during a crime scene cleanup to guide the use of disinfectants and to determine when the work is done. The test involves swabbing a surface and then examining the swab with a light. If microbes are present, a glow is detected. The degree of the glow indicates the degree of contamination.
Deodorizing The Space
The final step in a crime scene cleanup is to deodorize the space. This may not always be necessary, but in cases where a decomposing body was left in a room for an extended time, the odor has to be removed. Chemical air fresheners won't work because the odor has to be removed at the source. This might require the use of fogging to reach odors in the ducts. It could also include using an ozone machine, bacterial cleaners, or enzymes.
Cleaning up a crime scene is about more than just getting rid of stained and destroyed property. Cleaning up the contamination is the primary goal. This is a difficult job that has to be done by professionals to ensure the area is safe for people to use once it's clean. For more information, contact companies like CSI Cleaning Specialist Inc.
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