Who Cleans Up After a Death in NSW?

The short answer: it's not the police

NSW Police are explicit about this. In their words, it is the responsibility of the user, owner, relatives or occupiers of the premises or vehicle to clean up biologically contaminated crime scenes — including suicides, deceased persons, shootings and decomposed bodies. The only cleaning police arrange is the removal of residues from their own forensic chemical enhancement techniques, through their Crime Scene Service Branch.

So when police and the funeral director have left, what remains — blood, bodily fluids, and in unattended deaths the effects of decomposition — is the property owner's or family's problem to solve. The NSW Government's own guidance advises against families attempting this clean-up themselves because of the health and safety risks involved.

Why cleaning a trauma scene yourself is genuinely risky

The risk isn't only emotional — though asking a grieving family member to clean the scene of a loved one's death is a burden nobody should carry. The physical hazard is bloodborne pathogens, and they survive far longer outside the body than most people expect:

• ✓ Hepatitis B is highly infectious and remains infectious on surfaces for at least 7 days (CDC).
• ✓ Hepatitis C can remain infectious on surfaces for up to 6 weeks at room temperature, according to research reported by the US Department of Health.
• ✓ HIV, by contrast, does not survive long outside the human body — the durable surface risks are hepatitis B and C.

Blood can also penetrate porous materials — carpet, underlay, timber, grout, upholstery — well beyond what's visible on the surface. Biological fluids from decomposition are treated as biohazardous material in the same way. A surface that looks clean is not the same as a surface that is safe.

Financial help: the Victims Support Scheme

If the death or injury resulted from a violent crime, help exists. Eligible victims of violent crime in NSW can receive up to $5,000 in financial assistance for immediate needs — which includes forensic (crime-scene) cleaning — through the Victims Support Scheme under the Victims Rights and Support Act 2013. The Victims Access Line (1800 633 063) is the entry point.

For rental properties, the position depends on the policy: the deceased tenant's executor is responsible for dealing with the tenant's possessions and arranging cleaning of the property, including any specialist cleaning required — and depending on the policy, landlords may be able to claim on landlord insurance for lost rent, damage, repairs, cleaning and re-letting costs. Coverage varies, so owners should contact their insurer directly.

What professional trauma cleaning involves

Specialist trauma cleaning is a certified discipline, not just "deep cleaning". The industry benchmark is the ANSI/IICRC S540 Standard for Trauma and Crime Scene Cleanup (second edition, 2023), which sets procedures for inspecting and remediating blood and other potentially infectious material on any surface or item — covering worker safety, antimicrobial treatment, remediation of structures, vehicles and contents, the packaging, transport and disposal of regulated infectious waste, and confirmation that cleaning has actually worked.

Waste handling is regulated too. In NSW, clinical and related waste is pre-classified as 'special waste' under the Protection of the Environment Operations Act 1997, which allows the NSW EPA to impose more stringent requirements on its storage, transport and management to protect human health. Contaminated materials from a trauma scene can't simply go in the red bin.

A certified team like One Prime's trauma cleaning specialists will:

• ✓ Attend discreetly, in unmarked vehicles, with complete confidentiality
• ✓ Decontaminate all affected surfaces and remove materials that can't be made safe
• ✓ Neutralise odour at its source and sanitise the affected area
• ✓ Package and dispose of biohazardous waste in compliance with NSW requirements
• ✓ Work alongside police, insurers and support services where needed

If you're facing this now

Whether it's a crime scene, a suicide or an unattended death, you do not have to handle the scene yourself — and the guidance is that you shouldn't. One Prime Solutions provides compassionate, judgement-free trauma cleaning across Greater Sydney and Regional NSW, 24/7. If you've been affected by violent crime, ask us or the Victims Access Line about support for forensic cleaning costs.

Frequently asked questions