How Does the Cremation Process Work? A Guide to Understanding It

Is your family on the brink of planning a cremation service in Nashua, NH for the very first time? If you are, you might be confused about the cremation process right now. You should attempt to get a better understanding of it before you go through the process of cremating a loved one. It’ll ensure that you know what’s going on at all times. Here is a step-by-step guide that will help you follow along with the cremation process as it plays out.

Step 1: A deceased person’s body is identified and their family signs off on their cremation.

At the very start of the cremation process, a deceased person’s body will be properly identified. Every Nashua, NH cremation provider takes a slightly different approach to identifying people, but it’s very important for them to double- and triple-check to make sure that the right person is scheduled to be cremated. Once a person has been positively identified, it’s also important for a cremation provider to reach out to their family to obtain authorization for their cremation to be carried out. Nothing else can be done before this authorization is given.

Step 2: The person’s body is prepared for cremation and put into a cremation container.

Once a person’s body is identified and their family signs off on their cremation, a cremation provider will begin to prepare the body for cremation. To do this, they’ll need to remove any metal from the person’s body. They’ll also have to remove any jewelry that the person might be wearing. They’ll then put the person into whichever clothing their family picked out for them and put their body into a combustible cremation container that will be used during the cremation.

Step 3: The person’s body is placed into a cremation chamber.

After a person’s body is all ready to go and safely inside of a cremation container, a cremation provider will slide the container into a cremation chamber. This cremation chamber, which is also sometimes referred to as a “retort,” is where a person’s actual cremation will take place. It’s designed to reach temperatures of up to 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 4: The person’s body is cremated.

When a person’s body is inside a cremation chamber, a cremation provider can officially start their cremation. They’ll turn up the heat in the cremation chamber and let a person’s body sit in it for somewhere between one and three hours in most cases. The exact amount of time that a cremation takes will depend on everything from the size of a person to the temperature that is used in a cremation chamber. But generally speaking, it shouldn’t take more than a few hours for a cremation to play out.

Step 5: The person’s cremated remains are processed and given to their family.

After several hours inside a cremation chamber, a person’s cremation should be complete. At that time, a cremation provider will gather a person’s remains and process them to turn them into the “ashes” that will be given back to a person’s family. From there, the person’s family will be able to do whatever they would like with the remains. They can put them into an urn and take them home, store them in a columbarium at a cemetery, or even scatter them somewhere special.

Do you still have questions about the cremation process? If so, Middlesex Cremation can answer them for you. We can also lend a helping hand to any families that need to plan Nashua, NH cremations for their loved ones. Call us now to see what we can do for your family.