After the Tape: True Crime Scene Cleanup
Welcome to the intense world of a crime/trauma scene cleaner. Trauma, hoarding, disinfection, gross filth and more….
After the Tape: True Crime Scene Cleanup
Beyond Yellow Tape
Hey there and welcome to After the Tape, the podcast where we dig into the worlds left behind after the headlines fade. My name is Doug Boruchin and I'm with ITS Environmental Services in New York, and today we're diving into a topic that's as fascinating as it is haunting crime scene cleanup. If you've ever wondered what happens after the police, the detectives and the news vans leave a crime scene, well, stick around. The reality is intense. It'sives and the news vans leave a crime scene Well, stick around. The reality is intense, it's messy and it's full of humanity.
Speaker 1:Crime scene cleanup is one of those jobs that a good amount of people don't even know exists, unfortunately, until they need it, which I always found a little bit interesting because I've seen a few mainstream movies about crime scene cleanup. So when people tell me that they don't, they didn't know that people do what we do I always found it a little bit strange. But we're not just talking about mopping up a bit of blood here. This is a specialized, biohazard level work that requires protective gear, chemical know-how and a really strong stomach. Teams are called in after murders, suicides, unattended deaths, industrial accidents, medical traumas and even meth lab busts. And the most unexpected part it's not the police who handle it. It's private companies, sometimes family-run businesses, that get the call. Before I get into anything else, I want to talk a little bit about safety first. You can't just show up with bleach and a mop to clean up a crime scene. We wear full-body disposable coveralls, gloves we actually wear two pairs of gloves respirators, the works. We use EPA approved hospital grade disinfectants to sanitize, deodorize, and sometimes we have to tear out flooring, drywall to completely remove traces of biohazard and blood. Everything we do is treated as a potential health risk, or what OSHA would call universal precautions. Just treat everything like it could possibly kill you Blood tissue, even fingerprint dust. It all has to be handled like toxic, infectious waste and, yes, there are strict OSHA and EPA regulations that we have to follow.
Speaker 1:I want to talk a little bit about something that most people don't think about when they think about what we do. There's an emotional toll that comes with this. If you can imagine walking into somebody's house where somebody just lost their lives sometimes violently, sometimes really tragically alone and grieving family members are actually still in the house. So we kind of look at what we do as one of the first stages in helping a family or surviving, friends and families heal and move past this horrible, horrible time in their lives. There's a whole world of strange stories that come from crime scene cleaners. We found hidden safe stacks of cash, love letters, very personal private items. When you go into other people's homes, you never know what you're going to find. It's like those bizarre box of chocolates.
Speaker 1:One common thing is, though the job demands a lot of discretion. We're asked sometimes to arrive in unmarked vans, and you know we don't wear uniforms that say biohazard in giant red letters across the back. Why not? Well, because we respect the privacy of the people that we're helping and the communities that we work in. Now you might be wondering who wants to do this kind of work. Well, it takes a rare mix to do this. You need a strong constitution, you need compassion, attention to detail and genuine desire to help people in their darkest moments. A lot of workers on this job say this gives them perspective on life and death and what really matters in their lives. The pay can be pretty decent, especially considering the risks, but not all people in the field are in it just for the money. A lot of us are in this really to just help people get past probably the most difficult time in their lives.
Speaker 1:So in the coming weeks we're going to tell some stories about crime scenes and trauma scenes that we've worked on. We're going to bring in some guests. We're going to actually give you a pretty comprehensive look at the crime scene. We're going to have some detectives come in. We're going to speak to somebody that was the chief medical examiner for New York City for many, many years a fascinating woman that wrote a great book and we're going to talk about some of the other things that we do.
Speaker 1:It's not just crime scene cleanup, it's not just blood. Crime scene cleaners are typically involved in things like hoarding gross filth, disinfection All sorts of other things come with the job, and we're going to have some great stories to tell. So when you think about you know, when you see the yellow tape on the news, remember when the investigation ends. Somebody still has to clean all this up, and for those of us that do it, it's more than a job. It's really kind of an act of care. So thanks for listening to After the Tape. If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave us a review. Got a question or a story to share? Hit us up on Instagram at afterthetapepodcast. One last thing I'd like everyone to take with them before I go is that every day you wake up is another day that's been given to you, so make it count Until next time. Stay curious, stay, stay compassionate, check in on your loved ones and don't forget what happens after the tape.
