Nashville and Davidson County
Unattended death cleanup in Nashville
When someone dies alone and is not found for days or weeks, the room needs more than cleaning. Fluids reach the subfloor, and odor settles into walls and fabric. An independent cleanup company can take it from here.
Answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
First
What happens before any cleanup
Tennessee law (T.C.A. 38-7-108) says anyone who knows of a death from violence, suicide, a death that comes suddenly in apparent health, a person found dead, or a death in a suspicious, unusual or unnatural manner must notify the county medical examiner immediately.
In Nashville that is the medical examiner's office run by Forensic Medical at 850 R.S. Gass Blvd. When a death happens outside a hospital, an investigator goes to the scene, and the office says nearly all bodies are ready for release to the funeral home within 24 hours of arrival.
The work
Why this cleanup is different
It goes deep
Fluids often pass through carpet and pad into the subfloor. Those layers are cut out and removed.
Odor has a source
Air fresheners do not solve it. The odor ends when the affected material is gone and the area is treated.
Belongings
Tell the company what you want to keep, such as photographs and papers, before they begin.
Before you go in
If you need to enter the home
Keep the visit short. Open windows if it is safe. Don't run fans or the furnace blower, which can carry odor through the house.
Take only what you need now: keys, documents, medicine, a pet. Everything else can wait for the cleanup.
Questions
Questions people ask
Who is responsible for the cleanup?
In most cases the property owner or the estate. In a rental, speak with the landlord early.
Will the smell go away?
Once the affected materials are removed and the area is treated, the source is gone. Ask the company how they will check.
What happens to the person's belongings on them?
Forensic Medical says personal property brought in with the person is inventoried and released to the funeral director.
Will homeowner insurance pay for this?
Some policies do and some don't. Call your insurer before work begins. See who pays.
Around Nashville
Nearby towns on the line
Each page lists the ZIP codes covered and the county the town sits in.
Whenever you are ready
There is no wrong time to call
Some families call the same evening. Others wait until after the service. Until then, close the door to the room and leave the cleaning to people with the right protection.
Speak with a cleanup company
The call is put through to an independent company that works in your ZIP code. Ask what the job involves, how they price it and when they could begin. Nothing is agreed until you say so.
Call (615) 916-5290Answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
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