How to Determine If You Can Handle a Crime Scene Clean up Job

Crime scene cleaners must be trained to deal with biohazards.

Cleaning up a crime scene is not for the faint of heart. Crime scene cleaners are usually dispatched to clean up death scenes such as homicides and suicides, places where decomposing bodies have been and even meth labs. Crime scene cleaners are often called on to clean up vomit from cop cars, prison cells where fights between inmates have taken place, car accident sites and animal waste. Becoming a crime scene cleaner requires a strong stomach and the ability to work in toxic environments.

Things You'll Need

• Ability to detach but still be sympathetic
• Strong stomach
• Good physical condition
• Strong mental makeup

Instructions

1. Crime scene cleaners are exposed to all sorts of gore left when someone dies -- blood, bone and brain fragments, decomposition fluids and odors. Seeing what happens after people die can be an extremely jarring moment, and some crime scene cleaners have a background in the medical field such as emergency room care or emergency medical technician training. Being able to handle these situations and detach just enough to get the job done is highly important.

2. The job requires crime scene cleaners to be on call 24 hours a day. Death isn't a 9 to 5 gig. You must be able to deal with working all hours of the night or go to a job at the last minute. You may not have a normal sleep schedule and you may have to drop what you're doing to go to a job.

3. Even though you may not need a college degree to become a crime scene cleaner, you will need to get rigorous training in cleaning procedures, how to deal with bio-hazard waste and how to wear and use protective gear. You may need to get certified in bloodborne pathogens training. The work can be dangerous and you'll be exposed to toxic chemicals.

4. The job requires manual labor -- if you're not interested in getting on your hands and knees and scrubbing a room or heavy lifting this is probably not the job for you. Having carpentry skills can also help on this job. Floors must often be ripped up, especially in the case of decomposition.

Tips & Warnings

• If this job turns out right for you, this career can be an opportunity to launch a business with a partner. This isn't a business that can be done alone.

References

• CNN Money; Six Figure Jobs; Jeanne Sahadi; April 2005