Buzz
When it comes to career choices, many people lean towards jobs that are not only comfortable but also ones that allow them to avoid extensive social interactions. However, those who enjoy engaging with others often prefer to interact with the living instead of the deceased. Yet, there are certain professions that remain hidden from the public eye, often due to society's discomfort with mortality and death.
These professions encompass fields like mortuary science, embalming, forensic pathology, medical examiners, and other roles dedicated to handling the deceased. While numerous crime dramas portray professionals solving crimes or uncovering causes of death, few consider the individuals responsible for cleaning up after the dead. But someone has to do it. Here are ten facts about the grim reality of suicide and death cleanup, because the deceased can’t clean up after themselves.
10. Expertise and Professionalism
The field of death and suicide cleanup is characterized by a high level of professionalism, which is understandable given that property owners generally do not want to handle the aftermath of death in their homes or businesses. That's when specialized cleanup teams come into play. In addition to dealing with death scenes, many of these companies also provide services for other traumatic events like burglaries or vandalism. This expands their area of expertise, as these professionals often find themselves removing things like human or animal brain matter from walls or showers.
A number of franchises have emerged in the rapidly growing industry of professionals who are willing to handle the most gruesome messes for others, with franchisees now able to invest in companies specializing in corpse cleanup and more. This booming industry reflects a growing societal focus on hygiene and a declining willingness to deal with the deceased, a task that was once more widely accepted.
Specialists in suicide and trauma cleanup must adhere to a variety of standards across different regions, including licensing requirements, certifications, and environmental regulations. The importance of safety cannot be overstated, and these experts are required to maintain a high level of professionalism while managing the most horrific and challenging tasks.
9. Suicide
In the realm of death cleanup, suicide scenes are often the most straightforward to manage. These deathscapes are typically the least disturbed by investigators, as police and detectives can usually identify a suicide with relative ease and collect minimal evidence, if any, for future investigations. In contrast, homicide scenes are treated as crime scenes, with cleanup teams handling the aftermath once investigators have finished their work.
One reason why the dead body cleanup industry continues to thrive in the United States and other developed nations is the rise in suicide rates. According to the Centers for Disease Control, suicide rates in the U.S. have increased by over 25 percent since 1999, a shocking statistic. Suicide has become a significant contributor to the decline in U.S. life expectancy, as well as an increase in the overall death rate, which saw a rise for the first time in decades from 2014 to 2016. More deaths mean more bodies, which naturally translates into more business for cleanup professionals.
As suicides continue to rise at an alarming rate, the demand for specialized suicide cleanup services has become increasingly urgent. In the United States, an average of 113 suicides occur every day, which means there is a significant amount of death scenes that require professional cleanup.
8. Unattended Death
Unattended death refers to the passing of someone without anyone around to witness it. This can include suicides, but also encompasses deaths from homicides, diseases, natural causes, and even accidents like falls.
The approach to cleaning up an unattended death depends on the cause of death. These deaths are categorized into traumatic (such as accidents or murders) and non-traumatic (like a heart attack while sleeping). Traumatic deaths usually require the cleanup of bodily fluids and remains that are scattered at the scene, whereas non-traumatic deaths present their own unique challenges for those tasked with the grim cleanup.
Even in the case of non-traumatic deaths, where there may not be visible damage, decomposition still occurs, which necessitates special care during the cleanup process. As the body decomposes, internal organs break down and fluids are released, attracting maggots, bacteria, and other organisms, resulting in the body slowly disintegrating into its final, decomposed state.
7. Blood
How do you extract blood from a stone? The solution involves a mixture of talc and diluted ammonia. Blood plays a significant role in these cleanup operations, as it has a tendency to soak into and discolor nearly everything it touches. A bloodstain doesn’t require a fatality to form, just a major injury—such as an open wound sustained while swimming, resulting in substantial blood loss within the pool. What steps should be taken in this scenario? First, the pool must be drained. After that, it must be cleaned carefully to ensure all traces of blood are eradicated from the pool's structure itself.
Another challenge is the threat of infections that blood can transmit. The list of bloodborne pathogens is extremely alarming, turning the task of eliminating every drop of blood into a meticulous job. While minor spills may only require a bit of all-purpose cleaner and a cloth, more significant injuries leading to substantial blood loss may necessitate professional intervention.
6. Hazard
The equipment and techniques used to clean up grisly, bloody crime scenes resemble what you might see in a movie where an apocalyptic virus spreads across the planet. Workers take extraordinary precautions to ensure that neither they nor their environment become contaminated with biological materials left at the scene. Frequently, hazardous substances must be transported with the utmost care to prevent harm or disease transmission to others.
In most jurisdictions, the requirements for this process are extensive. For example, individuals may need to acquire a hazardous materials transport license, a medical waste permit, or even a trauma scene practitioner permit to work at locations where a death has occurred. These measures ensure that only those with the necessary knowledge of pathogens and hazardous substances handle such materials safely, preventing reckless handling that could be dangerous. This process is critical for maintaining professionalism and ensuring safety in potentially hazardous situations.
This is understandable, as tattoo artists, who come into contact with much less bodily material, are still required to undergo licensing to prove they understand the risks of blood-borne pathogens before they can begin their work. Similarly, poisons, which are sometimes used in suicides or homicides, must be managed by trained professionals who are equipped to safely remove and dispose of these substances.
5. Restoration
A surprising aspect of death and suicide scene cleanup is that the focus is not solely on the body. After a homicide or suicide, a full restoration of the scene is necessary to allow the property’s owners or residents to return to a normal life as if the death never occurred there. Attention must be given to surface types, as hard and soft surfaces, as well as porous areas, react differently. Paint touch-ups may also be needed, and furniture may need to be moved to access hard-to-reach spots where the aftermath of a death has left its mark.
Beyond the material aspects of restoration, there’s an emotional component, much like the mortuary staff who prepare bodies for funerals. Restoring the location of a death can help ease the pain of family members who were present at the scene and also return the place to its pre-death condition. This subtle yet powerful act plays a significant role in helping families grieve and move on, as the environment around them can serve as a reminder of the loss, but it doesn’t have to reflect it visually.
4. Meth Lab Recovery
The skills, licenses, permits, and technologies used in death scene cleanups have also found applications in other areas, some of which might seem unrelated. One example is meth lab recovery, a service offered by many cleanup companies. These professionals, who handle death and trauma scenes, are also called to restore homes or buildings used to house illegal methamphetamine labs. The chemicals present in these labs are as dangerous and volatile as the pathogens found at crime scenes, requiring careful handling. The same experts who deal with suicides and deaths are also the ones you would contact for meth lab cleanup.
Moreover, the risk of explosions due to mishandling of chemicals makes meth lab cleanup a task best left to those with proper training. Not all meth producers own their properties, and many landlords unknowingly rent spaces where meth is being manufactured. In some cases, cleanup teams are called to handle both a meth lab explosion and a poisoning incident involving a meth cook. The chemicals involved can cause serious burns, but the same protective gear used for cleaning up death scenes also shields workers from the dangers of a meth lab as they restore the environment to a safe, livable condition.
3. Money
When a loved one passes away in a home they own or rent, many people don’t immediately think about the financial responsibility they’ll face for the cleanup. While authorities, such as investigators and the police, typically handle the initial stages of a death investigation—determining cause of death, securing the scene, and removing the body—they don’t cover the cost of cleaning up afterward. Once the investigation concludes, the grieving family is often left with the burden of paying for the cleanup, which can be an unexpected financial strain.
The services provided include the restoration previously mentioned, sometimes the removal of the body, cleaning up any blood or hazardous materials from the scene, and thoroughly disinfecting the area. All of this comes at a high cost. These services are not inexpensive, and many of the companies offering them are family-run businesses, often passed down through generations due to the specialized and private nature of their work. Professionals in this field must overcome their revulsion and deal with unpleasant tasks like scraping hardened brain matter from shower tiles or removing decayed tissue from hardwood floors. The price for such gruesome work can easily reach thousands of dollars.
This highlights the tremendous value of this line of work, as most people would prefer not to clean up after the deaths of their loved ones. It’s far easier and healthier for the grieving process to hire a team of professionals who are prepared to handle the most grisly and traumatic scenes that one could imagine.
2. Hoarding
Another way these companies sustain their businesses, although it’s not directly related to death, involves cleaning up after compulsive hoarders. At first glance, one might think it’s just about clearing away junk and debris from a space where someone has accumulated too much material stuff, but there’s much more to it. The sheer nature of living in a cluttered home, where parts of the living space are completely inaccessible, can lead to a host of dangerous, foul, and even life-threatening pathogens like bacteria and mold, which pose serious health risks.
In some cases, entire homes or even buildings must be evacuated so cleanup crews can clear away hazardous microbes and restore the space to a safe and livable condition. Hidden dangers in places like a compulsive hoarder’s home can include asbestos and harmful chemicals that can damage the body. While these crews often remain unnoticed by society, they play a crucial role in eliminating these threats so the rest of us can continue living our lives without worry.
1. The Stench
One of the most unpleasant aspects of this job is undoubtedly the overpowering stench of death and decay. Beyond the emotional trauma of the events that took place, there is the sheer difficulty most people face when tasked with cleaning a scene where a body has been. This creates a major barrier to entry for many, as the mere thought of being in close proximity to a rotting, decaying corpse can be enough to make someone feel ill. Specialized equipment, often resembling protective gear meant for a deadly plague, is used to mask the odor.
The smell of death ranks at the top of scientifically compiled lists of nature’s most repulsive odors. This is for a crucial evolutionary reason. Many animals use their scents to establish their homes, mark territories, and help other members of their species locate them, procreate, and share the environment. Similarly, the unmistakable stench of death serves as a warning sign to other members of the species that predators or diseases could be nearby. Our visceral reaction to the smell of death is hardwired into our biological systems for survival.
