As soon as you think about violent crimes, in most cases, we picture a spatter of blood, gunshots, flashing lights of police cars, and everything else we see on TV shows and movies. However, the reality states that crime scenes are much more problematic with plenty of bodily fluids and blood.
The moment after a crime is committed, the first ones who will appear on the scene are relevant to the police department or agency. After checking here, you will understand the steps you must take while being at the crime scene.
Then they will call technicians who will conduct an investigation, analyze the scene, place potential proofs in evidence bags, dust fingerprints, swab DNA, and use body bags for the victim.
However, after they leave the crime scene, the next step is to clear and restore the area where the crime happened. You should remember that a crime scene is a cleaning process, which is crucial to recovering to a previous state after a crime happens. Therefore, you should learn a few things about it beforehand.
Things to Know About Crime Scene Cleanup
We can all agree that crime scene cleanup is something we tend to neglect before something bad happens and causes severe problems in our everyday lives. For instance, when a violent crime happens, bodily matter and blood will contaminate the area.
After the police decide to complete the crime scene investigation, they will take the relevant samples and be responsible for cleaning the scene.
You should know that crime scene cleaners are experts who know how to deal with biological materials and clear the area of bodily fluids.
They will take care of prompt blood cleanup in Dallas, TX, and everything else left on a crime scene, while in some cases, they offer the service of restoring damaged materials such as flooring and carpet. They can also assist in odor removal, especially if the body contaminates the air due to unattended issues.
Importance of Professional Service
Everything depends on the nature and size of a crime, but some family members may decide to clean up the scene themselves, which is a mistake. However, if you have spent some time watching various true crime podcasts and shows, you understand that professionals must handle the surroundings.
The main reason for that is because it is impossible to remove all evidence from a crime scene by using over-the-counter chemicals. Besides, doing it yourself is a highly traumatizing endeavor, especially if something happened to your family member. Therefore, you should call professionals to handle each step along the way.
Crime scene cleaners know how to be as thorough as possible without missing a single spot. They also understand how to handle various aspects of a crime scene to ensure the highest efficiency and deal with pathogens and substances that are invisible to the human eye.
Professionals must undergo special training created by OSHA, meaning they use relevant equipment, tools, and chemicals, combined with special techniques that allow them to remove any material properly. Since they are not intimately involved in the crime, they can prevent you from reliving the situation by cleaning the area by yourself.
Immediately after someone dies, carbon dioxide from the body will create an acidic environment all around, which will ultimately lead to the body digesting itself. At the same time, death causes the muscles to stiffen, while the skin will become shiny and start to loosen as the process of decomposition continues.
Since the breaking process will continue as time goes by, the area will be filled with gases, while the body will bloat, meaning it will double in size and start to produce an odor. Insects will start to show up, while over time, organs, muscles, and skins will liquify due to the decomposition of soft tissue.
Of course, it requires an entire month for the body to reach this stage, meaning the process is foul and challenging to handle, especially if you do not have prior experience with similar situations.
Visit this website: https://www.nist.gov/system/files/documents/forensics/Crime-Scene-Investigation.pdf to learn more about different crime scene cleaning options you can choose.
Regarding cleanup, you should know that the space is more contaminated than it seems. We can differentiate a few layers of contamination that can extend away from the body. During the decomposition, the flooring beneath the body will also absorb liquids from it, which means that you may need to replace the entire surrounding.
At the same time, furniture, walls, and other materials can absorb the odor, meaning you must chemically cleanse it. On the other hand, you may need to remove some things that cannot undergo thorough cleaning and pathogen removal.
Apart from relevant equipment, professionals use chemicals you cannot find in the closest hardware store. It means you cannot disinfect the area by using water and mop, but it requires serious chemicals that can be harmful to people who do not know how to use them. Therefore, you should find professionals to do it instead.
