Blood and other bodily fluids are cleaned up safely in Port Ludlow by an independent cleanup company whose crew wears protective equipment, removes affected materials, disinfects what remains and sends the waste to a regulated hauler. If a death or possible crime is involved, the scene must be released before any of that starts. Biohazard Network connects you with an independent local company that you hire directly; we do not do the cleanup ourselves.
If you are reading this after a fall, an injury or a medical emergency, you have already done the hardest part by getting help. This page explains what the work involves, what happens first and what to ask the company you hire.
What this service covers
Blood and bodily fluid cleanup is for smaller or contained incidents. That can mean an injury at home, a medical emergency, a fall, or a death where someone was present. It is not limited to houses. A car, a boat, a shop or an office can need the same care.
Wiping up what you can see is not enough, for two reasons. First, blood can carry bloodborne pathogens, which are germs in blood that can cause disease in someone who comes into contact with it. Second, fluids soak into porous materials, meaning materials full of tiny openings, such as carpet, padding, upholstery, mattresses, wood and drywall. A surface can look clean while fluid remains underneath.
If it happened at your business
Please do not ask staff to clean it up. Blood can carry disease, and the work calls for training and protective equipment that ordinary cleaning crews and employees do not have. Close the area, keep people out and call a cleanup company.
What happens first
If someone has died, or if police were called, the space may not be yours to clean yet. In Jefferson County, the prosecuting attorney serves as coroner, the official whose role is to determine cause and manner of death. The Prosecuting Attorney’s Office1 can be reached at 360-385-9180. The coroner or police control the space until they release it, which is called scene release. If a death occurred, our page on unattended death cleanup in Port Ludlow covers that situation, and crime and trauma scene cleanup covers scenes involving police.
If no one died and no one called police, for example after a fall where the person went to the hospital, you can contact a company when you are ready.
What you do not need to do:
- You do not need to clean anything before the company arrives.
- You do not need to throw anything out or decide what to keep right now.
What not to touch:
- Leave affected items, bedding and furniture where they are.
- Keep children and pets away from the area.
- Do not pick up needles or broken glass.
What to expect from the company you hire
Ask each company to explain how it handles each of these:
- Protective equipment. The crew should wear gloves, suits and eye and breathing protection.
- Containment. This means sealing off the work area so contamination does not spread to the rest of the home, car or building.
- Removal. Porous materials that fluid has soaked into are cut out and bagged.
- Disinfection. This means using products that kill germs on hard surfaces, not just clean them.
- Odor. Odor work happens only after the source is removed. Ask whether this is included or separate; our odor remediation page explains more.
- Records. Ask for written records and photos of what was removed and why, for your insurer.
Before you hire, ask the company how its work follows OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard2, 29 CFR 1910.1030, and the ANSI/IICRC S540 Standard for Trauma and Crime Scene Cleanup (the IICRC is the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification, a non-profit for the cleaning and restoration industries), then check its registration yourself with the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries3 (L&I) tool called Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business3. Our guide, Biohazard Cleanup Certifications Explained, walks through what each of these means and how to read what you find.
The cleanup process, step by step
- Assessment. The crew looks at where fluid went, including under flooring and inside cushions, and makes a work plan.
- Containment. The area is closed off from the rest of the space.
- Removal of porous material. Carpet, padding, drywall or fabric that fluid reached is taken out.
- Cleaning and disinfection. Hard surfaces are cleaned and then disinfected.
- Disposal. Biomedical waste is waste that state law defines, such as discarded blood, materials containing free-flowing blood, and used needles. Washington requires a company that collects and hauls biomedical waste to keep a written operating plan that keeps it separate from other solid waste until it is treated or disposed of. Ask the company who hauls its waste.
- Final check. The crew confirms the work is complete and walks you through what was done.
If a cleanup also involves sewage or other waste, see sewage and biohazard waste cleanup in Port Ludlow. If walls or floors need rebuilding afterward, how biohazard cleanup fits with restoration explains how the two kinds of work connect.
Port Ludlow and Jefferson County details
Port Ludlow is an unincorporated community, so questions about permits go to Community Development (DCD), which manages building permits, code compliance and land use review. This matters if removed drywall or flooring needs to be replaced.
The local health department is Jefferson County Public Health4, reachable at 360-385-9400. Its listed programs include the Solid Waste Program, Home Syringe Disposal and Code Compliance. You can call to ask which program fits your question, such as needles left in a home.
When you talk to a company, ask where it is based and how it will reach you. For travelers coming from the Edmonds/Kingston ferry or the Poulsbo area, WSDOT’s directions cross the Hood Canal Bridge on Highway 104 and use the Port Ludlow/Chimacum/Highway 19 exit. Give the exact location, whether it is a home near the Port Ludlow trails, a vehicle, or a boat or business at the Port Ludlow Marina on Ludlow Bay.
For more on the area, see our pages for Port Ludlow and Jefferson County.
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.
- Jefferson County Public Health (opens in a new tab)For local health questions, such as a home that was used as a drug lab.
- 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.