Found after some time
Unattended death cleanup in Boca Raton
It often starts with a neighbor who noticed the mail, or a daughter up north who could not get an answer. By the time someone opens the door, the home has changed. This page explains what happens next and what a cleanup company will do about the smell and the damage.
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The order things happen in
- 1
Police and the medical examiner come first
Call 911 and stay outside. A death with no doctor in attendance is one the district medical examiner looks into under Florida law (section 406.11). Palm Beach County's office says its investigators work around the clock.
- 2
Your relative is taken into the medical examiner's care
The office says a person is generally ready to go to the family's funeral home the same day or the next. The next of kin chooses the funeral home and the funeral home arranges the transfer.
- 3
The home is handed back
Once the officers leave, the property belongs to the family or the owner again. Keep the room shut and leave the air conditioning on. Do not open windows to air it out, since that draws the odor through the rest of the home.
- 4
Cleanup begins
This is the point to phone. The company will want to know roughly how long it was, which room, and what the floor is made of.
Why this is different from other cleaning
After several days, fluids leave the body and travel. They go through a mattress, into carpet pad, along grout lines and under baseboards. In a warm room this happens sooner. The odor comes from those materials, so it will not lift until they are gone.
A cleanup company typically removes whatever absorbed fluid, cleans and disinfects the structure underneath, and then treats the air. Sometimes a section of subfloor or the bottom of a wall has to come out. A written scope should name each of those steps.
Insects are common and are dealt with as part of the job. Tell the company if you have seen them in other rooms.
In a condominium or an apartment
In a condominium, a death that went unnoticed in one unit can reach the unit beside it or below it. If you manage a building, Florida's Condominium Act gives the association a right of access to a unit when that is needed to prevent damage to the common elements or to another unit (section 718.111(5)).
For family members, the practical point is to tell the manager early. They can let the company use a service elevator and warn the neighbors about equipment in the hall. More on this is in the guide for landlords and associations.
Belongings, paperwork and cost
Ask the company to set aside anything with a name on it: wallets, mail, medication bottles, photographs, a phone. Items the police took for safekeeping stay with that agency. The medical examiner's office says families should contact the law enforcement agency involved to get them back (office FAQ).
The cost depends on how long it was, how far the fluids went and how much has to be removed. An honest company will not quote this unseen. Because no crime is involved, the state compensation program usually does not apply. The home's insurer and the estate are the places to ask, and the paying guide explains both.
Common questions
How long does the smell last after cleanup?
If every material that absorbed fluid has been removed, the odor should not come back. A smell that returns on a hot afternoon usually means something was missed, often under flooring. Ask the company what it does if that happens.
I live out of state. Do I have to be there?
Not always. Many families send a friend, a neighbor or the building manager to open the door, and deal with the company by phone. Agree in advance how you will see the written scope and what is to be kept.
Should I go in to look for documents first?
Stay out of the affected room. If you need papers from elsewhere in the home, go in briefly, touch as little as you can and wash your hands afterward. For the room itself, give the company a list.
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
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