Crime Scene Cleanup
Crime scene cleaning begins after police release and covers blood, odor and the affected property.
See crime scene cleanupGet blood, bodily fluids, contaminated materials and odor removed after investigators release a home, rental, business or vehicle in Fayette County. The cleanup scope is based on where contamination traveled.
Homicide cleanup is crime scene cleanup focused on the removal of contaminated materials, blood and bodily fluids. The specialized work starts only when investigators are finished and the property has been released.
Law enforcement and the medical examiner or coroner focus on the investigation. They do not clean the property. Once the scene is released, property owners, relatives, landlords or other authorized people arrange the homicide cleaning service.
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.
You can request unmarked vehicles and limit entry to authorized people, which helps protect privacy during a painful event.
Photos, item lists, scope notes and disposal documents can support conversations with insurance companies and property owners.
Homicide cleanup services are needed when a violent death leaves blood or other biological material in a home, rental, business or vehicle. Common situations include:
Seats, carpet, trim and insulation are checked to decide what can be cleaned and what must be removed.
Blood cleanup may cover exposed surfaces in a bedroom, hallway, living space and nearby affected areas.
Blood that appears on the surface may travel behind trim or below flooring, leaving a wipe incomplete.
The affected area can stay separate during contamination assessments of offices, warehouses, stores and common spaces.
Before technicians enter for cleanup, focus on staying away from exposure, preserving helpful claim details and respecting the active investigation. Your first steps are:
Call (888) 351-0904Available homicide cleanup cost guides put violent crime scenes in the $2,500 to $9,000 range. They place smaller scenes in a range from $2,000 to $6,000 and larger scenes between $3,000 and $10,000 based on their published figures. These are planning ranges rather than a quote. An assessment determines the final scope.
Published national cost guides are the source for these ranges, rather than an inspection of your property. You learn what your property will cost after the on-site assessment and before any work begins.
Ask about cost: (888) 351-0904A homeowners, renters or commercial policy may pay for homicide cleanup, but coverage depends on the policy, the loss and the deductible.
Responsibility for arranging the work and covering the cost can vary with local law, ownership, insurance terms and the lease. Landlords and tenants should contact their insurers.
Have the insurance company identify every needed invoice, photo, item list, disposal record and scope note. Save a copy of every submitted document.
After the scene is released by police, inform the insurer about the loss. Ask about policy coverage for biohazard cleanup, affected construction materials and the restoration phase.
Victims of violent crime can ask the Kentucky Crime Victims Compensation Board about cleanup. State law lists crime scene cleanup at the victim's home or business, with a short time limit, so ask early. Insurance is usually checked first.
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. Cleanup technicians use suitable personal protective equipment and controls that reduce tracking beyond the scene.
Surface-specific methods collect bodily fluids and blood that are visible before detailed cleaning and disinfection.
The smallest practical sections of upholstery, subfloor, carpet, padding or drywall are removed when complete disinfection is not possible.
Cleanable surfaces receive detailed scene cleaning, followed by an EPA-registered disinfectant kept wet for the label contact time.
After source removal, filtered air and focused treatments can reduce odor affecting indoor air, materials that remain and adjoining areas.
After contaminated waste is sealed and labeled, it is moved in accordance with applicable requirements and available disposal records are retained.
The closing assessment examines completed work, returns salvageable personal property according to the agreement and records removed finishes for restoration services.
Phone any hour. You speak with a homicide cleanup specialist who outlines the process and schedules a start time with you.
Blood, other bodily fluids and contamination hidden from view may create serious health risks. A dry appearance or a visibly small area does not remove those concerns.
Hepatitis C, HIV and hepatitis B may be present in blood. Hepatitis B can live on surfaces for at least seven days, the CDC says, which makes controls necessary even for dry blood.
Soaked porous material and used protective equipment may require regulated packaging, transport and disposal under applicable medical waste rules.
Loved ones may find the scene profoundly upsetting. Professional cleanup allows family members to avoid direct exposure to the affected space and personal property.
Can you clean it yourself? Disposable gloves may be used to clean a minor amount of fresh blood from hard non-porous material, along with an EPA-registered disinfectant left for the entire label contact time. Seek professional cleanup and keep away whenever blood reaches fabric, carpet, drywall, wood or a location with unknown edges.
Whether an item absorbed blood helps determine what remains. Porous material usually requires removal, while non-porous surfaces may stay when all exposed parts are reachable for disinfection.

A timeline for homicide cleaning is shaped by scene access and size, the number of affected rooms, depth of contamination and amount that must be taken out. You can receive a more practical schedule once the initial assessment is complete.
| Scene | Typical time on site |
|---|---|
| Limited affected area with accessible surfaces | Work schedule established following release and assessment |
| One room with porous material removal | May involve cleanup followed by restoration as another phase |
| Several rooms or structural contamination | Typically requires work in stages followed by a longer restoration |
Source removal comes before other odor work. Adding fragrance cannot resolve odor from fluid absorbed by subfloor, furniture, concealed cavities, drywall or carpet.
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.
The full homicide cleanup guide covers what is cleaned or removed, odor and air quality work, and the rules that apply in your state.
Read the full homicide cleanup guide
Planning for access, containment and cleanup can depend on local population, housing and entry conditions.
If direct exposure occurs, the closest listed emergency option is Saint Joseph Hospital, about 0.9 miles away, not the cleanup site.
Crews coming in from The Lane, Calumet or Saddle Club should keep vehicles and equipment staged close to the affected property for privacy.
Because this is a neighborhood within Lexington, cleanup access may depend on local parking, common entrances, or building management rules.
You can ask about cleanup in nearby communities and ZIP codes during the call.
Crime scene cleaning begins after police release and covers blood, odor and the affected property.
See crime scene cleanup
Blood cleanup clears blood from furniture, walls, hard floors and carpet, followed by safe disposal.
See blood cleanup
Trauma scene cleanup is needed after violent events, accidents and injuries.
See trauma scene cleanup
Cleaning a home after someone dies, including fluids, odor and affected belongings.
See death cleanup
Private, careful suicide cleanup so families do not have to face the scene.
See suicide cleanup
Cleanup after an undiscovered death includes odor control and the effects of days of decomposition.
See unattended death cleanup
Investigation residue, tissue and fingerprint powder are addressed along with forensic cleaning of blood.
See forensic cleaning
Air scrubbers, hydroxyl and ozone treatment support death odor removal at its source.
See death odor removalProfessional homicide cleaners clean a murder scene after investigators give permission to enter. Tasks can involve removing absorbed fluids, setting containment, completing detailed cleanup, applying disinfectant, odor removal and waste disposal. A family member should neither enter nor attempt cleanup if blood or bodily fluids remain in an area.
Property outside the contaminated space can either be covered in place or transferred into a clean room. Each belonging inside the scene receives its own assessment. Hard, non-porous belongings may be cleanable. Before deciding, the team should speak with you about papers, photos and keepsakes, while absorbent property may have to be removed.
Cleanup technicians start by locating the affected area's boundaries before putting containment in place. Technicians use protective gear while collecting visible material and removing porous items that disinfection cannot make safe. Remaining surfaces are cleaned before an EPA-registered disinfectant is left on for its labeled contact time. The team finishes by packaging hazardous waste and checking the completed cleanup scope.
After law enforcement and the medical examiner or coroner release the property, an authorized owner, relative, landlord or manager arranges cleanup. Homicide cleaners perform biohazard remediation, blood cleanup, disinfection, odor work and hazardous waste removal. Police conduct the investigation, but the cleaning service is not part of their work.
DIY cleaning is not appropriate when blood reached carpet, wood, fabric, drywall, furniture or a hidden space. Serious health risks can result from contamination you cannot see and bloodborne pathogens. Keep people and pets away, wait for scene release and arrange professional cleanup for any affected area whose full boundary is unclear.
Whether homeowners coverage applies to homicide scene cleanup depends on what happened, the policy wording, its deductible and any exclusions. The same is true for death cleanup. Before work starts, contact the insurance company. Ask the insurer about required documentation, biohazard cleanup, damaged materials, personal property and restoration before work starts.
Crews carry out respectful, discreet homicide cleanup, arrive in unmarked vehicles and take calls 24 hours a day.