Blood and bodily fluid cleanup in Port Townsend is done by an independent cleanup company whose crew wears protective equipment, removes affected materials, and disinfects the area. Before any cleanup starts, emergency responders and any office looking into what happened need to finish and release the space. 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 an injury, a fall, a medical emergency or a death at home, at work or in a vehicle, you have already been through a hard moment. This page walks through what a safe cleanup involves, so you can make calm choices one step at a time.
Why ordinary cleaning is not enough
Blood and other bodily fluids can carry bloodborne pathogens, which are germs in blood that can cause disease in people. Fluids also soak into porous materials, meaning materials full of tiny openings, such as carpet, carpet padding, upholstery, mattresses, drywall and unsealed wood. A spot can look clean on top while fluid stays underneath. That hidden material can keep holding germs and can lead to lingering odor later.
This is why a cleanup crew treats even a small, contained incident with care. They wear protective equipment such as gloves, eye protection and protective clothing, and they decide what can be safely disinfected and what must be taken out.
Cars, shops and offices
Blood is not only a problem in homes. Vehicle seats, seat belts, floor mats and headliners are porous and hard to reach. Shops and offices have carpet tiles, fabric chairs and cubicle panels that absorb fluids.
If you run a business, please do not ask staff to clean it up. Blood can carry disease, and the work calls for training and protective equipment. Close off the area, keep customers and employees away, and contact a cleanup company.
What happens first
If police or other officials responded, they control the space until they release it. Scene release is the moment officials tell you the area is yours again and cleanup may begin. Until then, leave everything as it is.
If someone died, Jefferson County’s death investigations are handled by a prosecuting attorney serving as coroner. A coroner is the official whose role is to determine cause and manner of death. If you are unsure whether the office is involved or has finished, you can call the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office at 360-385-9180. For a death that went unnoticed for some time, the unattended death cleanup page covers what is different.
While you wait:
- Do not scrub, rinse or move stained items.
- Do not put soiled items in household garbage.
- Keep children and pets out of the area.
- Do not touch sharps, which are needles, syringes, lancets or blades. Jefferson County Public Health1 has a Home Syringe Disposal program for sharps.
You do not need to sort belongings or decide what to keep before the crew arrives. They can walk through that with you.
The cleanup process, step by step
- Assessment. The crew looks at where fluids reached, including under flooring, inside cushions and behind trim, and explains a plan to you before starting.
- Containment. Containment means sealing off the work area, often with plastic sheeting, so contamination does not spread to the rest of the home, vehicle or building.
- Removal of porous materials. Items that absorbed fluid and cannot be made safe, such as a section of carpet and padding or a car seat cover, are cut out and bagged. Ask the crew to tell you before removing anything you may want to keep.
- Cleaning and disinfection. Hard surfaces are cleaned first, then disinfected. Disinfection means using products that kill germs on a surface, not just removing what you can see.
- Disposal of biomedical waste. In Washington, biomedical waste is a legal term for specific listed types of waste, including human blood and blood products and sharps waste. It must stay separate from regular garbage. A company that hauls solid waste for pay must first get a certificate from the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission2, so ask the company you hire who will haul and dispose of the waste.
- Odor work, if needed. Once the source is removed, any remaining odor can be treated. See odor remediation in Port Townsend for more.
- Final check. The crew confirms the area is clean before taking down containment. Walk through it with them if you feel able.
Ask the company for photos and a written list of what was removed. Homeowners insurance sometimes covers this work, and your insurer, whether for a home, a vehicle or a business, can tell you what your policy includes. If repairs such as new drywall or flooring follow, the restoration overview explains how that fits in.
Usually covered: Homeowner insurance protects your home and belongings from damage caused by specific risks, says the Insurance Commissioner’s page on how home insurance works3. Personal property coverage includes your furnishings and personal items, such as your TV, clothing and dishes, the same page says.
Usually not covered: Standard homeowner and renter policies exclude wear and tear: insurance covers sudden accidents, not ongoing issues, says the Insurance Commissioner’s smoke damage page, which lists what standard policies exclude4.
Ask your insurer: “Without filing a claim yet, can you tell me if my policy covers cleaning up blood or body fluids in my home, and what limits apply?” Source: Steps to take after home damage or a loss (Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner)5
How to check a company before you hire
Ask how the crew follows OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard, 29 CFR 1910.1030, and the ANSI/IICRC S540 Standard for Trauma and Crime Scene Cleanup, a standard from the IICRC, a non-profit organization for the inspection, cleaning and restoration industries. You can also look the business up yourself in the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) tool called Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business, and our certifications guide explains what each of these means.
Getting help in Port Townsend
Port Townsend is an incorporated city and the Jefferson County seat. A company coming from outside the area may use one of two routes WSDOT describes. From the Edmonds/Kingston ferry or the Poulsbo area, the route crosses the Hood Canal Bridge on Highway 104, then takes the Port Ludlow/Chimacum/Highway 19 exit and follows that highway to the Port Townsend dock. From elsewhere on the Olympic Peninsula, the route is Highway 101 east, then SR 20 east into town. When you call, ask where the company is based and which way it would travel.
Give a clear location. Near the Port Townsend/Coupeville ferry dock, a Washington State Ferries terminal, SR 20 becomes Sims Way, then Water St. leads to the dock. Boat Haven Marina is a Port of Port Townsend marina with marine trades businesses, so if an incident happened at a shop or on a vessel there, say so up front.
For local health questions, Jefferson County Public Health1 can be reached at 360-385-9400. Its Solid Waste Program and Code Compliance program cover waste questions. If repairs need permits, the city’s Planning and Community Development Department (PCD) has Planning, Building and Code Compliance divisions. For incidents involving a crime or serious trauma, see crime and trauma scene cleanup.
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.