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Suicide cleanup in Medford
If someone close to you has died by suicide, the last thing you should be asked to do is clean the place where it happened. There are companies in the Rogue Valley that do this quietly. One call reaches one of them.
Phones are picked up day and night, all week
What happens before any cleaning
Police and the medical examiner's office come first. Oregon law puts every apparent suicide in the medical examiner's hands (ORS 146.090). They take your family member into their care and look at the room.
They may also take charge of some belongings connected with the death, which the same chapter allows (ORS 146.103). If something that matters to you was taken, ask the officer how and when it comes back.
When they say the home is released, you may bring in a cleanup company. There is no deadline. Some families call the same day and some need a week.
Things you are allowed to ask for
Companies differ, so say what you need at the start of the call. People often ask for:
- a plain vehicle, with no lettering about what the company does
- a time of day when fewer neighbors are about
- personal things in the room, such as letters, photographs and jewelry, to be set aside and not thrown out
- a call before anything of sentimental value is discarded
- one named person to deal with from start to finish
You do not have to be in the house
A friend, a relative or a property manager can meet the workers, hand over a key and lock up afterward. You can agree the scope and the price by phone.
When the work is finished the room will be clean and may be missing carpet or a piece of furniture. Ask the company to tell you what the room looks like before you walk in.
Paying for it
Start with the homeowner's or renter's insurer and ask whether this kind of cleaning is covered; policies differ and only the insurer can answer. Oregon's compensation program is for victims of violent crime, so it is not usually the route after a suicide.
If an insurer says no, ask the cleanup company what it can do about the scope and timing of the work. Who pays for biohazard cleanup has more.
Questions families ask
Should we try to clean it ourselves to keep it private?
Please do not. It is hard on the people who do it, and blood can carry disease. A company that does this work is used to keeping it quiet, and you can ask how it will.
Can the company work while we are at the funeral home?
Often, yes, if someone you trust can let the workers in. Ask on the call.
It happened in a car. Is that different?
A vehicle is its own kind of job. See biohazard cleanup in cars and trucks.
No hurry
Call when the family is ready
You can ask questions without committing to anything. The company will explain what it would do, and you can call back another day.
Pick up the phone when it suits you
You will be speaking with a Rogue Valley cleanup business that has no ties to this website beyond the referral. There is no script to follow. Tell it your way.
Call (541) 210-5322Phones are picked up day and night, all week
The network carrying your call may record it. See how referrals are paid for and what is kept private.