When the unthinkable happens in your life, a death of a loved one, what do you do? The only thing certain in the world are death and taxes, so everyone will be left with this question one day or another. As the owner of crime scene cleaning company we get calls daily from people who have no idea what to do. This is just one aspect of their grief. They must deal with the funeral arrangements, the cleanup, the property and possessions, and the lawyers. If I have learned anything its that probate attorney's are definitely in it for their fair share. Families have complained that the monies are stuck in probate and they are using credit cards to pay for large ticket items like caskets and funeral arrangements. When someone dies, the ones who survive don't really get to grieve until several months later after everything else has been taken care of. But I digress......
When grief stricken families find their loved ones have passed away whether naturally or by violent means they usually have no idea where to find help with the clean up. Most of them try to get friends and other family members to help them clean it up. Not only is that a bad idea, but you are setting yourself up for potential lawsuits if the friendly gesture turns out to give that person nightmares, psychological problems, or a blood borne pathogen disease.
If the friends and family thing isn't an option, the person turns to the police which in most cities will get you no where. The police are told to not recommend any particular company, but most of them don't even direct the family to the right place to get the help they need. As a former police officer this is most disturbing. First of all, police departments are a public service, paid by you and I in our taxes. If you are broken down on the side of the road, the police officers will come and sit with you and ask you which tow company you would like. Most people have no clue which tow company they prefer so they ask the officer to choose. The officer then orders a "non preference tow", which simply means, the citizen doesn't have a choice, please order the next in line of our certified tow companies. Yes, there are several tow companies on a rotation, who are called to help citizens. For some reason, crime scene cleaning companies are not treated equally. There are no regulations or requirements to clean up a crime scene. Even in public places blood and tissue are left on the side walks and streets. Amazing....
As I said, there are no regulations (except in California) regarding the cleanup, so there are many rogue companies. My company, Spaulding Decon, http://www.spauldingdecon.com/ is a certified company in Florida. There is a local company in Tampa, owned by a man who has no training whatsoever. Admittedly trained on the Internet, this person is allowed into unsuspecting homes and performs clean ups after homicides, suicides, decompositions, and other wonderful circumstances. There is no way the public can tell the difference between his company and my company.
Advise to the public: Ask for references, ask for certifications, ask for insurance documents, and do your research. Check the better business bureau for complaints on the company. This is hard to do when you are in crisis mode, but you won't regret it. References may be hard because most families want to remain anonymous, because they don't want to re-live the agony.
Anyone can always contact me for information or advice no matter where you live.
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