Getting started
Who do I call first after finding someone dead?
911. Cleaning comes much later, after the police and the Medical Examiner-Coroner's Office have finished and told you the home is released. The order of events.
Does the city or the county clean homes after a death?
No. Police and the Medical Examiner-Coroner's Office investigate. The cleaning is done by private companies hired by the owner, the family or the landlord.
Can cleaning happen at night or at a weekend?
The phone is answered at any hour. When a company can come is for the company to say, so ask when you speak to them.
The work
What is the difference between biohazard cleanup, crime scene cleanup and trauma cleanup?
They are names for the same trade: removing blood, body fluids and whatever they soaked into, then cleaning and disinfecting what is left. In California the legal term is trauma scene waste management.
What do the workers wear and bring?
Disposable suits, gloves, eye protection and respirators, plus sealed containers for the waste, plastic sheeting to close off the room, and cleaning and disinfecting products.
Will they take furniture away?
Things that fluids have soaked into, such as a mattress or an armchair, usually leave as regulated waste. Furniture that only needs moving is not the company's job unless you agree that it is.
Do I need to leave the house?
For a single room, often not, though most people prefer to. The company closes off the area it is working in. Ask what they advise for your home.
Money
Why are there no prices on this site?
Because any figure would be a guess. The price depends on what the company finds, and it is the company that sets it. What moves the price.
What if I cannot afford it?
After a crime, the Victim Compensation Board may reimburse the cost. Otherwise ask your insurer whether the policy applies, and ask the company whether it offers payment terms. This site cannot arrange funding.
This site
Who am I speaking to when I call?
An independent cleanup company that works in Santa Clara County, not an employee of this site. How the referral works.
Am I committed to anything by calling?
No. A call is a conversation. You are committed only if you agree a price and a time with the company.
Which places are covered?
San Jose and the neighboring cities named on the service area page.