Decomposition and odor
Unattended death cleanup in Manchester
When a person dies alone and is not found for a while, the room needs far more than cleaning. Fluids reach under flooring and into walls, and the odor stays until the source is removed.
What happens first
New Hampshire uses one statewide office, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, for deaths that are sudden, unexpected or unnatural. Its investigators come to the scene. Not every death has to be reported to it; the police or the hospice nurse will know whether this one does.
The deceased goes to a funeral home or, if an autopsy is needed, to the medical examiner's facility at Concord Hospital. In most cases release to a funeral home follows within 24 to 48 hours of arrival there.
Once the person has been taken and the police are done, the home is released and cleanup can start.
Until the cleanup company arrives
- Keep the door to the room closed and the heat turned down if you can.
- Don't open windows to air it out; it spreads the odor through the house.
- Don't use air fresheners or start cleaning. It only hides where the source is.
- Keep pets and children out of the room.
Why it takes more than cleaning
Fluids from decomposition soak through carpet and pad into subfloor, and sometimes through to the ceiling below. In older houses with plank floors and plaster walls, the company may need to cut out sections to reach the source.
Many Manchester homes were built before 1950, and the city's Health Department notes that homes built before 1978 are much more likely to have lead paint. If plaster, trim or flooring has to come out, ask whether the company is EPA lead-safe certified for that part of the work.
Odor removal comes last, after the source is gone. Ask the company how they will check that it is gone before they leave.
Questions
Is this covered by insurance?
Sometimes. It depends on the policy and on whether the home was insured by the person who died or by a landlord. Call the insurer and ask before work starts.
Can we get belongings out first?
Ask the company. They can often bag and clean items you want to keep, and tell you which ones can't be saved.
If it happened today
- Call 911 first. If someone is hurt, or you have found someone who has died, call 911 before anything else.
- Leave the room as it is. Police and the medical examiner's investigator may need to see it. Close the door and keep people and pets out.
- Wait for the release. Cleanup starts only after the police, and the medical examiner if involved, say the home or car is released.
- Then call. Call (603) 555-0105 when you are ready. Nobody will rush you.
When you are ready, call
An independent cleanup company that works in the Manchester area. You decide whether to hire them.