Also known as trauma scene remediation or crime scene cleaning.

The terrible fact is that homicides, suicides, grave injuries and natural deaths occur everyday often leaving behind scenes that the average person can barely stand to look at, much less clean up.

In addition to being difficult to clean, the remains are often very dangerous and can carry communicable diseases.

Viruses such as HIV and Hepatitis can live on surfaces for long periods of time. Without proper disinfection and cleaning by companies trained in this type of cleaning, people, and especially children, can become exposed to and contract these viruses.

from HowStuffWorks.com

Crime Crime scene investigators do not clean up the scene — neither do police officers, detectives (fire department, paramedics) or anyone else involved in the investigation. The task of cleaning up a gruesome crime scene often falls to the victim’s family members. In the last 10 years, however, some people have recognized the need for hired crime-scene cleaners to take care of the job so family members and landlords don’t have to, and some of these people have formed companies dedicated to the task. … Cleaning up a meth lab is especially expensive because of the risk to anyone who enters the scene and the amount of work involved in making the area habitable (and safe) again.

by Julia Layton