From Decomposed Bodies to Murder Scenes: Crime Scene Cleaner Shares the Reality of His Job

Warning: This article contains references to death, bodily fluids and violent incidents that some readers may find distressing.

Cleaning windows was never supposed to lead to a career in crime scene and biohazard cleaning. But for Ben Giles, what began as a small business in west Wales evolved into more than 25 years spent tackling some of the most challenging clean-up jobs imaginable.

Now 49, Giles runs a specialist cleaning company that responds to crime scenes, unattended deaths, hoarding properties and other biohazard incidents across the UK. Over the years, he and his team have dealt with decomposed bodies, severe contamination and traumatic family tragedies — work that requires both technical expertise and emotional resilience.

The Job That Changed Everything

Giles began his career cleaning windows in Cardigan, Ceredigion, before a customer asked him to clear a property that had been abandoned for a decade.

Speaking to the BBC, he recalled entering a house overwhelmed by foul odours, waste and infestations. The conditions were so severe that one of his colleagues became physically ill during the clean-up.

The job earned him £2,000, and the client paid without hesitation.

'We thought, "If we could make so much money doing this, what's the worst thing we could clean?" Ultimately we would clean anything,' Giles told the BBC.

That single assignment proved to be the turning point that led him into specialist biohazard cleaning.

From Empty Homes to Crime Scenes

As word spread, increasingly complex jobs followed.

One of Giles' earliest major assignments involved a man who had died alone in a remote farmhouse and was not discovered for around two months. By the time his team arrived, decomposition had spread through the flooring and into the concrete beneath, while insects had heavily infested the property.

At the time, there was little formal training available for the industry. Giles said much of what his team learned came through experience, with procedures developing over time as the business expanded.

Today, his company undertakes between 50 and 100 specialist cleaning jobs every week, ranging from police-requested crime scene clean-ups to extreme hoarding cases and biohazard incidents involving both people and animals.

Despite the nature of the work, Giles said many everyday stains can still be cleaned using little more than warm water and conventional cleaning products rather than harsh industrial chemicals.

The Emotional Cost of Cleaning

The physical demands of the job are only part of the challenge.

Giles has attended violent crime scenes, unattended deaths and incidents involving grieving families. Some assignments, he admits, remain difficult to forget.

Among the cases that left a lasting impression were a fatal domestic violence incident and the aftermath of a tragedy in which a child died following an animal attack while relatives remained nearby during the clean-up.

'There have been times like that where I've had to put a business hat on and get the job done and know that's my job,' he said. 'I press it down and push it down.'

Like many people working in traumatic professions, Giles has developed ways to cope with the emotional impact. He enjoys walking, playing golf and spending time on his farm, where caring for animals helps him switch off after difficult jobs.

Finding a Way to Process the Trauma

Although Giles tries to separate work from home life, he admits some experiences stay with him long after the cleaning is complete.

Writing his autobiography forced him to revisit memories he had spent years trying to suppress.

'It was like all of the emotions just came to the surface,' he said. 'I wouldn't call it therapy, as I can't say I feel better, but I let it out.'

He credits his family with helping him maintain perspective throughout his career.

'I knew whatever happened in work, I came home and I was in a haven of people who I love and love me,' he said.

A Profession Few People Ever See

Crime scene and biohazard cleaning is a profession most people rarely think about, despite the essential role it plays after police investigations, unattended deaths and traumatic incidents.

From a £2,000 clean-up in an abandoned house to building a multi-million-pound specialist business, Giles has spent decades working in situations most people would struggle to face.

He has also trained around 3,500 people during his career, helping to professionalise a niche industry that demands technical skill, strict safety standards and emotional resilience.

For Giles, the work is about far more than cleaning. It is about restoring spaces after tragedy while carrying the emotional weight of scenes that few people ever witness.