When someone was not found for a while
Unattended death cleanup
When a person dies alone and is found days or weeks later, the room needs much more than cleaning. An independent company can take that on for the family or the landlord.
Answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Why this is more than a deep clean
Decomposition fluids move down and out: through mattresses and carpet, into the subfloor and sometimes into the room below. Odor follows them into drywall and wood.
A cleanup company removes everything that absorbed fluid, cleans and disinfects the structure, and then deals with the odor, which can take several days of treatment.
Belongings in the room are sorted with the family. Some can be cleaned; anything soaked usually cannot.
What families can expect
Release
The coroner or medical examiner releases the home.
Assessment
The company finds how far fluids and odor reached.
Removal
Bedding, flooring and other soaked material come out.
Cleaning
The structure is cleaned and disinfected.
Odor work
Air treatment until the smell is gone, then a final check.
Cost
What moves the price
There is no flat rate for this kind of work. These are the things that change it.
How far it spread
Fluids soak through carpet into pad and subfloor and run under baseboards. The deeper it went, the more material is cut out and replaced.
How long it sat
Time changes the job. Odor sets into drywall and framing, and dried material is harder to lift than fresh.
The surfaces
Tile and sealed concrete clean up. Carpet, upholstery, mattresses and bare wood often have to go.
Waste handling
Contaminated material is bagged, boxed and hauled as medical-type waste, and the volume adds up.
Odor work
Some rooms need sealing, air scrubbing or ozone or hydroxyl treatment over several days.
Access and rebuild
Stairs, crawlspaces and vehicles take longer. Rebuilding after demolition is usually priced separately.
Questions people ask
Should I open windows or use air freshener?
Closing the room off is usually better than airing it through the rest of the home. Fresheners mask odor for a short time and do not remove it. Keep the door shut and leave the rest to the cleanup company.
The person rented their apartment. Who arranges cleanup?
Often the landlord, the estate and the family work it out together. See the guide for landlords and property managers.
Who will actually do the cleaning?
An independent cleanup company that serves your ZIP code. This line connects you; it does not send workers. Ask the company about its training, its waste hauling and its insurance before you agree to anything.
How is the price worked out?
Usually after someone has looked at the space, in person or from photos. Ask for a written scope that lists what will be removed, how it will be disinfected and how the waste leaves the property.
Other situations
- Crime scene and trauma cleanupAfter a homicide, an assault or a bad injury, once police hand the place back.
- Cleanup after a suicideDiscreet, careful cleanup so no one in the family has to face it.
- Blood and body fluid cleanupBlood or other body fluids on carpet, walls or furniture after an injury or illness.
- Hoarding cleanup with biohazardsA crowded home where waste, needles or spoiled food have built up.
- Disinfection after illness or droppingsRooms to clean and disinfect after an illness or a rodent problem.
- Vehicle biohazard cleanupBlood or body fluids in the seats, carpet or trunk of a vehicle.
Whenever you are ready
You can call now, or after the hardest days are behind you
There is no deadline on a phone call. Until then, keep the door to the affected room shut, keep children and pets out, and leave the cleaning to people with protective gear.
Speak with a cleanup company
The call reaches an independent company that works in your ZIP code. Describe the room, ask how they would handle it and how they set the price. Nothing is decided until you agree to it.
Call (720) 712-9117Answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Calls may be recorded by the call-routing service. See the referral disclosure and privacy policy.