DECOMPOSITION & ODOUR

Any number of things can cause an odour in the home — an unattended death, a crime scene, hoarding or pets. Pungent and overwhelming odours can become toxic, especially if the source is decomposing biological material.

One of the most challenging situations we face as death cleanup and odour removal specialists is unattended death — when a person dies and is not found for days, weeks, or even months. For the family affected, dealing with the HAZGIENE of a death cleanup can be a grim experience. Considering the difficult and disturbing nature of decomposition, as well as the associated health hazards, remediating the situation should be left to professional trauma scene cleaners like HAZGIENE.

If left untreated, even the smallest number of bacteria can grow and cause serious physical damage within the home. Airborne bacteria may cause lingering odours which, in addition to being unpleasant, can impact both the safety and well-being of future occupants.

How long after death does a body start to smell?

Most people are shocked to realise that it does not take very long for a decomposed body to smell. In some weather conditions, the odour can begin to impact a home’s livability within a few hours after death. Often within a few days, personal property such as furniture, books, clothes, and carpeting are forever ruined.

Disinfecting decomposition and recovering property

HAZGIENE’s local crews are experienced biohazard remediation and death cleaning specialists who wear personal protective equipment and follow approved safety and disinfection procedures to help return the scene to a safe, clean state. Whether you are looking for death cleanup or odour removal in a home, business, or apartment, HAZGIENE is available 24/7/365 to come assist you.

If required, we will remove personal property and affected structural elements, such as flooring, and dispose of them according to health and safety biohazard waste regulations.

A Certificate of Treatment is issued for full scopes of work, which can be attached to any bill of sale for the property as a disinfection guarantee. After the death cleanup process is complete, we use adenosine triphosphate (ATP) fluorescence testing, the same technology used by hospitals, to verify a high disinfection level.

We provide unattended death cleanup and death odour removal services to individual families as well as property managers and commercial customers. HAZGIENE’s expert technicians are available to help you 24/7, so you never have to wait for service.

What odours should I call a biohazard removal company for?

The gases and compounds produced in a decomposing body emit distinct odours. While not all compounds produce odours, several compounds do have recognisable smells:

• Cadaverine and putrescine smell like decomposing flesh
• Skatole has a strong feces odour
• Indole has a mustier, mothball-like smell
• Hydrogen sulfide smells like rotten eggs
• Methanethiol smells of rotting cabbage
• Dimethyl disulfide and trisulfide have a foul, garlic-like odour

Landlords and property owners that rent to tenants are more likely to experience an unattended death at some point. Knowing what a dead body smells like is crucial in maintaining the health and safety of not only tenants, but also the physical structure of the apartment unit or building.

If you are a tenant, alert your landlord or property manager of the smell so they can call a professional to remediate the situation.

Contact us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week with questions or to learn more about our odour removal services.