The popularity of TV dramas such as "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" has pushed the previously unheralded business of crime scene cleanup into the limelight. Operating a crime scene cleanup business requires a wide variety of equipment and supplies.

Types

The type of crime scene cleanup equipment you need depends on the types of wastes to be encountered. One job may have a small pool of fresh blood on linoleum--a simple cleanup task. Another may involve a large area affected by teargas residue, decomposition of bodies or a bio-weapon attack. Each type of cleanup involves widely differing equipment needs.

Considerations

Blood-borne pathogens and other biological hazards are encountered on a daily basis, so cleanup workers need to protect themselves from infections using personal protective equipment (PPE). Required PPE includes gloves, respirators, SCBAs, disposable plastic-coated coveralls and eye protection.

Equipment

Steam-cleaning equipment, similar to the type used to clean carpets, is very effective. Ladders, scaffolding and 55-gallon steel drums are used often. Portable air scrubbers, ozone generators and foggers are sometimes needed.

Supplies

Crime scene cleanup workers routinely use various disinfectants, deodorizers, detergents and other solvents to remove visible traces of the event. To eliminate the invisible biohazards, the high temperatures involved in steam-cleaning are used, as are enzyme-based solvents.

Misconceptions

Some people think the profession is glamorous, but crime scene cleaners are paid to do a dangerous, smelly, nauseating and often-horrifying job that no one else has the stomach to do--at any price.

Source:

Abatement Technologies: Air Purification Equipment for Crime Scene Cleanup

Helping Hand Restoration, Inc.: Crime Scene Cleanup