Role of a Death Cleaning Service: Understanding & Hiring the Right Team

Dealing with the tragic loss of a loved one, whether expected or unexpected, is never easy. While our thoughts might immediately go toward coping with our grief, we cannot forget that there are things that need to be dealt with in the present. In the devastating aftermath of losing a loved one, you must make sure to attend to cleaning up the place where they lost their life. In this situation, you’ll need to hire a death cleaning service. Death cleanup services are a morbid but important part of dealing with your grief. These professional companies are hired in order to properly clean up and make your loved one’s home clean and sanitary once again.

Importance of Death Clean up Services

While your mind is undoubtedly reeling due to the grief that you are no doubt feeling, you cannot simply dismiss the importance of after death cleaning services. The truth is that any property that is home to decomposition will need to be properly cleaned and disinfected before it is fit for human occupation once again.

While it is rarely acknowledged outside of the industry, the aftermath of a loss of life can be messy, difficult to clean and altogether unsafe. If improperly cleaned and maintained, real health issues can begin to manifest. Biohazardous materials, simply put, cannot be left where they lay. Further, these rooms cannot simply be cleaned by individuals who lack the training and safety devices required to accomplish the task in an effective manner.

Common After Death Clean up Maintenance

There are a variety of different problems that can manifest in the home of your loved one after they have passed away. Listed below, you’ll find the most common issues relating to death cleaning.

1) Body Decomposition Clean Up – This service is typically reserved for unexpected deaths that have been left alone and unnoticed for a long period of time. As the human body decomposes, bodily fluids begin to seep into the surrounding area. While this process is altogether natural, it is still harmful to living people. Along with the ejection of bodily fluids comes a strong smell that is distinguishable, unpleasant and potentially problematic to your own health. When these elements are apparent, the conditions are right for insects to become attracted to the area. Insects will help to further spread toxic bacteria throughout the home.

2) Natural Death Restoration – In the event of natural death, one bereft of violent trauma as would be found in the case of suicide, there is still much in the way of work to do. Even the quickest reaction times will leave the property afflicted with problematic elements. When the human body completely fails, decay begins to occur in rapid fashion. Along with leaking fluids, the decomposition of the body itself can lead to longterm damage to the surrounding area. In order to safely clean up and restore the surfaces in the room, a professional team of after death cleaning employees will be required.

3) Violent Death Biohazards – In the tragic aftermath of a suicide or homicide, the remnants of the act can leave a scar on the property as well as a potential pathological problem. According to the US Center for Disease Control, biohazardous biological substances can pose a serious risk to humans. When left unattended, bloodborne pathogens can lead to illness and, eventually, death.

The most common pathogens left in a home following a violent death include bacteria, blood, viruses, toxins, and microorganisms. In order to properly secure your home, you will need the assistance of a reputable after death clean up service.

Hiring the Right Death Cleanup Team

As with all services in life, you need to make sure that you are hiring the right team to handle the job. Unfortunately, hiring an after death cleanup service isn’t the same as hiring a regular cleaning crew. For starters, the tragic nature of this hire is going to make the process incredibly difficult. With that being said, we wanted to take a moment in order to outline how you can go about finding the right cleanup team for your situation.

1. Ask the Right Questions – The most important thing you can do when hiring a death cleaning service is to ask questions. There are no wrong questions to ask in this kind of situation as any answer you get will help to enlighten the process. However, there are certain questions that you should focus on, which we will list below:

A) Is your cleaning team backed by state certification and are you fully insured?

B) What are your hours and when can we expect service?

C) How will you guarantee my privacy so that I may grieve in peace? Will you arrive in unmarked vehicles?

2. Check Quality Standards – It is important to take some time in order to verify the professionalism of the death cleaning service that you are considering. Checking to make sure that the company is licensed and pursuant to all liability certifications and insurance requirements are incredibly important. Additionally, you’ll want to know that the potential cleaning service employs individuals who have passed extensive background tests.

3. Inquire About Their Process – You need to know what you are paying for, even if it is the last thing that you want to think about. We understand how hard it can be to lose a loved one, but you cannot sacrifice your future health due to your grief. Inquire as to how their cleaning services approach the task at hand. Do they follow all OHSA guidelines? How extensive is their cleaning process? Will you lose any of your furniture or possessions due to their disposal requirements? Most after death cleaning companies will even provide you with an extensive checklist of the services that they provide, so it never hurts to ask to see it.

What Can I Expect From a Death Clean up Service

We understand a little bit about what death cleaning services provide. We understand how to seek out the best companies around so that we may benefit from their expertise. Now, we need to take some time in order to properly address what to expect out of the services being rendered. While this may be a difficult conversation to have, it is altogether too important to ignore.

Cleaning a home in the aftermath of the loss of life can be an exhausting and extensive job. Typically, the job being done by the company will vary slightly based on the circumstances of the death. However, there are some core commonality will be shared no matter the nature of the loss of life:

1) Hospital Grade Chemicals & Tools – Equipped with the latest in medical technology, after death cleaning companies will deeply clean all areas of your home that can potentially be affected. From floors and walls to the furniture in your home, your entire property will be scrubbed of any problematic remnants. Stains will be removed, decontaminants will be deployed and deodorizers will be utilized.

2) Removal of Hazardous Materials – When cleaning cannot properly address an issue, potentially hazardous materials will be removed and disposed of in accordance with state and federal law. You will be appraised of all property removed from your home so that you will not be taken by surprise if something was forced to be disposed of.

3) Insurance Claim Filed – If your insurance covers any of the work being done, the cleanup team will be able to provide the appropriate information so as to facilitate your claim.

Restoring Safety in Your Own Home

Whether you lost a loved one to sudden violent death or natural causes, you deserve to have the ability to return to your home in comfort and security. We understand how traumatic it can be to lose a loved one. We also understand how little you may feel like dealing with the situation. While we understand the emotional trauma involved, we must also insist that the proper cleaning services not be ignored.