Death, crime scene and hoarding cleanup in California
Hoarding, blood and trauma cleanup in California are arranged on the same number as crime scene cleanup.
In California, 6% of residents are 75 or older.
- Calls answered 24/7
- Scope and price in writing on request
- Plain answers on cost and who pays
- State rules checked at the source
Calls from the California metro areas and towns we cover are answered 24/7; find your area by ZIP to check yours.
California has 14,532,683 homes in all, by the Census count of housing units.
Cleanup services across California
Crime scene, unattended death, suicide, blood, trauma and hoarding cleanup across California.
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Trauma and accident cleanup
For employers, families and vehicle owners, shop floors and car interiors are cleaned as well as homes. Start with a call about how trauma cleanup works.
Call for trauma cleanup -
Crime scene cleanup
Once police release a scene, the blood and soaked materials are removed and every surface is disinfected; ask about how crime scene cleanup works.
Call for crime scene cleanup -
Unattended death cleanup
Death cleanup and decomposition cleanup start once the home is released. Start with a call about unattended death cleanup, step by step.
Call for unattended death cleanup -
Hoarding cleanup
The cleanout starts with a walkthrough and a plan everyone agrees to. Ask about the hoarding cleanup process on the call.
Call for hoarding cleanup -
Suicide cleanup
Once the home is released, the room is cleaned and disinfected and personal items are set aside. Ask about suicide cleanup, step by step on the call. In crisis? Call or text 988.
Call for suicide cleanup -
Blood and bodily fluid cleanup
After an injury, an illness or an accident, what soaked through is removed and every surface is disinfected; ask about blood cleanup steps and costs.
Call for blood cleanup
Metro areas in California
California counties we cover
Cleanup costs and help by California metro area
Costs, who pays, crime victim help, a death at home and hoarding help, for each metro area we cover in California.
If you or someone you know is in crisis
Call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, any time, day or night.
Biohazard waste rules that apply in California
California requires companies that clean up blood and body fluids from a trauma scene to register with the California Department of Public Health as trauma scene waste management practitioners, and any work that removes or rebuilds building materials needs a CSLB contractor license. Look up any registration at the California Department of Public Health Medical Waste Management Program.
Crime victim compensation in California
California's Victim Compensation Board (CalVCB) may reimburse crime scene cleanup costs, up to $1,709, for eligible victims; apply at victims.ca.gov/.
Crime scene cleanup in California, job by job
Homicide cleanup
Homicide cleanup is usually arranged by families after a death in the home, landlords and property managers with a released rental unit, and business owners. It means removing blood and other body fluids from floors, walls, furniture and fixtures after a homicide, plus the carpet, padding, drywall or subfloor they soaked into, once police and the medical examiner release the scene. It takes a few hours to a full day for most scenes; large or heavily contaminated scenes can take several days.
Assault scene cleanup
Assault scene cleanup means cleaning blood from an assault where the person survived and was taken to hospital: floors, walls, doors, furniture and anything else the blood reached. It is usually arranged by people returning home after an assault, their families, landlords, and businesses where the assault happened.
Fingerprint powder and forensic residue removal
Fingerprint powder and forensic residue removal is usually arranged by homeowners, renters and businesses after a break-in or any crime where police dusted for prints, even when no one was hurt. It means removing the fingerprint powder, luminol and other chemical residue investigators leave on walls, doors, glass and furniture. The powder can stain surfaces for good if it is wiped the wrong way.
Tear gas and pepper spray residue cleanup
Tear gas and pepper spray residue cleanup means removing the residue tear gas or pepper spray leaves after police use it inside a home or business. The residue settles into furniture, mattresses, clothing, carpet and the HVAC system and keeps irritating the eyes, nose and throat of anyone in the home until it is removed. It is usually arranged by owners and renters after a police standoff or arrest inside the home, and business owners.
Vehicle crime scene cleanup
Vehicle crime scene cleanup is usually arranged by vehicle owners, families getting a car back from police, and fleet or rental owners. It means cleaning blood and body fluids from a car, truck or other vehicle after a crime, including seats, carpet and other porous parts that often have to be removed. It takes a few hours to a full day for most vehicles.
Break-in and vandalism cleanup
Break-in and vandalism cleanup means cleaning up after a burglary or vandalism: blood from broken glass, fingerprint powder, and paint or other material used to deface the property. It is usually arranged by homeowners, renters and business owners after a break-in.
What stands out in California
- 24% of households in California are one person living alone.
- In California, 2% of homes stand empty for reasons other than sale, rent or seasonal use.
- 27% of homes in California were built before 1960.
Paying for cleanup in California
Homeowners and renters policies in California set their own limits, and the adjuster decides what a policy covers. Call your insurer before the work starts, and keep photos and receipts.
In a California rental, the lease and state law decide whether the landlord or the tenant arranges cleanup. After a death, the estate or the family usually arranges it. Deductibles are never waived or rebated.
California in Census and CDC data
44% of homes in California are rented.
In California, 10% of households are one person aged 65 or older living alone.
- 24% Households of one personCalifornia
- 44% Homes that are rentedCalifornia
- 10% Households of one person 65 or olderCalifornia
- 22% Residents 65 or older who live aloneCalifornia
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2019-2023 5-year estimates.
What California callers can count on
Calls answered 24/7
Call (855) 675-5912 at any hour, on weekends and holidays.
One number
The same number for every kind of cleanup in every town we cover, so you say what happened once.
Plain answers on cost
Typical price ranges from published cost guides, and the scope and price in writing before work starts, so you can compare it with your policy.
Rules and who pays
Each state's rules for biohazard waste and its crime victim program, so you know what to ask a company and where help with the cost may come from.
From the first call to a clean room
Call (855) 675-5912
Calls are answered at any hour, including weekends and holidays. Say what happened and where.
Wait for any release
If police or the medical examiner were involved, cleanup starts once they release the home; until then, keep the door closed and leave the area as it is.
Get the scope and price
After a walkthrough of the affected area, you can ask for the scope and price in writing before any work starts.
Cleanup and disposal
Affected materials come out, the room is disinfected and deodorized, and the waste leaves under state rules, never with household trash.
Biohazard cleanup in other states
California biohazard cleanup questions
What is biohazard cleanup?
In California, biohazard cleanup is the removal and disinfection of blood, body fluids and other material that can carry disease, after a crime, a death at home, a suicide, an accident or a hoarding situation. Soaked carpet, padding, drywall and furniture are removed, every affected surface is cleaned and disinfected, and the waste is packed and hauled as regulated medical waste under state rules. It covers homes, rentals, businesses and vehicles.
Who cleans up after a death at home in California?
Across California, the cleanup falls to whoever is responsible for the property: the family, the executor or the landlord. The funeral home takes the person into its care but does not clean the room. Death cleanup removes the affected flooring and furniture, disinfects the room and treats the odor at its source, so the home can be lived in, rented or sold again.
Who is responsible for cleaning up a crime scene in California?
For a home anywhere in California, the job falls to whoever is responsible for the property once police release the scene: the owner, the tenant, the family or the landlord. Crime scene cleanup removes the blood and anything it soaked into, cleans away fingerprint powder and disinfects every surface before anyone moves back in. The scope and price can be agreed in writing first, and no one in the family has to be in the room.
What should I do first after a death at home or a crime in California?
The first call is to 911 if it has not been made. After the home is released, close the door to the room, leave the cleaning alone, keep anything an insurer may need to see, and take photos. In a rental, tell the landlord or property manager. Then call for cleanup and ask for the scope and price in writing before any work starts.
Should I call junk removal, a cleaning service or a biohazard cleanup company in California?
Across California, a biohazard cleanup company, whenever the home has blood, body fluids, human or animal waste, or a death no one found for days, because soaked materials have to come out and the waste is hauled as regulated medical waste. Junk removal and house cleaners handle belongings and surfaces only. A hoarding situation with no waste or pests, levels 1 or 2 on the Clutter-Hoarding Scale, may not need a biohazard crew.
Can I clean a crime scene or a death scene myself in California?
For a home anywhere in California, you may, once the home is released, but what you can see is rarely all of it. Fluids soak into padding, subfloors and drywall, they can carry bloodborne pathogens, and the waste has to be hauled as regulated medical waste, never with household trash. Families who would rather not see the room can call a cleanup company and stay away while the work is done.
Cleanup in California starts with one call
Crime scene, death and hoarding cleanup in California: call (855) 675-5912.