Homicide, assault and trauma scenes

Crime scene cleanup in Santa Rosa

After a violent crime at home, the police decide when the scene is released. From then on, the cleaning is for the family or the owner to arrange. Call and you will talk with an independent company that does this work in Santa Rosa and nearby towns.

Call (707) 271-4587

Answered 24 hours a day, every day

Bedroom doorway in an older house sealed with clear plastic sheeting and a zip door

Before anyone cleans

Inside Santa Rosa the police department releases the scene. In Windsor, Sonoma and the unincorporated county it is the Sheriff's Office, and other towns have their own departments. Until that happens, leave the room as it is, even though it is hard.

Before the officers leave, ask for the report or case number and a name to call with questions. The cleanup company, an insurer and the state's victim compensation program may all ask for it. Santa Rosa Police answer non-emergency questions on 707-528-5222.

The work itself

What the cleanup company does

Takes out what cannot be cleaned

Blood soaks into carpet and pad, mattresses, upholstery and sometimes drywall or subfloor. Those are cut out and removed, not scrubbed.

Cleans, then disinfects what stays

Hard surfaces are cleaned first and disinfected after, with a product suited to the job, left wet for as long as its label says.

Seals the waste and takes it away

California calls this trauma scene waste. It has to leave the home as soon as removal is finished and go to a permitted medical waste facility (Health and Safety Code 118321.5).

Tells you what was removed

Ask for a written list and photos. They help with any repairs afterwards and with an insurer or the victim compensation program.

Common questions

Do I need to be there while the company works?

No. Many families leave a key and stay elsewhere. Agree beforehand which rooms the company may enter and what it should set aside for you, such as photos, papers or jewelry.

Will the police or the coroner clean up?

No. Their job is the investigation. Cleaning afterwards is for the family, the owner or the landlord to arrange.

How long does it take?

That depends on how far fluids spread and how much has to come out. The company can give you an idea once it has seen the room.

Talk to a cleanup company about your home

Describe what happened and which rooms are affected, and say whether the police or the coroner have finished. The company will explain the work and its price.

Ready to talk to a cleanup company?

You will speak with an independent biohazard cleanup company that works in Santa Rosa and nearby towns. Ask what it would do and what it would charge. Nothing is agreed until you say so.

Call (707) 271-4587

Answered 24 hours a day, every day

Calls may be recorded. The referral disclosure explains how this site is paid.