After a violent crime
Crime scene cleanup in Boca Raton
Detectives collect evidence and then they leave. What stays behind in the house is yours to deal with, and it is not a job for a relative with a mop. A phone call puts you in touch with an independent company that does this work for a living.
Answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Nothing starts until the scene is released
A cleanup company cannot touch a room that is still part of an investigation. The agency working the case decides when that ends. Inside the city limits that is Boca Raton Police. In the unincorporated neighborhoods west of the city it is the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.
Before the detectives go, ask three things: the case number, a name to ring with questions, and whether any room is still off limits. Write the answers down. You will be asked for the case number more than once in the coming weeks.
If you were not there when they left, Boca Raton Police answer their non-emergency number, 561-368-6201, and the Sheriff's Office answers 561-688-3400.
The work
What gets cleaned, and what gets removed
Hard surfaces
Tile, stone and sealed concrete can usually be cleaned and disinfected in place. Grout lines and the gap under a baseboard take longer, because fluid settles there.
Soft and porous materials
Carpet, pad, mattresses, upholstered furniture and stained drywall are normally cut out, bagged and hauled away as biomedical waste. Ask which items the company expects to remove before it starts.
What investigators leave
Fingerprint powder, broken glass and a forced door may still be there. Say so on the phone and ask whether they are part of the same visit, since not every company handles repairs.
Worth asking the cleanup company
- Will you put the scope of work and the price in writing before anyone starts?
- Is your company on the Florida Department of Health's list as a registered biomedical waste transporter?
- Will I get an itemized invoice that names each room and what was removed?
- Who will be in the house, and will they arrive in an unmarked vehicle?
- If you open a wall or pull up flooring, who puts it back?
The Department of Health publishes its list of trauma scene cleanup providers by county. It says a company shown without a four-digit number is not registered to transport the waste.
Questions people ask after a crime
Can I clean it myself to save money?
The law does not stop an owner from cleaning their own home. The reasons not to are practical. Blood can carry hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV, household products are not made for it, and what soaked into padding or drywall cannot be wiped away. It is also a hard thing to see.
The crime happened in a rental. Who calls?
Either the tenant or the owner can call. Who pays is a separate question between them, their insurers and, for the victim, the compensation program. The guide for landlords and associations covers the owner's side.
Will the neighbors know?
Ask the company how it arrives and what the crew wears outside the house. Each company has its own practice, so raise it before you agree to a time. You can also ask for a weekday morning, when fewer people are about.
Boca Raton and nearby
Nobody in the family has to clean this room
Wait until the officers and the medical examiner's investigator have finished. Shut the door on the room, let the air conditioning run, and pick up the phone once you feel able to talk it through.
Ready when the home is yours again
One number reaches an independent biohazard cleanup company working in south Palm Beach County. Describe the room in your own words. Hiring them is up to you.
Call (728) 500-1824Answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Your call may be recorded. The referral disclosure and privacy policy explain why.