When this service is needed
An unattended death is one where a person died alone and wasn't found for some time, from a few hours to several weeks. It often happens to people who lived independently: an older parent, a neighbor who kept to themselves, a tenant who lived alone. Families sometimes learn about it from a police wellness check or a call from a landlord.
We're sorry you're facing this. Whatever the circumstances, the person who died deserves respect, and so does their home. Our role is to restore the space so that you, a landlord or the estate can decide what comes next, without pressure.
What happens before we're involved
In Tennessee, when a person is found dead, or dies suddenly while apparently in good health, the death must be reported to the county medical examiner under T.C.A. 38-7-108. The law generally does not allow the person to be moved without the medical examiner's authorization.
That means investigators, the medical examiner's office and then a funeral home take care of the person who died. We don't remove or transport human remains. Our work begins only after your loved one has been taken into their care and the authorities have released the home. If you aren't sure whether the property has been released, the investigating agency can tell you.
Why it's more than a cleaning job
After a death, natural changes release fluids that travel downward and outward: through bedding and mattresses, into carpet and pad, along baseboards and, if enough time has passed, into subfloor, joists and the ceiling of a room below. The odor settles into soft and porous materials throughout the home.
Air fresheners and open windows won't clear it, because the odor is coming from materials that are still contaminated. Lasting odor control starts with removing them. EPA notes that ozone may mask odors, with little scientific support for claims that it removes them. So we treat deodorizing equipment as a final step, not the solution.
Our process
- A quiet first conversation When you call 615-513-5112, you tell us what you know, and we ask only what we need: the type of home, roughly how long before your loved one was found, and whether the property has been released. We explain the expected scope before any work starts.
- Protect the rest of the home The affected room is sealed off and our team puts on protective equipment. If neighbors share walls or a hallway, we take steps to contain odor.
- Go through belongings with care Personal items near the affected area are reviewed with you. We set aside photographs, documents, jewelry and anything you've asked us to look for, and nothing is thrown away without discussion.
- Remove contaminated materials Mattresses, furniture, carpet, pad, baseboards and, where fluids reached them, sections of drywall or subfloor are cut out, bagged and labeled.
- Clean and disinfect Exposed surfaces and structure are cleaned and then disinfected with EPA-registered products used per label.
- Treat remaining odor Once the source is removed, we address what's left in the air and surfaces, using any ozone equipment only in an unoccupied space.
- Walk through together We show you, the landlord or the executor what was done, what was removed and what may need a contractor.
Health and safety, stated plainly
The World Health Organization notes that people who handle bodies can be exposed to bloodborne viruses and other infections, and recommends gloves, handwashing and universal precautions. Body fluids at a death scene are handled as potentially infectious material, and OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard sets the worker protections for that exposure.
For families, the practical advice is simple. Stay out of the affected room unless you need to go in. Keep children and pets out. Don't try to remove soaked items yourself. If you need something from the room urgently, tell us and we can bring it out for you.
Work we hand to others
- Removal and transport of the person who died: the medical examiner and funeral home
- Pesticide treatment for insects: a pest control company with a Tennessee charter
- HVAC duct cleaning or equipment replacement: an HVAC contractor
- Rebuilding subfloor, drywall and flooring after removal: a general contractor, with a state license required for projects of $25,000 or more
- Estate, probate and tenancy questions: an attorney
Homes and places we work in
Unattended deaths happen in single-family houses, apartments and condos, mobile homes, senior living units, hotel and extended-stay rooms, and occasionally in vehicles, garages, outbuildings or offices. Each setting changes the work: a slab-on-grade house behaves differently from a second-floor apartment with a unit below, and a vehicle has its own materials and limits.
We're a mobile service based in the Nashville area and travel throughout Middle Tennessee's 41 counties, working with families, executors, landlords, property managers and businesses.
Paying for unattended death cleanup
Cost depends on how long the person went undiscovered, the size of the affected area and how much of the structure is involved. We explain scope before starting, and our cost guide covers what affects price.
Homeowner and landlord policies differ widely, and unattended-death situations are sometimes subject to exclusions. Call your insurer or agent before assuming coverage either way. Our insurance page lists useful questions to ask.
Taking care of yourself
Learning that someone you love died alone can bring guilt, shock and questions without easy answers. Those feelings are common, and they deserve care too. Lean on people you trust and on grief support through your faith community, hospice organizations or a counselor. If the death was a suicide, our suicide cleanup page may help. If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline).
Specialized unattended death cleanup services
- Decomposition Cleanup — Removal of decomposition fluids and affected materials from furnishings, flooring and structure after an undiscovered death, followed by disinfection and source-based odor treatment.
- Natural Death Cleanup — Gentle cleanup of bedding, furniture, flooring and bathrooms after a natural death at home, typically when the person was found within a short time.
- Hospice Home Death Cleanup — Cleanup after a hospice or planned in-home death: bedding, hospital beds, commodes, sharps, wound-care and ostomy supplies, and odor in the care room.
- Apartment Death Cleanup — Cleanup after a tenant death in apartments, condos, townhomes and extended-stay units, including odor containment, unit-below checks and hand-off for make-ready.
- Subfloor & Structural Remediation — Removal, cleaning and sealing of fluid-contaminated subfloor, joists, framing, drywall and concrete so a contractor can rebuild without recurring odor.