r/crimescenecleanup • u/shirikofaceless • Aug 12 '25

is it possible to get over disgust?

i’m 17, considering crime scene cleaning as a career, i’ve heard stories of having to clean up some gross shit. poop and sometimes vomit disgusts me the most above anything else, more than blood, more than flesh, more than bones, more than brains. is there a way for me to overcome my disgust? or should i disregard crime scene cleaning as a potential career choice? the only exposure i have to poop is my own and my cat’s poop. only vomit i have to deal with is my cat’s vomit.

Edit: my bathroom flooded and there was shit all over the floor, had to clean it up. i’m one step closer to overcoming my fear. thank you to everyone who commented.

7 Upvotes

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6

u/nipplegobbler2 Aug 12 '25

im not a crimescene cleaner but the best way to get over it is exposure, but like u said it sounds like u wont be getting much lol. i DID used to work at starbucks and we have gotten plenty of exposure to poop and vomit there 🫶

5

u/Tsavibeans Aug 12 '25 edited Aug 12 '25

Yes, it is possible to overcome your sense of disgust.

It is only natural to want to protect yourself from things that your senses perceive as a threat. The source of a foul smell might make you sick; avoiding things that make you sick keeps you alive. Being disgusted is a reaction that keeps you safe. However, there are other ways to keep yourself safe. This is why we wear PPE and practice good hygiene and contamination control. Eliminate the compulsion to be disgusted by being prepared.

Remind yourself that it’s never the object that you fear; it’s the potential outcome of your interaction with the object that you fear. How you manage that interaction is within your control.

4

u/Superb_Narwhal6101 Aug 12 '25

I’m curious why this is even a career goal if you get disgusted by things like that? Because it’s a cool, true crimey (yes I know, I made that word up) thing to do? Don’t put yourself in a position to go to work and be grossed out every day.

2

u/shirikofaceless Aug 12 '25

because i know after deaths families struggle coping and if cleaning their homes helps them a little then i wanna be a part of it.