Dirty Jobs: Crime Scene Clean-Up

Have you ever tried cleaning a very contaminated toilet? Or cleaning your bathroom full of vomit after a wild house party? You might think that cleaning and disposing of disgusting things like this is probably the dirtiest job in the world. Here is another job that you can add to that list of disgusting jobs, cleaning up after a bloody crime scene.

Cleaning up a crime scene actually deals with what is left after a brutal murder took place in someone's house or a homicide took place on a street corner. Crime scene clean up happens after the police, firemen, or CSI have completed their investigations, the bodies have been removed and what is left is the stench of decomposing human remains, blood splattered on the walls or the unexpected death in a neighbor's home after someone there overdosed on meth. Without professional assistance to clean up what is considered a biohazard of human remains, family members of the victim are usually the ones who clean the mess left by the incident. Today well trained restoration professionals offer services that abide by disposal guidelines established by O.S.H.A, the Environmental Protection Agency and even local state health departments to completely clean and restore the crime scene to its pre-incident state.

Some of the crime scenes these professionals encounter are:

• Violent death cases attributed to homicide, suicide or automobile accidents.


• Decomposing remains after an unattended death. The chemical process of decomposition begins after the heart stops and the body begins loosing heat. This process results in a loss of bodily fluids and the release of gases like methane, sulphide and ammonia.


• Methamphetamine labs are highly volatile crime scenes that involve cleaning hazardous chemicals which most likely permeated furniture, clothing, floors and walls.

What are the skills and qualifications to become a member of a crime scene clean up technician?

• A very strong stomach. This is definitely not a job for the faint of heart.


• O.S.H.A and EPA certifications are necessary for bio recovery and disposal services.


• Protective equipment training and respiratory protection training


• He/she should have the ability to sympathize with the family members since, in some instances; one or more of the family members may be present during the procedure.


• Each technician should be fully bonded and maintain all local and state licenses.

Becoming a crime scene cleaner requires a lot of training. These trainings include:

• Hazardous waste disposal.


• Clandestine Meth Lab Remediation


• Blood borne pathogen trainings, which tackles on the proper handling of bodily fluids.


• There are also trainings that test their ability to withstand the most disgusting situations.

Crime scene clean up is a very dirty job dealing with hazardous bio spill containment and removal. A homicide clean up project or an unattended death and blood clean up job requires a highly trained professional to ensure that the area is safe after the job is done. Some restoration companies have a specialized disaster response teams that take on these dirtiest of jobs while other technicians with weaker constitutions handle mold remediation for example. On a scale of 1 to 10, we consider our jobs the dirtiest!