You do not have to do this yourself
In the hours and days after a suicide loss, families are often left with a room, a car or a garage that no one can bear to enter. Friends sometimes offer to clean it, and some relatives feel they should. We ask you to let us carry that part.
Cleanup after a death involves blood and body fluids that are treated as potentially infectious, and it can stay with the person who does it for a long time. This is our work. We do it with care and without judgment, and we will treat your loved one's home and belongings with respect.
When we can begin
We start after law enforcement and the county medical examiner have finished their work and released the property. In Tennessee, a death like this is reported to the medical examiner, who authorizes moving the person who died. The funeral home takes your loved one into its care; we never handle remains.
If you are not sure whether the property has been released, we can help you think through who to ask. When you call 615-513-5112, a person answers. We ask only where the property is, whether it has been released, and how we can reach you. You do not have to explain what happened.
What the cleanup involves
We assess the affected room or vehicle and explain, in plain terms, what needs to be cleaned and what may need to be removed. You can be as involved as you want, or not at all.
Technicians wear protective equipment and contain the area. Materials that have absorbed fluids, which can include carpet and pad, a mattress, upholstered furniture, ceiling or wall sections, or vehicle seats, are carefully removed and packaged for appropriate disposal. Hard surfaces are cleaned first and then treated with EPA-registered disinfectants used according to their label directions.
We look beyond what is visible. Fluids can reach baseboards, subfloor seams and the undersides of furniture, and we check those places before we call the work complete. If an odor remains, we deal with it by removing its source first, not by covering it up. We help in houses, apartments, garages and outbuildings, vehicles, hotel rooms and offices.
Caring for belongings
Personal items matter more than ever after a loss. Before anything is discarded, we talk with you about it. Photographs, letters, jewelry, papers and keepsakes found in the area are set aside, cleaned where possible, and returned to the family.
If an item you treasure cannot be safely cleaned, we will tell you honestly and let you decide what happens next.
Before we arrive
- Please do not try to clean the area or move soaked items yourself.
- Keep children and pets out of the room, and close the door if you can.
- Turn off fans that blow toward the area, but you do not need to change the thermostat.
- Gather any keys or access codes we will need, or tell us who can let us in.
Privacy and discretion
We keep the work as quiet as you need it to be. We do not discuss the reason for our visit with neighbors. We can coordinate with a landlord, apartment manager or family representative so you are not the point of contact if that is too much right now.
Insurance and other trades
Some homeowner's and renter's policies may cover suicide cleanup, but this depends on the specific policy, so we encourage you or a trusted relative to call the insurer. Our insurance guide lists useful questions. We provide a written scope and a description of the work that you can share with an adjuster.
If flooring, drywall or framing has to be rebuilt after removal, or the HVAC system needs attention, we will explain what we found and refer that work to the right contractor. Related situations are covered on our trauma scene cleanup page.
Support for you
Grief after a suicide loss can be overwhelming, and it often comes with questions that have no answers. You deserve support too. Please reach out to people you trust, your doctor, a faith leader or a grief counselor.
If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline).
We serve families in Nashville and throughout Middle Tennessee.