Tear gas and pepper spray leave a residue that can keep irritating eyes, skin and lungs after the air clears.
What these are
The CDC calls these riot control agents, also known as tear gas: chemicals that make people unable to function for a while. Pepper spray is one example (CDC riot control agents1).
For you and your clothes
The CDC says to wash the agent off your skin with lots of soap and water, and to put exposed clothing in a plastic bag, seal it, and put that bag inside another plastic bag.
For your home
We found no official guidance on cleaning this residue from a home or a car, so this page gives no steps. A cleanup company can tell you how it handles it, and the price, before it starts.
Who to call first
In an emergency, call 911.These official offices may be part of the first steps. They are government pages, not ours.
- County medical examiners and coroners After a sudden or unexpected death, cleanup waits until the county's office is done.
- Washington Crime Victims Compensation Program (L&I) (opens in a new tab)If a crime happened, it may help with some costs, such as funeral expenses. It doesn't pay for cleanup.
- Verify a contractor (L&I lookup) (opens in a new tab)Look up whether a company is a registered contractor before work starts.
- Washington State Department of Health (opens in a new tab)State health rules, such as for drug lab cleanup and hantavirus.