My name is Qiang, and I clean up after death for a living.
Most people don’t know my job exists — until they need it. I’m a trauma cleaner in Singapore, and for the past 3 years, I’ve stepped into places where tragedy leaves its mark. Blood, decomposition, hoarding filth, and the quiet aftermath of suicide — these are my worksites.
This is not a glamorous job. But it is necessary. And today, I’m sharing what really happens after the police leave, before the family returns.
“The First Thing You Notice Is the Smell”
In Singapore, most calls come from HDB flats — small, enclosed spaces where death lingers. Once, we were called to a flat in Yishun. A man had passed away, unnoticed for weeks. The smell hit us few units away. His body had liquefied through the bed and onto the floorboards. Family hadn’t visited in months.
We didn’t just clean. We removed contaminated items, treated the flooring, and salvaged a single photo album — the only thing the family wanted to keep., t
That’s the reality: We’re not just removing stains. We’re erasing trauma so families don’t have to.
If you ask me, the hardest Jobs aren’t the messiest — they’re the loneliest. People think trauma cleanups are the worst. Sometimes, yes. But what stays with me are the lonely deaths — those who died with no one left to care. We disinfect, dismantle, and decontaminate, but we also bear witness. Someone has to.
So, what about our job that society is unaware of? We often get many questions, we answer what we can:
“Why can’t the family clean it themselves?” or “I can just pay some foreign worker for $50 to get it clean.”
The truth is this isn’t regular cleaning. We’re dealing with dangerous biohazards – blood, bodily fluids, and decomposition bacteria that can cause serious infections. Beyond the health risks, there’s the emotional toll – could you bring yourself to scrub away the last traces of someone you loved? That’s why professionals step in. We handle what others shouldn’t have to.
“Do you get used to it?”
It depends. You learn to compartmentalize, but some scenes stick. I still remember the last meal on the table – a meal that would never be eaten, a chair that would never be filled again.
“Why do you do this?”
Because someone has to. When the world turns away, we step in.
“What You Wish the Society Knew” That elderly uncle/aunty next door? Take 5 minutes to check. Many cases we handle started with silence. No suicide note explains everything. What we cleanup is just the end of a story we’ll never hear. People call us cleaners. But when death happens, we’re the ones who make sure ‘after’ isn’t a nightmare.
This is what I carry home. This job has shown me the fragility of life — and the strength of those left behind. My team and I don’t share these stories for shock value. We share them because this work exists in the shadows, and it shouldn’t.
If this piece stays with you, reach out to someone today. And if you ever need our services, know this: We don’t judge. We just help.
— Qiang, Trauma Cleaner (Singapore)
Help is just a call or text away: Other Mental Health Resources – CHAT
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