For most people, cleaning up crime scenes seems like a nightmare straight out of a horror movie, but for forensic cleaner Lee Lordanidis, it's just another day at work.

During her 30-year career, the 59-year-old has witnessed some of Sydney's most terrible crime scenes.

From being jumped on by a killer on the run to being threatened with a knife, Lee has encountered things that most people will, fingers crossed, never experience in their lifetime.

Squatters, hoarders, natural deaths, suicides, and grisly crime scenes are no match for Ms Iordanidis, whose grandpa dug graves. For as long as she can remember, she has been taught that death is inevitable and people should not fear it.

No challenge is too much for her natural, heavy-duty products or her cheerful disposition.

"I think this is what I was always supposed to be," she said, adding, "It's not a difficult job for me — it's a job of love and passion."

Lee has thirty years of experience working as a cleaner at crime scenes. Credit: Daily Mail.​

Despite being pistol-whipped, threatened with a knife, and stabbed with a needle by a drug-addicted person, Ms Iordanidis says she loves her job.

Once, there was a hidden murderer who jumped from the ceiling onto her back. She recalled calling and warning her crew over the radio to tell them she had a man on top of her.

Her coworkers, whom she described as "big brawny footballers," yanked the murderer off her and arrested him. In line with the popular cliche, Ms Iordanidis claims that killers frequently do return to the scene of the crime.

She was also threatened by a frequent drug user who mistook her for a police officer at a rent-by-the-hour motel in Kings Cross. The man stabbed the cleaner with a needle after holding a knife to her throat.

Ms Iordanidis called the entire experience "the worst" and "harrowing," because she had to take multiple tests to see if she had contracted HIV by accident.

On the other hand, one of the most heartbreaking things she has seen in her lengthy career was the death by suicide of an eight-year-old lad. The boy, she claimed, was bullied so severely that he took his own life rather than return to school.

The demanding nature of the job can be taxing on Lee's mental health at times. Credit: Daily Mail.​

The demanding nature of Lee's work can, on occasion, take its toll on her mental health, and this is especially true when the safety of children is at stake.

Listening to music, sipping coffee, and going for long walks are all things that help her deal with all that is going on in her life. Her husband, Peter, is a huge emotional support as well.

If you or someone you know is in need of crisis or suicide prevention support, please call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or visit the website here.

 

[Ricci]

Well done her for cheerfully doing a job most of us would baulk at.