Decomposition and odor

Unattended death cleanup in Lancaster and the Antelope Valley

When someone dies alone and is not found for a while, the room needs more than cleaning. Fluids soak into floors and the odor gets into soft materials. This page explains what to expect.

Call (661) 555-0103

Phone answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Empty room with a clean tile floor and a sliding door onto a desert yard — Illustration only, not a real job or address.

What you can do now

Keep the door to the room closed. Turn off fans, heating and air conditioning that pull air from that room into the rest of the home, if you can do it without going in.

Do not use bleach, air fresheners or an ozone machine from a store. They can set the stain or hide the odor without removing its source, and some are harmful to breathe.

Leave the windows of the room as they are until the company arrives. In summer heat, tell them that when you call.

A bedroom doorway closed off with plastic sheeting and blue tape

What the work involves

Expect the company to remove the mattress or furniture where the person was found, and often carpet, pad and some subfloor. In a slab home with tile, fluids can sit in the grout and under loose tiles; on wood framing they can reach the joists.

Odor work comes after removal: sealing stained surfaces, treating the air and checking again. Ask how they will tell when the odor is gone.

Ask too what they do with belongings in the room. Papers, photos and jewelry can usually be cleaned and returned to the family.

Questions families ask

Does the medical examiner remove the mattress or carpet?

No. The medical examiner takes the person into its care. Anything left in the home is for the owner or family to deal with.

Will homeowners insurance pay for this?

Sometimes. It depends on the policy and on what caused the damage. Call your insurer, describe what happened, and ask what the policy covers before work starts.

The person was renting. Who arranges the cleanup?

Usually the landlord, since it is their property, often working with the family on belongings. The landlord guide explains seals and access.

Ready when you are

There is no need to call before the home or car has been released. When it has, one call puts you in touch with an independent cleanup company that works in the Antelope Valley.