Since the job of crime scene cleaner is currently in high-demand, of course, many people are wondering about how much a crime scene cleaner makes per hour. However, working as a crime scene cleaner is very challenging and it takes courage either physically or mentally.
It’s very important for you to figure out the salary of a crime scene cleaner before deciding to apply for this job. After knowing how much a crime scene cleaner earns per hour, you will have a reference whether you remain applying for this job or not. Okay, let’s dive into our post to find out the information about it!
How Much Does a Crime Scene Cleaner Earn Per Hour?
If we talk about how much a crime scene cleaner earns per hour, the figure of salary will be different, depending on the location and experience. The salary of a crime scene cleaner will vary, but this job will pay more than other cleaning jobs due to specialized skills and training required for crime scene cleaners.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), people who work as hazardous material removal workers, commonly earn approximately $45,270 per year. BLS also expects hazardous material cleaning occupations to grow 8% from 2019 to 2029.
According to indeed.com, in the United States, the average salary of a crime scene cleaner is approximately $18.44 per hour, which is 34% above the national average. Well, the salary information provided at indeed.com comes from 8 data points collected directly from users, employees and past and present job advertisements in the past 36 months.
According to payscale.com, a crime scene cleaner can earn around $16.03 per hour on average. So, we can conclude that the average salary of a crime scene cleaner is from $12.53 per hour to $25.39 per hour. Once again, the rate of pay of a crime scene cleaner will depend on location and experience.
According to salary.com, in the United States, a crime scene cleaner earns roughly $29,791 to $35,860 per year. Reportedly, the salary of a crime scene cleaner in the United States will be paid differently by cities.
Of course, there are 8 cities in the United States with the highest paying for crime scene cleaners. Here’s a list of highest paying cities for crime scene cleaners in the United States!
- San Jose, CA: $39,561 Per Year
- Santa Clara, CA: $39,561 Per Year
- Fremont, CA: $39,460 Per Year
- Daly City, CA: $39,403 Per Year
- San Francisco, CA: $39,403 Per Year
- Bronx, NY: $37,922 Per Year
- New York, NY: $37,922 Per Year
- Brooklyn, NY: $37,922 Per Year
Aside from the cities with highest paying for crime scene cleaner, there are also 5 states in the United States with higher salaries, here are they:
- Alaska: $35,337
- California: $35,211
- District of Columbia: $35,062
- New Jersey: $34,851
- Massachusetts: $34,296
Compared with the average salary of a crime scene cleaner in the United States, Alaska is the state with the highest paying for crime scene cleaners. The second and the third states are California and the District of Columbia respectively. Well, the high or low salary paid to crime scene cleaners by the United States will have a greater relationship with the demand for jobs and the cost of living.
What Does a Crime Scene Cleaner Do?
Basically, a crime scene cleaner is tasked to clean up crime scenes. People know that this job may involve stress, trauma, physical danger and many more. Of course, crime scene cleaners will use specialist equipment and chemicals to return the location of a crime into a habitable, safe environment.
For some crime scene cleaners, it actually involves a range of cleaning tasks which depend on the severity of the crime. Here’s a list of jobs that a crime scene cleaner conduct:
- Cleaning out debris
- Removing dangerous objects such as weapons
- Throwing of clinical waste such as sharpies
- Cleaning blood
- Disinfecting areas to clear out potential pathogens, such as HIV or Coronavirus
- Cleaning bodily fluids
- Cleaning and disposing of biohazard waste
- Removing human waste and other waste
It is known that crime scene would be grizzly places, with cleaners called in to clear up everything from murders, accidents and suicides, to car accidents, unattended deaths and others.
What Skills Should You Have to Become a Crime Scene Cleaner?
Typically, crime scene cleaners have both soft skills and specific crime scene cleaning skills. Of course, beneficial skills for crime scene cleaners include:
- Stamina: Becoming a crime scene cleaner will require a great physical exertion. Of course, a crime scene cleaner must be physically fit to clean thoroughly and effectively.
- Biohazard knowledge: It’s very important for a crime scene cleaner to know how to deal with biohazards and other dangerous materials to perform their jobs safely.
- Compassion: This is an important soft skill in this occupation where a crime scene cleaner often interacts with people who have experienced challenging events.
- Interpersonal communication: As a crime scene cleaner, you must have skills in interpersonal communication to effectively communicate with clients.
- Attention to detail: A crime scene cleaner must have exceptional attention to detail in order to clean and sanitize spaces.
How is Crime Scene Cleaning Different from Other Cleaning Jobs?
There is a strong reason why crime scene cleaning is different from other types of cleaning jobs. As a crime scene cleaner, you need to complete training to handle biohazards and other materials, due to the types of hazardous materials used in cleaning up crime scenes.
Read also: OSHA Certification for Crime Scene Cleanup
Aside from that, you also have to follow standards and regulations for dealing with medical waste and biological materials. Furthermore, crime scene cleaners need to use special tools, procedures and chemicals to clean and sanitize spaces, so that they will be safe for people to return to. They will probably work irregular hours to provide emergency cleaning services.
A bookworm and researcher especially related to law and citizenship education. I spend time every day in front of the internet and the campus library.
