Who Cleans Up Fingerprint Dust After a Crime Scene?

4/19/2021 (Permalink)

The fingerprint dust used by law enforcement is messy stuff and can require professional cleaning after a home's been dusted from top to bottom.

If you or someone you know has experienced a crime in their Ocean County home or business, such as a burglary, you may know that dusting for fingerprints may help law enforcement solve the crime. Fingerprinting is necessary for law enforcement but it can be a nuisance once they are finished. The fingerprint dust used by law enforcement is messy stuff and the residual marks and dust can be both frustrating to the property owner and extremely difficult to clean. It may require professional cleaning after a property has been dusted before you try common household cleaners and water that can activate the dust, making it nearly impossible to remove.  

You may not even know that invisible fingerprints themselves are made of water, fatty acids, amino acids and triglycerides—in other words, they result from the oil and sweat that your skin produces naturally. To make them visible, you have to find a way to detect one of these substances present in the invisible fingerprint. The easiest method is called dusting, in which you use a very fine powder that can stick to the oil in the fingerprint, according to Scientific American. Once the fingerprint becomes visible, it can be lifted from the surface with clear tape and transferred to another surface to be taken into the laboratory for further analysis. 

Interested in learning more about fingerprint analysis, download this informative analysis sheet from Home Scientific Tools. 

Need Trauma or Crime Scene Cleanup? Call SERVPRO of Toms River 24/7 at (732) 349-9898.

We are available 365 days a year, 7 days a week and 24 hours a day for emergency cleanup. Our highly trained technicians are ready and standing by. We will always treat your property and the people involved with the greatest empathy and respect in the face of trying circumstances. SERVPRO of Toms River will clean and restore your property after a crime scene investigation including:

• Fingerprint powder and evidence-gathering chemicals
• Tear gas and pepper spray residues
• Fire extinguisher residue
• Blood, bodily fluids, and tissue remnants