Blood or other bodily fluid in a Bellevue home, car, shop or office is cleaned up safely by a biohazard cleanup company, which treats it as a biohazard, meaning biological material that can carry disease. Once any scene has been released, the company assesses the area, removes what cannot be saved, disinfects the rest and sends the waste out through a permitted hauler. Biohazard Network connects you with an independent local company that does this work; Biohazard Network does not do the cleanup itself, and you hire the company directly.
If you are facing this after an injury, a fall, a medical emergency or an attended death, meaning one that happened while the person was under care, you have already been through a lot. This page explains what the work involves, what happens first and what to ask.
Why ordinary cleaning is not enough
Blood can carry bloodborne pathogens, which are germs in human blood that can cause serious disease in people who come into contact with them. Safety rules treat OPIM, short for other potentially infectious materials, with the same care; the term covers certain body fluids other than blood.
Fluids also soak into porous materials, meaning surfaces full of tiny openings, such as carpet and padding, upholstery, car seats, drywall and unsealed wood. The top can look clean while contamination stays underneath, which is why wiping or shampooing is not the same as making an area safe.
If this happened at a shop or office, workplace rules on bloodborne pathogens protect employees who could be exposed, so staff should not be asked to clean it up without training.
What happens first
If someone was hurt or became ill, their care comes first. After a death that was sudden, violent, unexpected or suspicious, the King County Medical Examiner’s Office1 investigates. A medical examiner is a public official who investigates certain deaths. Police or the medical examiner control the property until they finish and hand it back, a step called scene release, and cleanup starts only after that. The office’s death investigation line, available around the clock, is 206-731-3232, ext. 5, and families are not charged for the investigation or examination. If a death went unnoticed for a time, see unattended death cleanup in Bellevue.
You do not need to clean, move furniture or sort belongings before a company arrives. A few things help:
- Keep children, pets and visitors away from the affected area.
- Do not put stained items in household trash or recycling, or set them at the curb.
- Leave sharps, meaning needles and other items that can pierce skin, where they are. Public Health – Seattle & King County2 has a page titled How to handle used or found sharps.
- Do not take an affected car to a car wash or detailer; tell the company it is a vehicle.
The cleanup process, step by step
Ask the company you hire to walk you through each of these stages before work begins.
Assessment
The company’s crew looks at where fluid reached, including under flooring and inside cushions or seats. Ask for photographs and a written scope of work. Homeowners insurance sometimes covers this kind of cleanup, so call your insurer early; those records can help that conversation.
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
Protection and containment
Cleanup workers wear protective equipment such as gloves, suits and eye protection. Containment means sealing off the work area, for example with plastic sheeting, so contamination does not spread to other rooms.
Removing porous materials
Materials that cannot be fully disinfected are cut out and bagged. Ask the company to check with you before removing any belongings, so you decide what to keep and what to let go.
Cleaning and disinfection
Cleaning removes what can be seen; disinfection means applying products that kill germs on the hard surfaces that remain. Any lingering odor is treated after the source is gone, as the odor remediation page explains.
Disposal of biomedical waste
Biomedical waste is a set of waste types defined in state law. RCW 70A.228.010 lists them, including discarded human blood, materials containing free-flowing blood, and sharps waste such as needles and syringes. Ask the company which permitted hauler it uses. A shop or office owner can also read the department’s Biomedical waste guidance for businesses that generate biomedical waste.
Final check
When the work is done, walk through the area with the crew if you feel able to. Ask how they confirm the job is complete, and request a written record of what was removed and treated.
Questions to ask before you hire
Before you agree to anything, ask the company how its work follows OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard, 29 CFR 1910.1030, and the ANSI/IICRC S540 Standard for Trauma and Crime Scene Cleanup, a voluntary industry standard from the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC). You can also look the business up yourself with the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) tool Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business, and the certifications guide explains what to look for.
Also ask, and get the answers in writing, how the company handles privacy at a home or business and how it bills.
Blood cleanup in Bellevue
Bellevue is an incorporated city, so if removing flooring or drywall leads to repairs, the city’s Development Services handles permits, inspects projects and investigates code violations. Ask the company whether any planned repair will need a permit.
Whether the property is a house near Crossroads Park and its community center or an office near Bellevue Downtown Park in the heart of downtown Bellevue, the steps above are the same. If a company is based elsewhere in the region, ask how it plans to reach you; I-405 and SR 167 form the only north-south highway alternative to I-5 in the Puget Sound region, running from Lynnwood to Sumner.
For questions about its waste programs, Public Health – Seattle & King County2’s main number is 206-296-4600. For a larger scene, see crime and trauma scene cleanup in Bellevue. If water damage is also involved, how biohazard cleanup fits with restoration explains the overlap. More local information is on the Bellevue page and the King 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.
- King County Medical Examiner (opens in a new tab)After a sudden or unexpected death, cleanup waits until this office is done.
- Public Health – Seattle & King County (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.