How Professional Suicide Scene Cleanup Works

A few words before the details

If you are reading this because someone you love has died by suicide, we are sorry. Nothing about this page needs to be read all at once. You can skim the headings, read only the part you need, and come back later.

One thing is worth saying clearly at the start: you are not expected to clean up after this loss. Family members sometimes feel they should, out of love, duty or a wish to protect others from seeing it. Professional cleanup exists so that you can protect your own wellbeing and remember the person you lost as they lived. Letting someone else handle this is not a failure of care.

What the service actually covers

Suicide scene cleanup removes biological material and anything it has soaked into, then cleans and disinfects the affected area. Depending on the circumstances, that can include:

• Hard surfaces such as floors, walls, fixtures and furniture frames
• Soft materials such as carpet and pad, bedding, mattresses and upholstered items
• Sections of drywall, trim or subfloor that absorbed material and cannot be cleaned in place
• Packaging and disposal of contaminated waste in line with applicable Tennessee and federal requirements
• Deodorization where it is needed, after the source has been removed

It does not include investigation, which belongs to police and the medical examiner, or rebuilding, which is generally a contractor's job. Our suicide scene cleanup service page describes how we approach this work across different kinds of property.

Before the property is released

When a death appears to be a suicide, it is still investigated. In Tennessee, deaths involving trauma and deaths that are sudden or unnatural are reported to the county medical examiner, who investigates the circumstances. Police may also be present. This is standard, and it does not mean anyone is under suspicion.

During this time the area belongs to investigators. Nothing should be moved or cleaned. When they have finished, they release the property back to the owner or the person in control of it. Neither police nor the medical examiner cleans the area, and it is common for families to learn this only at the moment of release.

Things you can do while you wait

• Find somewhere else to stay for a few nights if you can.
• Keep the door to the affected room closed, and keep pets out.
• Hold on to belongings and furniture until you have talked to your insurer, if you have property insurance.
• Ask someone you trust to handle phone calls for a day or two.

How the cleanup unfolds, step by step

1. A quiet first call

   You or someone acting for you calls (615) 513-5112 or sends a message. We ask only practical questions: where the property is, whether it has been released, which rooms may be affected, and who can authorize the work. You do not need to describe what happened.

2. Assessment

   A technician walks through the affected area without you needing to be in the room. They check where material may have travelled, including beneath flooring and behind furniture, and note which items can be cleaned and which cannot.

3. A written scope and your decisions

   You receive a written scope that lists the rooms, materials and tasks. This is the moment to tell us about anything you want kept, set aside or handled in a particular way.

4. Containment

   The affected area is closed off from the rest of the home so nothing is tracked into other rooms.

5. Removal and cleaning

   Contaminated soft materials are removed and packaged. Hard surfaces are cleaned and then disinfected with EPA-registered products used according to label directions.

6. Odor and final checks

   Any remaining odor is addressed at its source. The area is checked again before the crew leaves.

7. Walk-through and records

   You can walk through with the crew or receive photos instead. You get the written scope, photos and an itemized invoice.

If the person was not found for some time, the work may resemble unattended suicide scene cleanup, which involves additional steps for odor and deeper materials.

The choices your family keeps throughout

A good cleanup company treats your family as the decision-maker on everything except safety. Here are the choices that remain yours.

If you are unsure what you want, it is fine to say so. Many decisions about personal belongings can wait until after the affected area is clean.

How personal belongings are handled

Belongings are often where families feel the loss most sharply. A favorite chair, a shirt, a journal or a set of photographs can carry great meaning. Here is how those items are usually approached.

Items in the affected area

Hard items such as picture frames, jewelry, electronics casings and many ornaments can often be cleaned and disinfected. Soft items that absorbed material, such as clothing, bedding or upholstery, often cannot be safely returned for everyday use. If an item matters to you, tell us. Sometimes part of it can be saved, or it can be photographed before it is removed.

Papers, notes and personal documents

If documents are found in the work area, they are set aside for the family rather than discarded. If police took any items, ask the investigating agency how to request their return later.

Items outside the affected area

Belongings in unaffected rooms are left alone. You can sort through them at your own pace, with family, whenever you are ready.

Our guide to what happens to contaminated porous materials explains in more depth why some soft items cannot be kept, and the furniture and material assessment page explains how those calls are made.

Different properties, different considerations

A family home

Most families want the work to be quiet, contained and respectful of the rest of the house. Residential suicide scene cleanup is planned with that in mind, so that unaffected rooms can stay usable where possible.

A rented home or apartment

If the person who died rented their home, the landlord or property manager normally arranges cleanup of the unit, while the family usually decides about personal belongings. Our page on cleanup for rental properties explains how owners and families can work together without unnecessary friction.

A workplace or business

When a death happens at a business, staff and customers are affected too. Cleanup in commercial properties is scheduled around operations and includes shared areas where needed.

More than one room

Sometimes responders, family members or the circumstances themselves carry material between rooms. Multi-room suicide scene cleanup covers how a larger area is handled in sequence.

Why families are encouraged not to do this themselves

The first reason is emotional. People who clean up after a loved one's death often describe the experience staying with them for a long time. Grief is hard enough without adding that.

The second reason is health. The CDC and OSHA note that blood can carry bloodborne pathogens such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV. Workers who handle this material are protected under OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard, which requires training, protective equipment and a written exposure control plan. A family member using household gloves and a bucket has none of those protections.

The third reason is thoroughness. Material can reach places that are hard to see, such as carpet pad, seams in flooring or the underside of furniture. Surface cleaning can leave contamination behind, and lingering odor weeks later is a common sign that something was missed. Our guide to the limits of household cleaning explains this further.

Insurance and cost, without the guesswork

Cost is based on a written scope after an assessment. The factors include how far material spread, the types of materials affected, how many rooms are involved, access to the property and the amount of waste. We do not quote prices before we know the scope. Our pricing page explains these factors.

Some homeowners or property insurance policies may cover some of this work, but that depends entirely on the policy and the insurer. A useful first step is to call the insurer, report the loss, and ask what they need. We can provide photos, a written scope and an itemized invoice for you to pass along. Our list of questions to ask your insurer may help with that call.

If you are ready to get on the schedule, the Order Online page involves a $2,000 initial deposit. This is not the final price, and it does not mean work starts within any particular time.

Support for people who have lost someone to suicide

Grief after suicide often carries extra weight: questions that may never be answered, guilt that is not deserved, and sometimes the feeling that others do not know what to say. Support from people who understand this specific kind of loss can help.

• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org. It is free, confidential and available at any hour, for anyone in distress, including people who are grieving or worried about someone else.
• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP). AFSP's resources for loss survivors include a support group finder, Healing Conversations (one-on-one conversations with trained volunteers who have also lost someone to suicide), International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day events, and a free resource and healing guide.
• Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network (TSPN). A statewide organization connected to the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services that, among other work, coordinates postvention services. Its regional directors can point you toward resources in your part of the state.
• Your own circle. A doctor, a counselor, a faith leader or a hospice bereavement program can all be good starting points.

Children and teenagers grieve differently from adults, and AFSP offers material specifically for younger family members. If a child is struggling, a pediatrician or school counselor can help.

Deciding what to tell other people

Families often worry about what to say to neighbors, coworkers, a landlord or other relatives, both about the death and about the work happening at the home. You are not obliged to explain more than you want to.

• To neighbors: "We had a death in the family, and some work is being done at the house" is enough. You do not need to name the cause.
• To an employer: a short note saying there has been a sudden death in your family and you need time away is usually all that is needed. Ask human resources about bereavement leave or an employee assistance program, which sometimes includes free counseling sessions.
• To a landlord or insurer: they will need factual information about the date and location of the death and the release of the property. They do not need details beyond what affects the property.
• To children: honest, simple words that suit their age are generally better than silence. AFSP's booklet on children, teens and suicide loss offers guidance on these conversations.

Many people find that using the phrase "died by suicide" helps. It is accurate, and it avoids older wording that implies blame or a crime.

If you are helping a grieving friend arrange this

Sometimes the person reading this is not the immediate family but a friend, neighbor or colleague who has offered to help. That help is valuable. A few ways to make it count:

1. Ask before acting

   Check with the person who has authority over the property before you call anyone. Offer to make calls rather than making decisions.

2. Collect the practical details

   The address, whether police have released the property, who holds the keys, and whether there is an insurer to notify. These are the questions a cleanup company will ask first.

3. Be the point of contact

   With the family's permission, you can be the person the cleanup company calls with scheduling or access questions, so the family is not interrupted repeatedly.

4. Pass on decisions, not details

   When the family needs to choose something, such as whether to keep an item, bring them the choice in simple terms. They do not need a description of the room.

Our guide on communicating with a cleanup company during a difficult event has more suggestions for keeping those conversations short and clear.

Returning to the room afterward

When the cleanup is finished, the room will be clean, but it may not look the way it did. If carpet or a section of wall had to be removed, you may see bare subfloor or an opening. That is expected. Repairs are usually handled by a contractor, and we will let you know during the assessment whether that is likely.

Some families choose to rearrange or repurpose the room. Others want it to feel as it always did. Some need time before going in. There is no correct approach. Many people find it easier to walk in for the first time with someone they trust, and to know they can step out whenever they need to.

What to hold on to from this guide

Suicide scene cleanup starts after investigators release the property. It involves an assessment, a written scope, containment, removal of affected materials, cleaning and disinfection, odor work and documentation. Your family keeps control over who is present, what happens to belongings and who sees the records. Repairs are separate, and insurance coverage depends on your policy.

Nashville 24/7 Biohazard Disposals is one team that travels out from Nashville across the counties of Middle Tennessee we serve. You can call (615) 513-5112 at any hour, even if you only want to understand what happens next. Our guide to what to expect after a traumatic death covers the wider timeline, including the medical examiner's role.

Questions people ask