‘I’m a crime scene cleaner – there’s 1 rule we never break’ | UK | News
A crime scene cleaner has revealed the one rule that can never be broken when dealing with theworst moments of people’s lives. The woman, who has worked in the role for several months, explained that she is often called in to clean up tragic scenes after police have completed their forensic investigations. She shared her experiences in a Reddit post, offering a rare insight into the realities of the job.
She wrote: “I’ve been working as a crime scene cleaner for a few months now and I’ve seen a wide variety of cases – from cleaning someone’s boiled remains out of a hot tub, to having to completely rip up people’s homes because a body had been left to decompose there for too long.” Alongside her cleaning work, she also volunteers at a coroner’s office, assisting with autopsies.
When asked how the job has affected her mental health, she said: “Everyone – and I mean everyone – in this job develops PTSD.
“I was already diagnosed with PTSD due to separate life events, and this work has added more layers. Sometimes I have dreams about my own graphic deaths related to the job. I’ve had to seek therapy because of it.”
She then revealed the number one rule that can never be broken while on the job – taking photos or videos. She explained that doing so would result in instant dismissal and possible criminal charges.
She said: “For me, it’s a respect thing. When I die, I’d be p***** if I somehow knew people were taking photos of my body or remains. I’d be just as angry if someone did that to my loved ones.”
She added: “Let’s not let tragedy define a person’s final moments. Let the victim’s family remember them for the good in their lives and mourn in peace. That’s also why I find gore videos disgusting – they’re highly disrespectful to the victims and their deaths.”
She continued: “I’d be instantly fired and charged if I did that. Plus, I don’t want anyone going through my phone thinking I’m a serial killer.”
The cleaner also revealed that her work has occasionally helped police investigations. In one case, she discovered evidence that had been missed during the initial search.
She explained: “Investigators didn’t catch some drugs hidden in a cabinet that could have caused a seizure. I checked the cup the person had been drinking from before collapsing and noticed an odd residue. I reported it, and toxicology later confirmed the person had overdosed.”
Finally, she shared how she got into the profession and what the job involves. She said: “I’m paid through an agency that works in collaboration with my local police.
“You get paid per clean-up – on average about £374 ($500), depending on how much work is involved.”
She added: “You go through a training programme that lasts a few months, where you learn about biohazards and how to properly clean scenes. And lastly – literally anything involving kids is the hardest.”
