Crime Scene & Trauma Cleaning

What Is Crime Scene Cleaning?

Police investigate a scene. Police do not clean it. Once investigators release a property, responsibility for restoring it passes to the owner, the occupier, the executor of an estate, or the managing agent. That responsibility arrives at the worst possible moment, usually with no instructions attached.

Our role begins at that point. We attend, assess the full extent of contamination, and restore the property to a safe and habitable condition. Families are never asked to be present. Many of our clients hand over a key and receive the property back complete, and that is a perfectly normal way to engage us.

Crime scene cleaning differs from ordinary cleaning in three ways. First, the contamination carries genuine infection risk, so technicians work in full protective equipment under containment. Second, the work is regulated: contaminated material becomes clinical waste and must be tracked to a licensed facility. Third, the job is not finished when the surface looks clean, because blood travels into subfloors, cavities and joins that a visual inspection never reaches.

What Happens After Police Release the Scene

Families frequently tell us they had no idea what to do next. The sequence below is what typically happens, and knowing it in advance removes some of the uncertainty.

1. The scene is released

Police or the coroner confirm that investigators have finished. Only at that point can any cleaning begin, because removing material earlier can interfere with an active investigation. We will never attend a scene before it has been formally released.

2. You make one phone call

You call us and describe the situation in whatever detail you are comfortable giving. We ask a small number of practical questions: the property type, the room or rooms involved, and who holds access. We do not ask for details you find difficult to repeat.

3. We attend and assess

Our technicians arrive in unmarked vehicles. We inspect the affected area, trace how far contamination has spread by inspecting subfloor and cavity spaces, and prepare a written scope of works with a cost before we begin.

4. We contain and decontaminate

We seal the work area, manage airflow out of it, and remove all contaminated material. Porous items that have absorbed fluid are cut out and disposed of as clinical waste. Every remaining surface is disinfected with hospital-grade product at the full contact time.

5. We verify and hand back

We deodorise the space, confirm the result with post-remediation verification checks, and return the property with a complete documentation pack. Where structural repair is needed, such as replacing flooring or plasterboard, we explain exactly what is required and can coordinate that work.

Working With Police, Coroners and Insurers

We coordinate routinely with the other parties involved after a serious incident, which removes a considerable administrative burden from families at a time when that burden is hardest to carry.

• Queensland Police Service: We confirm the scene has been released before attending, and we never disturb a property that remains under investigation.
• The coroner's office: Where a death is reportable, the coroner may retain control of the scene for a period. We wait for formal release and keep you informed.
• Funeral directors: We work alongside funeral directors regularly and can coordinate our attendance around their arrangements.
• Insurers and loss adjusters: We prepare documentation to the standard insurers expect and liaise with your insurer directly if you authorise us to do so.
• Solicitors and executors: Where an estate is involved, we can invoice the estate and provide the itemised documentation an executor needs for the accounts.
• Real estate agents and property managers: We handle access, keys and reporting on the owner's behalf, and we keep our attendance discreet.

Insurance and cost

Home, contents and landlord policies in Australia frequently cover trauma and crime scene remediation. Coverage depends on the policy wording and the nature of the event. We quote after assessing the scene, and the figure reflects the affected area, the volume of porous material that must be removed, the time elapsed since the incident, access to the property, and the quantity of regulated waste requiring licensed disposal. We explain the scope and the cost before starting, and we do not add charges afterwards without discussing them with you first.