For most people, the idea of cleaning up after disasters—be it a flooded home, a house fire, or the aftermath of a violent crime—sounds like the stuff of nightmares. But for a select group of professionals, this gritty, emotionally charged work is a calling, a business, and, for some, even a family tradition. As of October 24, 2025, two stories on opposite sides of the Atlantic shine a light on the demanding world of restoration and extreme cleaning, revealing the technical expertise, emotional resilience, and community commitment required to do the job right.
In Temecula, California, Renovation Pros, a family-owned restoration business with more than 30 years of service, has just celebrated a major milestone: certification by the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC), the global gold standard for inspection, cleaning, and restoration industries. According to Renovation Pros, this achievement is more than a badge—it’s a testament to their dedication to excellence, ongoing education, and ethical business practices. “Achieving IICRC certification reinforces our dedication to excellence in every restoration project we undertake,” said Pogo Parr, Director of Operations at Renovation Pros. “This certification ensures our customers receive restoration services that meet the most rigorous industry standards, whether they're dealing with water damage, fire damage, or any other restoration emergency.”
The IICRC doesn’t hand out certifications lightly. The process demands extensive training, rigorous examination, and demonstration of technical proficiency in a range of disciplines, from water and fire damage restoration to mold remediation. Certified firms must also commit to continuing education and honest advertising, and they’re required to maintain proper insurance coverage and stand behind their work with appropriate warranties. In a region like Southern California, where wildfires, floods, and other natural disasters are a constant threat, these standards aren’t just nice to have—they’re essential.
Renovation Pros offers a comprehensive suite of services: water and fire damage restoration, mold removal and remediation, emergency plumbing, rebuild and reconstruction, asbestos and lead removal, crime scene cleanup, storm cleanup, and mold inspection. Their National Response Team is ready around the clock, responding to emergencies 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The company doesn’t just clean up messes—it helps property owners navigate the often complicated insurance claims process, providing free damage restoration inspections and developing thorough restoration plans tailored to each situation.
The company’s reach is impressive, serving communities across Southern California, including Temecula, Murrieta, Wildomar, Canyon Lake, Cathedral City, Coachella, Corona, Desert Hot Springs, Eastvale, Hemet, Indian Wells, Jurupa Valley, Lake Elsinore, La Quinta, Mead Valley, Menifee, Norco, Palm Desert, Palm Springs, Rainbow, Riverside, and San Jacinto. For property owners, working with an IICRC-certified company like Renovation Pros means peace of mind—knowing that technicians are following industry best practices and proven protocols every step of the way.
But what about the emotional toll? What about the cases that go far beyond burst pipes or smoke damage? For that, look to Cardigan, Wales, where Ben Giles has spent the past 25 years carving out a niche as one of the UK’s most experienced extreme cleaners. Ben, now 49, began his career cleaning windows at age 16, but a chance request to clean a long-abandoned property set him on a path few could imagine. “The bath was completely level at the top with faeces, the toilet was full of faeces, kitchen was disgusting, the floor was moving with fleas,” Ben recalled to BBC News. The stench was so overpowering that one of his helpers vomited inside his own mask, creating yet another mess to clean up. But when Ben invoiced the client £2,000 and encountered no resistance, he realized he’d stumbled onto a lucrative—and necessary—service.
From there, things only got more intense. Ben’s first major biohazard job involved cleaning up after a man who had died in an old farmhouse and gone undiscovered for two months. “We opened the door and this swarm of bluebottles flew past us, we had no idea if they were carrying any kind of pathogen and we had to try and extract eight-week-old body fluid from concrete,” Ben recounted. With little more than Vicks under their noses and orange peel stuffed into masks to mask the smell, Ben and his team learned on the job—sometimes the hard way.
Over the years, Ben’s company has handled between 50 and 100 jobs per week, tackling everything from decomposed bodies to the removal of a 20-tonne whale carcass from Portsmouth Harbour. He gained his first biohazard cleaning accreditation in 2000, though he jokes that the test—cleaning tomato sauce off a desk—was a far cry from the real thing. Today, Ben has trained about 3,500 people in the field, but he’s the first to admit that not everyone is cut out for this kind of work. “It's not a job for the squeamish,” he said, noting that some scenes—like the aftermath of a violent homicide or the tragic death of a child—can haunt cleaners for years.
“In all my time I've never seen anything so violent,” Ben said, recalling a case where a man bludgeoned his wife and left her for dead. “That for me was tragic on so many levels. I felt so sorry for this lady. These were two professional people, I still to this point don't know what made somebody react like that and take someone's life. I can't let my mind go into that kind of mindset because it's quite dark.”
To cope, Ben turns to simple pleasures: walks along the beach, rounds of golf, and time spent with his highland cows. He credits his family for providing a safe haven amid the chaos. “I knew whatever happened in work, I came home and I was in a haven of people who I love and love me.” Writing his autobiography, The Life of a Crime Scene Cleaner, was an emotional release, allowing him to process years of trauma. “It was like all of the emotions just came to the surface. I wouldn't call it therapy, as I can't say I feel better, but I let it out,” he admitted.
Both Renovation Pros and Ben Giles’s company share a commitment to professionalism, technical expertise, and, perhaps most importantly, a deep sense of responsibility to their clients and communities. Whether it’s restoring homes after natural disasters in California or cleaning up the darkest corners of society in Wales, their work is a testament to the power of resilience and the importance of standards—both technical and ethical—in an industry that often goes unseen.
In a world where disaster and tragedy can strike without warning, it’s reassuring to know that there are professionals ready to step in, restore order, and help people move forward—even if it means rolling up their sleeves and facing the unimaginable.
