Grand Rapids and Kent County
Cleanup after a suicide
We are sorry for your loss. The cleanup is one thing you do not have to do yourself, and it can wait until you are ready to make the call.
Phones answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
What happens first
Police respond to a suicide, and the Kent County Office of the Medical Examiner investigates violent deaths, including this one. Its investigators take the person into their care. Once police release the home, the family decides what happens next.
Please do not try to clean the room yourself. It is not only a health question. What you would see and handle can stay with you. A company that does this work removes and cleans what is affected and can set aside belongings for you to look at later.
Source: Kent County Medical Examiner.
Things you can ask the cleanup company
- Can you work without vehicle markings, so the neighbors do not have to know?
- Will you set aside personal items such as photos, papers and jewelry for us to see?
- Will you talk to our insurer, or do we need to?
- Do we need to be there while you work?
Questions
Common questions
Is suicide cleanup covered by insurance?
Some homeowner and renter policies cover it and others do not. Ask your insurer directly. The answer depends on the policy, not on this site.
Does Michigan's crime victim program apply?
That program covers costs that result from a crime. Ask the Crime Victim Services Commission on its helpline whether your situation qualifies.
How soon should I call?
When you are ready. Keep the door closed and the room unused until then. Calls are answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Other situations
- Crime scene and trauma cleanupAfter a homicide, assault or other violent event, once police have released the home.Read more
- Unattended death cleanupWhen someone died at home and was not found for days or weeks.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.