Oscar is a forensic cleaner: ‘I take over this concern from relatives’

You know it from news reports in the newspaper: Man found dead in home after two months† Or: Woman killed in hotel room by violence† Terribly bad news, but we often don’t think about it: who cleans those places where victims have fallen or someone has died? Oscar Hagen takes this work off the hands of relatives.

The cleaning work of Oscar van Blizzard Cleaning started in polluted houses. “You can tell from a full container in front of a house that it is usually an eviction. As a cleaner, I cleaned the completed home so that new residents or handymen can enter the home normally. I found out that there was no special cleaning company for rooms where deceased persons had been located. This gave rise to the idea of ​​specializing in this field.”

Don’t just use soapy water

Because you can’t just clean a crime scene or a room in which a deceased has been dead for weeks with soapy water. Bloodstains, feces, hair and body residues seep into the floor, bedding or walls. Blizzard Cleansing uses dry ice blasting to remove these stains and dispose of them in an environmentally friendly way. The dry ice is 70 degrees Celsius below zero and it cleans and kills bacteria. The dry ice is sprayed against the contaminated object with a compressor. The ice pulverizes into a kind of sprinkles. Oscar sucks it up in special boxes that are taken away by an environmental agency. Oscar professionally removes floor parts, skirting boards and ceiling parts that really can no longer be cleaned.

Special clothing

Oscar assumes that every workplace is dangerous. “Ordinary cleaning companies are often called in to clean the space. Or relatives do it themselves,” explains Oscar. “But if a deceased person received chemotherapy, for example, it is better not to come near the body unprotected.” That is why Oscar enters the room in a special suit. “I wear a black suit, a respirator mask, a mask with filters, gloves and special shoes with covers around them. Even in the case of an addict, you have to protect yourself, for example against contaminated needles, viruses or TB.”

Don’t do it yourself

Besides the fact that it can be an unsafe job, Oscar also wants to take on this task to relieve the next of kin. “How terrible it is if your child has taken his own life and the site has to be cleaned afterwards. You don’t want that as a parent, do you? They have enough grief already. Unfortunately, my work is still known to few people. That’s why I want to let everyone know that you don’t have to do this yourself. Just call me.”

Expect the worst

The first times it was hard for Oscar to swallow. “I smelled the smell of decomposition. On my lip I used VapoRub.” He is given a short description beforehand of what happened and in which room the deceased or victim was found. “I open the door and take a deep breath. You don’t know what to expect but I’m expecting the worst. I flip a switch and get to work. But sometimes I almost have to go over my neck and go outside for a while to recover. I can’t eat until I’m done with my job. In the meantime, I don’t have to think about it. It’s pretty intense.”

Three is more than enough

Oscar does his job alone. It sometimes feels strange for him to step into someone’s life upon entering a home. “I enter someone’s household like that. Sometimes I see the clothes of the deceased and a used plate in the kitchen. But then I flip a switch and focus on my goal. Recently I had three assignments within a week. That is really more than enough for me. After a cleaning job I have to reset. I’ll talk about it at home and then I’ll move on.”

Remove nicotine deposits

Housing corporations and agents know where to find Oscar more and more often, but most people are not aware of the existence of this type of cleaning company. “I don’t understand why people have to do this cleaning themselves. That empowers me to help and do the dirty work.” Oscar regularly receives positive reactions: how crazy that you are doing this† “I didn’t expect people to react so positively to my work,” Oscar says modestly. “I am very happy to help. But you can also call on me to remove nicotine deposits and odors in a room or to clean bakeries. A welcome change between the tough jobs.”