CRIME and TRAUMA CLEANING

Crime Scene & Hazardous Cleaning Experts

Our Specialties.

• Methylamphetamine Drug Laboratories
• Crime Scenes involving murder or serious assault.
• Areas prone to needlestick injuries (including vehicles)
• Suicides and Accident/ Trauma scenes
• All other hazardous situations

Meth Amphet Drug Lab Clean-Up
It could be happening in your house and you would never know – until someone gets sick.

Methylamphetamine abuse has been with us for many decades however a far bigger problem now exists with drug users and suppliers using residential houses and even hotel rooms to cook these drugs. New methods of methylamphetamine production now allow for illicit drug laboratories to pop up anywhere and disappear overnight. What is left however is a major health hazard for anyone that may then occupy these premises after the drug cook has disappeared.

Health Problems
Health effects from exposure to methylamphetamine or chemicals used in the production process include respiratory distress, skin and eye irritation, rash, nausea, dizziness, loss of coordination, damage to liver, kidney and central nervous system.

Most chemicals used are volatile organic compounds, explosives, acids, bases, metals and chemical salts. Carpets, plasterboard, ceiling tiles, wood and fabric absorb these materials. Soft furnishings and curtains can become contaminated. Residue can be drawn into the heating/cooling system and distributed throughout the house. Spilled chemicals can contaminate walls, floors and bench tops. Chemicals disposed of by dumping in the yard pollute the soil, poured down the drain they can damage a septic system and leach into groundwater.

Drug Lab Indicators
Drug manufacturing techniques can leave behind odours that might include cat urine, ether, ammonia, acetone, or other chemicals. 
Dark stains on benches, in sinks or bathtub/shower are often left behind. 
Chemical supplies and equipment may be present. Often the equipment is made from what is handy. This might include plastic tubs or buckets and glass jars. Over-the-counter cold medications containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine, iodine, red phosphorous, hydrochloric acid, ammonia (gas or liquid), caustic soda, peroxide and acetone are among the ingredients most commonly used. These compounds, or the packaging, are red flags to drug manufacture.

What To Do?
If you suspect your house has been used to manufacture drugs or you have received a letter from the police advising you that your house has been used for this purpose it is important that you get it professionally tested and cleaned. “Crime and Trauma Cleaning” offer an inexpensive, on the spot test for methylamphetamine residue in the first instance.

Should cleaning of the house then be required “Crime and Trauma Cleaning” are able to instigate professional, reliable, highly trained cleaning at a reasonable cost. Some of the services available include:

• Airing-Out: Solvents and other chemicals may have soaked into the walls or furnishings and slowly volatilize back into the air. Proper ventilation may safely reduce contamination and decrease odor.
• Removal: Visibly contaminated (etched or stained) sinks, bathtubs, and toilets are difficult to clean and may need to be removed and replaced. Absorbent materials, such as carpeting, drapes, furnishings, wallpaper, clothing, etc., can absorb vapors and may collect dust and powder from the chemicals involved in the manufacturing process. Some absorbent materials can be washed or cleaned if they exhibit little to no odor or staining, but many stained materials or those with odors often have to be disposed of. Crime and Trauma Cleaners will transport and dispose of such items at an approved biohazard dump site.
• Specialised Washing: Nonporous and semi-porous surfaces (such as floors, counters, tiles, walls and ceilings) can be steam cleaned or thoroughly cleaned with a liquid solution specially designed to break down methylamphetamine and other chemical compounds. Cleaning of porous materials that are not discarded will usually consist of vacuuming followed by hot water detergent scrubbing. Non-washable materials, such as lined curtains, that are not heavily contaminated may be steam-cleaned. 

• Ventilation Systems: All air filters in the ventilation system can be cleaned and replaced, vents can also be removed and cleaned and surfaces near inlets and outlets would also be checked.
• Encapsulation or Sealing: Interior surfaces (e.g., walls, wood flooring, ceilings, and paneling) can be painted with an oil-based paint, epoxy, or other material suitable to create a physical barrier capable of preventing volatilization of contaminants.
• Plumbing: If staining is noted around sinks, toilets or tubs, or if a strong chemical odor is coming from household plumbing, the plumbing system will be flushed and tested to reduce the concentration of residual chemicals./li>
• Reporting/ Testing/ Re-testing: Crime and Trauma Cleaning will test all exposed surfaces and have all samples independently tested by a qualified lab technician in the USA

Click here to read about our Homicide/ Accident/ Suicide & Trauma Cleans.