This is fascinating.

When I was about 17 I started experimenting. I went to the butcher and bought cow’s liver and bones and then at home I would investigate how to clean up the blood.

And that’s how I became a forensic cleaner.

Over the years I have invented more than 300 different formulas to clean up blood. Some I have perfected over the years. Others haven’t changed since I first used them.

You need different methods depending on what you are cleaning – whether it’s the carpet of a car, for instance, or personal objects like watches or rings. It also depends on how and when the person died. For instance, someone may have been lying dead in the bathroom of their house for a week, in a humid environment. In another situation, perhaps where a man has hung himself with his own tie, you need to consider other bodily fluids such as semen or faeces.

[…]

I am the last person to visit the scene of the crime. I come after the police officers have left, and after the funeral has taken place. I am the last person associated with what happened, and often the dead person’s family use me as a bit of a therapist. In the beginning I used to get personally affected, but now I listen politely and then get on with my work.

I usually work with my headphones on because music helps me concentrate. I always listen to the same three things: Tristan und Isolde by Wagner, 666 Number of the Beast by Iron Maiden and Paranoid by Black Sabbath. The opera relaxes me, it helps me concentrate and prepare mentally. But once I put my uniform on and start cleaning, I want to listen to heavy metal.