A lasting odor after a death, a hoarding situation or a sewage backup in Federal Way is removed by finding and taking out its source, then deodorizing what remains. Biohazard Network can connect you with an independent local company that you hire directly; we do not do the work ourselves.
If you are facing this, it is normal to feel unsure where to begin. This page walks through what comes first and what to ask.
Why covering an odor does not work
Odor remediation means removing the cause of an odor and then treating the space so it does not return. Remediation simply means fixing a problem at its source. The cause may be an unattended death, a hoarding situation, animal waste, smoke or sewage. In every case, the odor comes from material still inside the home.
Air fresheners, candles and household cleaners only add a scent on top, so the odor comes back when they fade. The Washington State Department of Health1 (DOH) makes the same point about mold: do not paint or caulk over it.
The hardest part is porous materials, meaning materials that soak up liquid, such as carpet, carpet pad, drywall and the wooden subfloor beneath. Once moisture or fluids reach them, surface cleaning cannot get to the source, and those sections may have to be cut out. Deodorizing comes only after the source is gone. The final step is checking that the odor has not returned before repairs close anything up.
If a death is involved, the medical examiner comes first
A medical examiner is a county official whose office investigates certain deaths. The King County Medical Examiner’s Office investigates sudden, violent, unexpected, and suspicious deaths that occur in King County, and it can be reached for death investigation at 206-731-3232, ext. 5. Under RCW 68.50.010, jurisdiction over the body in deaths like these rests with the county coroner or medical examiner.
The office’s work at the scene includes photographs and evidence collection, so leave the room as it is. Scene release is the point when police or the medical examiner finish and hand the property back to you. Families are not charged for the office’s investigation or examination.
Until the scene is released, close the door to the room if you can, keep children and pets away, and do not scrub, spray or discard anything. The Office of the Insurance Commissioner2 (OIC) says you can ask your agent or insurance company whether a loss is covered without filing a claim. The unattended death cleanup page covers the rest of that process.
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. For sudden, accidental smoke damage, standard policies typically pay for cleaning and deodorizing, says the Commissioner’s smoke damage page4.
Usually not covered: Damage from smoking tobacco inside your own home over time is not covered, says the Insurance Commissioner’s smoke damage page4.
Ask your insurer: “Does my policy cover removing this odor from my home and belongings, and which items would be cleaned and which replaced?” Source: Smoke damage and your homeowner or renter insurance (Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner)4
What to expect from the company you hire
Workers wear protective equipment such as gloves, suits and respirators, because body fluids can carry bloodborne pathogens, which are germs in blood that can cause disease. Ask about containment, which means sealing off the work area, for example with plastic sheeting, so contamination does not spread. Affected porous materials come out next. Disinfection follows, meaning treating surfaces with products that kill germs, and odor treatment comes last.
Some removed material may be biomedical waste, a term Washington law limits to listed types, including discarded blood, materials containing free-flowing blood, and sharps waste such as used needles and syringes.
Ask for written records: photos, a list of what was removed and why, and the odor treatment used. The OIC says homeowners have the right to choose their own contractor for covered repairs, and warns that signing a contractor’s assignment of benefit form could affect your rights. If privacy matters, ask about vehicles and scheduling before work starts.
Before you hire, ask how the company’s work follows OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard5, 29 CFR 1910.1030, and the ANSI/IICRC S540 Standard for Trauma and Crime Scene Cleanup from the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC), a non-profit organization for the inspection, cleaning and restoration industries. You can also look the business up in the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) tool Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business, and the certifications guide explains what the results mean.
How long odor remediation takes
No one can give a reliable length of time before seeing the property. These things make the work longer:
- How long the source was present. More time can mean the odor has reached more of the surrounding materials.
- Porous materials. Removing carpet pad, drywall or subfloor adds steps.
- Ventilation. Heating and cooling ducts can carry odor into other rooms that then need treatment.
- Belongings. In a hoarding situation, sorting moves at the pace of the person living in the home and what they decide to let go; see hoarding cleanup.
- Restoration. Rebuilding is separate work that should wait until the odor is confirmed gone.
If you file a claim, the OIC2 says the insurer has 30 days from the date the claim is filed to inspect the damage, which can shape when work starts. Ask the company for a written plan that says how it will check the result.
Sewage and mold
A sewage backup leaves contamination as well as odor, so the source is everything the water reached. For background before you call a company, Public Health – Seattle & King County (main number 206-296-4600) publishes a page on sewage releases in Seattle and King County. Leftover moisture can also lead to mold, and DOH1 says to hire a cleaning professional when a moldy area has been contaminated by sewage or is in hidden places. The county’s mold page says Public Health does not conduct mold assessments, so ask your company how it will check for mold. See sewage and biohazard waste and how biohazard cleanup fits with restoration.
Odor remediation in Federal Way
Federal Way is an incorporated city, and its Community Development Department handles building and code matters. If removing drywall or subfloor leads to repairs, its Building Division administers building codes, including plan review and inspection, so ask the company whether your repairs need a permit. Its Code Compliance division handles enforcement cases on private property on a complaint basis, which matters to a landlord whose rental has drawn a complaint.
If you also manage property on Vashon/Maury Island, which is reachable only by water, ask each company separately whether it serves the island; the Fauntleroy ferry terminal carries riders between West Seattle, Vashon Island and the Kitsap Peninsula.
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.