What’s Involved in an Unattended Death Clean-up?

As I’ve mentioned in previous blog posts, no two unattended death clean-ups are ever the same. The process depends on several factors, including the cause of death, the location, the environment, and the time between passing and discovery. To give you an idea of what’s involved, I want to share a specific case we worked on—one that came with several challenges. The Call-Out A landlord contacted us after discovering that a tenant had passed away in their home. The gentleman had been deceased for several weeks, and while the exact cause of death was unknown, he had passed away in bed and had begun to decompose. On arrival, we quickly realised that the location would add an extra layer of difficulty—his house was directly opposite a primary school. As we unloaded our equipment, children were arriving for the school day. Despite our best efforts to be discreet, the thousands of flies visible at the windows made it clear to anyone passing by why we were there. The Cleaning Process The landlord had requested not only a clean-up of the affected bedroom but also a deep clean of the entire property. Fly faeces covered every surface and window, making this a particularly demanding job. Upon entering, the house was full of live flies, so our first step was to set off a bug bomb. Once most of the flies had dropped, the team split up—some starting the deep clean downstairs while I went upstairs to assess the bedroom. It was clear from the scene that the gentleman had likely attempted to get out of bed before collapsing. His body had been in contact with both the bed and the floor for an extended period, leaving visible marks. Wearing full protective gear—suits, gloves, masks, and eye protection—we began by spraying the entire area with a specialist sanitiser to eliminate any potential biohazards. The mattress was carefully bagged and removed, while the metal bedframe was sanitised and set aside. When we lifted the carpet and underlay, we discovered that bodily fluids had seeped into the floorboards. Unfortunately, when decomposition has set in for a prolonged period, some materials simply cannot be cleaned and must be removed. In this case, sections of the flooring had to be taken up to ensure complete decontamination. Restoring the Property With all contaminated materials removed, the next step was deep cleaning the remaining structure. Every wipeable surface, including the walls, was sanitised. Items such as books and curtains, which retained odours, had to be disposed of. The entire process took a team of four around six hours, including the full deep clean of the property. Finally, we safely transported all biohazardous waste for incineration, as required by law. A Job That’s More Than Just Cleaning Unattended death clean-ups are not just about removing visible traces of what has happened—they require thorough sanitisation, odour removal, and an understanding of biohazard regulations. It’s a challenging job, both physically and mentally, but an essential one in restoring a space for those left behind. If you have any questions about what’s involved in a clean-up like this, feel free to get in touch.