Cleaners Spend Three Hours Cleaning Bedok Flat After 77-Year-Old Woman’s Body Decomposes

A 77-year-old woman was found dead in her Bedok South Road flat after bodily fluids seeped through the ceiling into her downstairs neighbour’s home.

The elderly woman had been deceased for several days before anyone noticed.

The case came to light when blood and decomposition fluids dripped into the flat below, alerting neighbors to the tragedy above.

Hot Weather Speeds Up Decomposition Process

DDQ Services, the cleaning company called to handle the aftermath, spent three hours cleaning the scene on Wednesday morning (28 May). The woman’s body was discovered on Sunday (25 May).

Company boss Raman (name transliterated from Mandarin) explained to Shin Min Daily News that the hot weather made things worse. “When we arrived at the unit, the smell was very strong and unpleasant. In hot weather, body fluids often break down faster and spread more quickly. This might explain why so much fluid leaked out.”

Blood covered the entire bedroom and had seeped into the downstairs neighbour’s home. Maggots were present, suggesting the woman had been dead for several days.

The combination of Singapore’s heat and time had accelerated the decomposition process.

Raman’s team cleaned and disinfected both the affected unit and the downstairs flat. “The entire cleaning and disinfection work took nearly three hours. We had to neutralize potential biological hazards and disinfect affected areas to control the smell.”

Neighbours Endured Three Days of Odor

Downstairs residents Mr Ou (72) and Ms Zeng (70) suffered through three days of the smell before professional cleaning began. The fluids leaked through their ceiling for over seven hours on the day of discovery.

Ms Zeng spotted the blood dripping at around 1:30 PM that day. “My son noticed the fluid dripping first. It continued until about 8:30 PM. We kept using towels to wipe it up. The smell was truly unimaginable.”

The town council sent workers on Monday (26 May) who used sealant, but this didn’t stop the odour from spreading. Contractors arrived the next day to disinfect their home.

The couple temporarily moved to another bedroom and will only return to their own room after ceiling repairs are completed next Monday.

Ms Zhang, who lives in the flat above the deceased woman, still doesn’t dare open her windows. “I don’t open the windows in the master bedroom or living room, worried the smell will hit me. I can only open the kitchen window slightly because the weather is too hot.”

She was out having dinner with family when the incident occurred and only learned about the decomposition case later. “I could only use air freshener at home to temporarily avoid the problem.”

DDQ Services provided free ceiling repair services to the downstairs neighbors to help resolve the situation peacefully. Raman said his company’s role goes beyond just cleaning; they aim to bring closure and peace to those affected by such incidents.