Grand Rapids and Kent County
Crime scene cleanup in Grand Rapids
After police leave, the room is yours again, but it is not ready to use. An independent cleanup company can remove what is contaminated and return the space to you.
Phones answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
When the cleanup can start
A crime scene stays under police control until investigators have what they need. Do not clean, move or throw anything away before the investigating agency tells you the scene is released. Ask the officer or detective for a case or report number. You will want it later for insurance and for a compensation claim.
Once the scene is released, the cleanup is the owner's responsibility, or the landlord's in a rental. It is fine to wait a day or two. Close the door, turn the heat down if you can, and keep everyone out of the room.
What a trauma cleanup usually includes
- Sealing off the area so nothing is tracked through the rest of the house.
- Removing soaked materials such as carpet, pad, upholstery and, where needed, sections of drywall or subfloor.
- Cleaning and disinfecting hard surfaces, then checking that nothing was missed.
- Bagging and boxing contaminated waste and sending it for proper disposal.
- Treating odor once the source has been removed.
Questions
Common questions
Do the police clean up after an investigation?
No. Police and the medical examiner's investigators take what they need, but they do not clean the property. That falls to the owner or the landlord.
Can I clean it myself?
Blood can carry bloodborne pathogens such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV, according to OSHA. Companies that do this work use protective equipment and dispose of the waste properly. Most families choose not to do it themselves.
Who applies for compensation?
The victim or an eligible claimant applies to the Crime Victim Services Commission. The application page explains how, and the county prosecutor's victim advocates can help with the form.
Other situations
- Unattended death cleanupWhen someone died at home and was not found for days or weeks.Read more
- Cleanup after a suicideSo that no family member has to clean the room themselves.Read more
- Blood and bodily fluid cleanupInjuries, falls, medical events and anything that soaked into floors or furniture.Read more
- Hoarding with biohazardsHomes where clutter hides animal or human waste, rodents, spoiled food or used needles.Read more
- Disinfection after illness or rodentsRooms contaminated by rodent droppings, sewage-soaked materials or a sick person's fluids.Read more
- Vehicle biohazard cleanupBlood or bodily fluids in a car, truck or van after an injury, crime or death.Read more
Whenever you are ready
One call to find out what the cleanup involves
Nothing has to be decided tonight. Keep the room closed, keep children and pets out, and call when you want to hear the options from someone who does this work.
Speak with a cleanup company
Your call goes to an independent company that works in your ZIP code. Describe what happened, ask how they would handle it and how they set the price, then decide in your own time.
Call (616) 616-9979Phones answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Calls may be recorded for quality. Read the referral disclosure and the privacy policy.