ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

Staff at a Scottish cleaning firm are being given specialist training to cope with the mental impact of working crime scenes.

Perfect Clean has been providing Covid-19 decontamination services during the pandemic but has now expanded into trauma cleaning.

The Edinburgh-based company has set up a rapid response team accredited by the National Academy of Crime Scene Cleaners. Its technicians are being sent on intensive training courses in Bristol where they undertake various virtual sessions before being sent out into the field. The aim is to gear them up for extreme cleaning situations which could be upsetting for staff.

The company plans to use its expertise to clean up crime scenes, suicide locations and contaminated houses across Scotland. Besides home-based trauma cleaning, the company's newly-formed rapid response team also has responsibility for prison cells, police vehicles and drug and meth labs.

Perfect Clean was established in 2013 by Emilia Ferenc who moved to Scotland from Poland. Her decision to move into crime scene cleaning came as a direct result of Covid-19.

"I wasn't sure what to do in the middle of the pandemic, so I decided to take Covid deep cleaning one step further," she said. "The staff have embraced the move and are looking to further their experience and development.

"It's not an everyday job and it can be very challenging mentally. But I have been very proud of how the team has adapted."

The company has invested in state-of-the-art foggers, high-tech pressure washers and specialist PPE equipment to prepare for all scenarios.