A lasting odor after a death, a hoarding situation, animal waste, smoke or a sewage backup goes away only when its source is found and removed, and that work is done by an independent cleanup company you hire directly. If a death happened in the home, the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office1, which serves as coroner in Jefferson County, comes first, and odor work waits until the scene is released. Biohazard Network can connect you with an independent local company that serves Port Ludlow; we do not do the cleaning ourselves.
If you are reading this, something hard has happened in a home you care about. You do not need to solve it alone, and you do not need to do any of the cleaning. This page explains what odor work involves and what to ask before you hire someone.
What odor remediation means
Odor remediation is the work of finding what is causing a lasting odor, removing it, and then treating the air and surfaces so the odor does not come back. Remediation simply means correcting a problem at its source.
Ordinary cleaning and fragrance are not enough. Sprays, candles and household cleaners can mask an odor for a short time, but the material causing it is still there. The Washington State Department of Health2 (DOH) makes a similar point on its page titled “Mold”: do not paint or caulk over mold. Sealing over a problem does not end it.
The source may be in places you cannot see. Porous materials are materials that absorb liquids, such as carpet, carpet pad, drywall and the subfloor beneath them. When fluids or sewage soak into them, surface cleaning cannot reach what is inside, so those materials may have to come out. Only after the source is removed does deodorizing, the treatment of remaining air and surfaces, actually work.
What happens first
If a death is involved
A coroner is the official responsible for a death investigation. In Jefferson County, the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office1 serves as coroner, and the role of the coroner is to determine cause and manner of death. You can reach the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office at 360-385-9180. Washington law gives the county coroner or medical examiner jurisdiction over a person found dead, including deaths from unknown causes and deaths without recent medical attendance.
Scene release means police or the coroner have finished their work and given the home back to the family or owner. The cleanup standard used in this industry assumes every scene has been released before cleanup begins. Until then, leave the area as it is. You do not need to clean anything, open sealed rooms, or move items yourself. More on this is on the unattended death cleanup page.
If the odor comes from hoarding, animals or sewage
If the person living in the home has a hoarding condition, or animals or rodents have been present, avoid sweeping or vacuuming. DOH3’s page titled “Hantavirus” says not to stir up dust that way and to treat all rodent droppings as if they are infectious. The hoarding cleanup page covers how belongings are sorted with the family, so the person decides what to keep and what to let go.
For sewage, DOH2 says to hire a professional if a moldy area has been contaminated by sewage. See sewage and biohazard waste cleanup for more.
What to expect from the company you hire
Cleanup workers wear personal protective equipment, meaning gloves, eye protection, breathing protection and coveralls. Ask the company how it will set up containment, which means sealing off the work area so dust and odor do not spread to clean rooms.
Next comes removal of affected materials and disinfection, which means using products that kill germs on surfaces. Odor treatment follows only after the source is gone. Ask how the company will confirm the result before it leaves, and whether it will walk through the home with you.
Some of what is removed may be biomedical waste. Washington’s legal definition of biomedical waste covers specific types, including discarded human blood and materials holding free-flowing blood, and sharps waste, meaning used needles, syringes and blades. Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission rules require a company that collects and transports biomedical waste to keep an operating plan that holds it separate from other solid waste. Ask who will haul it.
Ask, too, for written records and photos you can give your insurer. Do not discard damaged belongings before your insurer has a chance to see them.
Before hiring, ask whether the crew follows OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard4, 29 CFR 1910.1030, and the ANSI/IICRC S540 Standard for Trauma and Crime Scene Cleanup (IICRC is a non-profit for the inspection, cleaning and restoration industries), then look the business up in the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries5 (L&I) tool, Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business5. Our guide, certifications explained, walks through what those answers mean.
How long odor remediation takes
No honest company can promise a timeline before it sees the home, and several things can make the work longer:
- How long the source was there. The longer it was present, the farther it may have spread into materials and air spaces.
- Porous materials. If fluids reached the pad, drywall or subfloor, those layers may need removal, which adds steps.
- Ventilation. Rooms that do not air out well can hold odor longer, even after the source is gone.
- Whether restoration follows. Removing materials leaves gaps that need rebuilding. See how biohazard cleanup fits with restoration.
Ask the company to explain each stage, what could change the plan, and how it will tell you when the result is checked.
Odor remediation in Port Ludlow
Port Ludlow is an unincorporated community, so building permits, code compliance and land use review here are managed by Community Development (DCD). If removing subfloor or drywall turns into repair work, ask the company whether a permit is needed.
The State Route 20 corridor is the major transportation link between Port Townsend, the county seat, and the unincorporated parts of Jefferson County. Ask any company where it is based and how it will reach your home, whether that is near Port Ludlow Marina on Ludlow Bay or elsewhere in the area.
Jefferson County Public Health, reachable at 360-385-9400, has programs that may fit. Its On-Site Sewage Program covers septic systems, its Home Syringe Disposal program covers sharps, and it offers a Jefferson County Public Health Concern/Complaint Action Request for Environmental Health. If anyone in the household has health questions after time in the home, the Port Ludlow Clinic (Jefferson Healthcare) offers primary care.
For other services in this area, see the Port Ludlow overview and the Jefferson County page.
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.