For many of us, the sudden death of a friend or family member is one of our worst nightmares. It can be even worse with a suicide, and even worse when you have to live in that nightmare to arrange the cleanup. That kind of trauma is just not something any of us are prepared to handle. Hiring a professional for suicide cleanup services is very much recommended as they can alleviate much of the physical aspect of that heavy burden.

Professionalism & Sensitivity

First and foremost, any reputable service will be very aware of the sensitive nature of the event. Suicide cleanup services are experienced at working with family and friends, as well as law enforcement (if they’re involved). They’ll also know to be very respectful of your privacy and not talk to any media or the public about any details of the event, allowing the family to grieve and process privately.

Contractors that offer suicide cleanup services will also have and maintain a Trauma Scene Practitioners License (or a local equivalent), as well as offer special training and licensing to all of their staff to ensure that they know the seriousness of their work and how to handle the situations with professionalism and care.

Cleanup & Decontamination

While it’s difficult to imagine the type of cleanup from a deceased family member, it’s an unfortunate reality and it’s rarely simple.

Suicide cleanup services will ensure that your loved one’s remains are treated with dignity and the cleanup will be complete. Blood or other fluids will be removed from the space, scrubbed, and disinfected as needed. Cleaners will be thorough in this, recognizing both the biological impact of missing a potential biohazard, but also knowing that a family member stumbling across a tiny, missed spot a week or a month later can leave them re-living their grief and trauma. Professional suicide cleaners will work very carefully and diligently to avoid either mishap.

Death can always cause the risk of a potential biohazard, which are not always visible to the eye. Cleaners are trained in the use of all necessary personal protective equipment and in disinfection protocols. They’ll make sure that your space is safe for occupation and use all appropriate best practices in cleaning all surfaces.

One thing that many people also do not consider, in the abstract, is that your loved one’s death will have a smell. Death smells bad, and that will likely permeate in the space. Suicide cleanup services have several types of treatments to help remove the smells, depending on the sources and surfaces. These methods may include ozone machines, green chemicals, or heat treatments on your space. Some carpets or other surfaces may need to be simply disposed of, but your contractors will advise you if this is necessary.

Safe Disposal

Due to the possible biohazard contamination, disposal isn’t as easy as just throwing remains in the dumpster and dumping the mop bucket down the drain.

The licensing that professional suicide cleanup services maintain will provide training and guidelines for them to safely and properly dispose of biohazardous waste. They’ll know how to make sure that their work, and your space, are fully compliant with the Department of Health Services, OSHA, and any other regulatory agencies that apply to the site.

This Is Difficult, And That Is Ok

Some people might read the above and think that they can just Google the materials needed to do the cleanup and that they can just do it themselves to save a buck. Maybe they’ve never been bothered by blood before when they went hunting, or when they’ve seen injured people before. Or maybe they think they owe the deceased some kind of care or cleanup treatment out of guilt. Cleaning up your loved one’s suicide would be a mistake.

Experiencing a suicide scene, especially of a loved one, is one of the most traumatic experiences most of us can imagine. Trying to work and clean up the site of that event would be torturous, and it could leave permanent psychological and emotional scars. Lean on and trust professional suicide cleanup services to help you in this difficult situation so that you and your family can grieve and remember your loved one together without bringing additional hurt on yourselves.