Clear 365 Blogs: REALITY CHECK: Learn the true story behind 'Sunshine Cleaning'

Bloodstains, vomit and human excrement stain the floor and walls of an eerily empty house. Two young women dragging loads of cleaning supplies enter to find their work cut out for them, a job that at first looks like more than they bargained for. But the women have taken on this job in order to build better lives for themselves.

This is a scene from the movie 'Sunshine Cleaning,' and the two women are actresses, Amy Adams and Emily Blunt. But for the real-life employees of CTS Decon (Crime and Trauma Scene Decontamination) companies across the country, mopping up bodily leftovers is just another day's work. Sound disgusting? It is. And though it may not seem like it, for many people, it's also a highly lucrative career -- so long as you can stand the smell.

Two companies that perform CTS Decon services for clients in the wake of tragedy are Amdecon, Inc. and Aftermath, Inc., the latter of which was recently featured on NBC's 'Today' show. Each company provides a range of services that vary in price and gruesomeness factor, depending on the circumstances.

According to its website, Amdecon provides suicide, blood, human decomposition, gross filth property, industrial accident, black water and sewage-spill clean-up services. On Aftermath's site, it offers homicide, suicide, unattended death, automobile/vehicle blood clean-up and gross property/tear gas remediation clean up. Prices can reach up to $600 an hour.

Both companies also emphasize additional reasons for selecting their services in particular. Aftermath, for example, stresses that they are "tragedy" clean-up specialists, only beginning work after crime-scene tape has been removed and no police or paramedics remain. Amdecon -- which uses the tagline, "Call 911. Then call us" -- claims to give 100% of its profits to the non-profit Suicide Aftercare Association.

If you've ever found yourself trudging through the kinds of dead-end jobs and socially awkward situations as the characters in 'Sunshine Cleaning,' you might understand why putting on a biohazard suit and mopping up dried blood doesn't seem like such a bad alternative. CTS Decon companies even provide various types of assistance to help new staffers get their feet wet, so to speak.

Among its new-employee incentives, for instance, Amdecon provides bio-recovery training DVDs, disposable liquid face shields, and an exam and certification package (to make sure everyone's authentic and legal). And though there are no guarantees, some bio-cleaners' annual incomes can top top six figures, depending on how much they charge. Not bad for people who often don't have college degrees. Still, exactly how much a CTS Decon worker brings home also depends on who they know, and connections are needed -- such as with funeral homes, hospitals, insurance companies and local police -- to make the most financial impact.

Finally, there's the incentive of providing a valuable service for people who would prefer not to be burdened with cleaning up the remains of loved ones themselves. Beyond the physical act of cleaning up, CTS Decon employees have been known to emotionally comfort clients, acting as sort of morbid trauma counselors for the bereaved. Kind of like Sigmund Freud meets Edgar Allen Poe, if you will.

If a career in CTS Decon sounds appealing to you, here are a few key points to keep in mind:

- CTS Decon companies can be found in all 50 states, and there's even a "virtual training academy"
- No college degree is needed. Just go through the necessary training and certification process, and cleaning up everything from homicide scenes to meth labs is only a phone call away
- Want to start your own CTS Decon business or franchise? That'll require extra specialized training, and taking steps including obtaining a hazardous materials license -- but the rewards can make it all worthwhile
- In all seriousness, trauma- and biohazard-scene clean-up is important work that can mean a great deal to people in unfortunate circumstances. If you need 'em, call 'em. If you like 'em, join 'em.

Enough said. Now watch the trailer for 'Sunshine Cleaning' ...

-- Ted Goslin, Clear 365 Blogger