Question 1

How fast can you get here?

Accepted Answer

We dispatch immediately, and a local crew comes to you. Typical on-site arrival is 2–4 hours; further out it's longer — we'll give you a real arrival window on the call, not a marketing promise.

Question 2

What happens when I call?

Accepted Answer

A member of our team answers. We ask three things: what happened, where, and when. We give you an arrival window, confirm how to access the property, and dispatch a team. You don't have to be on-site once we begin.

Question 3

Do I need to be there while you work?

Accepted Answer

No. Many families don't want to be. We can work from a key drop, a video walk-through, or coordinate with a neighbor or property manager. We do a final walk-through with whoever you nominate before we hand back the keys.

Question 4

Are you available 24/7 — weekends, holidays, overnight?

Accepted Answer

For emergencies — homicides, suicides, unattended deaths, crime scenes, and biohazards — a member of our team answers every hour of every day, including weekends, holidays, and overnight. For other services like hoarding and odor remediation, leave a message and we'll call you back during business hours.

Question 5

How much does this cost?

Accepted Answer

Every job is different, so we don't quote a number sight unseen. You get a written estimate before any work begins — no surprises. If your policy covers it, we bill your insurer directly, and most clients are only responsible for their deductible, which is due upon arrival. We also offer financing options for both the cleanup cost and the deductible.

Question 6

Will my insurance cover it?

Accepted Answer

In most cases, yes. Homeowner's, renter's, and commercial property policies typically cover trauma and biohazard cleanup as a covered loss. We document the work, provide what your adjuster asks for, and handle the paperwork. You don't have to navigate it.

Question 7

What if I don't have insurance?

Accepted Answer

We work with families who pay out of pocket. We provide a written estimate before any work begins, and we offer payment plans for larger scopes. Tell us what's possible — we don't walk away from a family in this situation.

Question 8

Do you bill the insurance company directly?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We document the work, provide what your adjuster asks for, and bill your insurer directly. In most cases the family is only responsible for their deductible.

Question 9

Are there hidden fees or surprise add-ons?

Accepted Answer

No. We give you an estimate up front, and nothing gets added to it without speaking to you first. If something during the work changes the scope, we stop, document it, and call you before continuing. No surprises on the invoice.

Question 10

What about my deductible?

Accepted Answer

Your deductible is the amount you pay before insurance covers the rest. We can advise on whether the scope exceeds it and how to plan for that conversation. We do not waive deductibles — that's insurance fraud, and any company that offers to do so should be a red flag.

Question 11

What's the cleaning process?

Accepted Answer

Five phases: scope assessment, containment (sealing the affected area), decontamination (removing biohazards), structural treatment (subfloor, framing, drywall as needed), and odor remediation. We document each phase with photos for the insurance file.

Question 12

How long does cleanup take?

Accepted Answer

Most residential scenes take 4–10 hours of on-site work. Complex cases — large-volume scenes, hoarding, structural damage — can take multiple days. We give you a real time estimate after the scope assessment, not before.

Question 13

What happens to belongings — furniture, mattresses, clothing?

Accepted Answer

Anything porous and contaminated (mattresses, upholstered furniture, soft goods touched by biohazard) cannot be safely cleaned and must be properly disposed of. We document everything we remove and provide receipts for insurance. Sentimental items — photos, jewellery, paperwork — we set aside for you to inspect before any disposal decision.

Question 14

Will the smell go away?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Removing the source is what actually does it — once the contaminated porous materials are out, the odor has nothing left to come from. After that we use hydroxyl and enzymatic treatment, and where a scene calls for it, ozone in a sealed, empty space that is fully ventilated before anyone goes back in. Ozone is never run around people or pets. If anything lingers after our work, we come back and resolve it at no extra charge.

Question 15

Is the room safe to use afterwards?

Accepted Answer

Yes. After remediation the area is decontaminated to industry standard. We don't sign off until surface tests confirm the area is clean. In most cases the room can be reoccupied as soon as we leave; if any treatment still needs time to cure, we'll tell you exactly when it's ready.

Question 16

Will I need to leave the house while you work?

Accepted Answer

Not necessarily. We isolate the affected area with containment barriers and HEPA-filtered negative-air machines. For larger scenes or smaller homes you may want to be elsewhere — that's a personal choice, not a requirement.

Question 17

Will my neighbors know?

Accepted Answer

We can't control what neighbors may have already witnessed before we arrive — emergency responders are often on scene first. What we can promise is that NBR will never discuss the situation, the scene, or the cleanup with anyone outside of the property owner or executor. Everything is strictly confidential. We only coordinate with others — such as out-of-town family members — when you specifically ask us to.

Question 18

What areas do you serve?

Accepted Answer

Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, South Carolina, North Carolina, and northern Florida. If you're not sure whether we cover your address, call us. We'll tell you in 30 seconds.

Question 19

What kinds of cleanup do you do?

Accepted Answer

Crime scene, suicide aftermath, unattended death, accident scenes, hoarding, blood-borne pathogen exposure, animal and pet deaths, and odor remediation. See our services page for the full list.

Question 20

Do you handle commercial properties?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Office buildings, hotels, retail, and industrial sites are part of our practice. Same response time, same documentation, same single point of contact.

Question 21

Do you work with police, coroners, and funeral homes?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We coordinate handover with the coroner's office and law enforcement on every scene that requires it. Many of our calls come from funeral homes, victim advocates, or police chaplains who have used us before.

Question 22

What documentation do you provide?

Accepted Answer

Photo documentation of the scene before, during, and after work; line-item invoice; scope-of-work statement; disposal manifests for biohazard waste; and a final clearance letter. Everything in a single PDF you can hand to your insurer or attorney.

Question 23

Do I need to wait for the police to release the scene?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We can't enter until law enforcement has cleared the scene and released it back to the property owner. Once they do, call us — we can often dispatch the same hour.

Question 24

How much does crime scene cleanup cost?

Accepted Answer

Every job is different, so we don't quote a number until we've seen the scene. We give a written estimate before any work begins. If your policy covers it, we bill your insurer directly.

Question 25

What counts as a biohazard?

Accepted Answer

Anything contaminated with blood, bodily fluids, sewage, infectious disease residue, or sharps. If you're unsure, call us — we'll tell you whether the situation needs a specialist team or just a cleaning service.

Question 26

Can I clean it up myself?

Accepted Answer

We strongly recommend against it. Without proper PPE you risk pathogen exposure, and without a permitted transporter you can't legally dispose of the waste. The cleanup itself often costs less than the risk.

Question 27

How much does biohazard cleanup cost?

Accepted Answer

Cost depends on the scope of the contamination. We give a written estimate before any work begins. If your policy covers it, we bill your insurer directly.

Question 28

What happens to personal belongings?

Accepted Answer

Anything affected is handled with care. We document what we find, separate what can be saved from what can't, and check with you before discarding anything meaningful. Photos, jewelry, letters — we look for them.

Question 29

How much does suicide cleanup cost?

Accepted Answer

Every situation is different, and you shouldn't have to think about numbers right now. We give a written estimate before any work begins. If your homeowner's or renter's policy covers it, we bill your insurer directly.

Question 30

Will the smell really come out?

Accepted Answer

Yes — but only with mechanical remediation, not deodorizer. Source removal is what does the work: we pull the contaminated porous materials, then treat with hydroxyl (safe to run in an occupied space) or, where a scene calls for it, ozone in a sealed and empty space that's ventilated before anyone re-enters. Then sealing, and where needed, replacement. We don't leave until air-quality testing is normal.

Question 31

Will you have to tear out the floor?

Accepted Answer

Only if fluids reached the subfloor. We assess on arrival and tell you exactly what needs to come out before we start. We take out the minimum required and document every step for insurance.

Question 32

How much does unattended death cleanup cost?

Accepted Answer

Cost depends on time elapsed and how far contamination spread. We give a written estimate before any work begins. If your policy covers it, we bill your insurer directly.

Question 33

Will you judge what you find?

Accepted Answer

No. We've seen every situation, and we treat every home the same way: with care for the person and respect for what mattered to them. The only people who'll know we were there are the people you tell.

Question 34

Will you just throw everything out?

Accepted Answer

Never. We sort with you — or with someone you trust — and we keep what you want kept. If you'd rather not be in the home, we can work from a written list of what to save.

Question 35

Can the cleanup happen in stages?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Many hoarding cleanups are done over several visits to give the person at the center time to process. We'll scope a plan that fits, and we don't rush.

Question 36

How much does hoarding cleanup cost?

Accepted Answer

Cost depends on the scope and what we find. After a discreet walkthrough, we give a written estimate before any work begins — and walk you through what's driving the number.

Question 37

What kinds of odors do you handle?

Accepted Answer

Decomposition, biohazard, smoke (fire, cigarette, cannabis), animal urine and feces, hoarding-related odors, and persistent unidentified odors. If you can describe it, we can usually identify the source.

Question 38

Can't I just rent an ozone machine?

Accepted Answer

We'd rather you didn't. The EPA has found that at concentrations safe to breathe, ozone isn't effective at removing many odor-causing chemicals — and that no federal agency has approved these machines for use in occupied spaces. At the levels that do work, it's a lung irritant. The EPA does recognize high-concentration ozone for decontaminating an unoccupied space, and that's the only way we use it: sealed, empty, nobody and no pet inside, fully ventilated before re-entry. It's also never the thing that fixes it — removing the contaminated material is. If your situation is simple enough not to need us, we'll tell you.

Question 39

How do I know the smell is actually gone?

Accepted Answer

We verify with air-quality testing before we leave. If anything we treated returns within 30 days, we come back at no charge to retreat it.

Question 40

How much does odor remediation cost?

Accepted Answer

Cost depends on the source and how far it has spread. We give a written estimate before any work begins, and walk you through what's driving the cost.

Question 41

Will you judge the situation?

Accepted Answer

No. We've seen homes in every condition, and we treat them all the same way: with care for the people involved and respect for the property. Discretion is the default.

Question 42

Will I have to replace the floors?

Accepted Answer

Sometimes — it depends on how deep the saturation is. We assess on arrival and tell you exactly what needs to come out before we start. Often we can save more than you'd expect.

Question 43

Will the smell actually come out?

Accepted Answer

Yes — but only with source removal plus odor remediation, not air freshener. We verify with air-quality testing before we leave, and we come back at no charge if anything returns within 30 days.

What people ask before they call.

Calling & arrival

Cost & insurance

The work

Privacy & coverage

Service-specific questions.

Crime scene cleanup

Biohazard cleanup

Suicide cleanup

Unattended death cleanup

Hoarding cleanup

Odor remediation

Pet feces & odor cleanup

Still have a question?