Biohazard cleanup in Kent, WA is done by independent private companies that you hire directly, and Biohazard Network can connect you with one that serves Kent; we do not do the cleanup ourselves. A biohazard is any material, such as blood or other body fluids, that can carry germs able to cause disease. If someone has died or been hurt, the first step is to call emergency services and let police or the King County Medical Examiner’s Office1 finish their work, because cleanup starts only after the property is released.
This page covers who you deal with in Kent, how a company reaches the property, and which service fits your situation. For the wider county picture, see biohazard and trauma cleanup in King County.
Kent is a city, so city offices handle permits
Kent is an incorporated city, so permits and code questions go to city offices rather than the county. The city’s Economic and Community Development department runs the city’s Permit Center. If cleanup uncovers damage that needs repair, ask the Permit Center whether the repair needs a permit. The city’s directory also lists a separate Code Enforcement entry, which describes its job as helping keep Kent safe and beautiful.
Getting a company to the property
Ask each company where its crew is based and how it will reach you. A crew coming from elsewhere in the Puget Sound region may use I-5 or I-405 and SR 167, which form the only north-south highway alternative to I-5, running from Lynnwood to Sumner. The rural Greater Maple Valley/Cedar River area lies east of Renton and Kent and extends to the Kittitas County line, so if the property is out there, confirm the company serves it. For a property in another city, see Renton or Federal Way, which is served by I-5 and State Highways 18, 99 and 509.
When a death happens in Kent
A medical examiner is a public office that investigates deaths to learn their cause; this one investigates sudden, violent, unexpected, and suspicious deaths that occur in King County. You do not have to decide whether a death falls under that office; police and the medical examiner make that call. The King County Medical Examiner’s Office1 line for death investigations, available 24/7, is 206-731-3232, ext. 5.
At the home, the investigation can include photographs, evidence collection, and questions for family and other witnesses. Scene release is the moment police or the medical examiner tell you their work at the property is done, and no cleanup should begin before then. You will also be asked to choose a funeral home or crematory; personal effects collected in the investigation go there, and families are asked to choose within 3 days.
Families are not charged for the investigation or examination, but cleanup is a separate private service. Ask any company for a written estimate and whether it can work with your insurer, and check your own policy, since homeowners insurance sometimes covers this work.
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 works2. Personal property coverage includes your furnishings and personal items, such as your TV, clothing and dishes, the same page says.
Usually not covered: Exclusions in home contracts may include certain events, such as flood or earthquake, says the Insurance Commissioner’s insurance glossary3. Standard homeowner policies also do not cover sewer or drain backups, says the Commissioner’s page on being underinsured4.
Ask your insurer: “Without filing a claim yet, can you tell me if my policy covers biohazard cleanup in my home, and what limits apply?” Source: Filing a homeowner insurance claim (Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner)
The health department for Kent
Public Health – Seattle & King County5 is the health department that covers Kent, and its main number is 206-296-4600. It publishes guidance on how to handle used or found sharps, meaning needles, syringes, lancets and blades. If you find one, do not touch it; leave it for the cleanup company or follow that guidance.
Cleanup services in Kent
If more than one service fits, tell the company everything at the start.
Unattended death cleanup
An unattended death means a person died alone and was not found right away. Unattended death cleanup in Kent covers disinfection after release, meaning products that kill germs on surfaces, and removal of porous materials, such as carpet, padding or a mattress, that absorb fluids and cannot be fully cleaned.
Crime and trauma scene cleanup
Crime and trauma scene cleanup in Kent covers cleanup after a violent crime, a serious accident, or a death by suicide, once police have released the property. If someone you love died by suicide, start there, and ask the company to explain each step before work begins.
Hoarding cleanup
Hoarding is a recognized condition, not a personal failing. Hoarding cleanup in Kent covers sorting belongings, keeping what matters, removing what the person decides to let go, and cleaning any health hazards along the way. Ask how a company will include your parent or the person living in the home in each decision.
Blood and bodily fluid cleanup
Blood and bodily fluid cleanup in Kent fits smaller events, such as a fall, an injury or a medical emergency at a home or rental unit. The concern is bloodborne pathogens, germs carried in blood, such as hepatitis B, that can cause disease, which is why cleanup workers wear protective equipment.
Odor removal
Odor removal means fixing a problem at its source. Odor removal in Kent treats odors that remain after a death, a cleanup or long-term buildup by finding and removing what causes them rather than covering them up. Public Health – Seattle & King County5 offers mold education but does not conduct mold assessments, so if mold or water damage is involved, read how biohazard cleanup fits with water, fire and mold restoration.
Sewage and biohazard waste cleanup
Sewage and biohazard waste cleanup in Kent covers sewage backups and removal of biomedical waste. Washington law limits biomedical waste to listed types, including discarded human blood and sharps waste. Ask each company how it will dispose of what it removes.
Checking a company before you hire
Ask each 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 (the IICRC, or Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification, is a non-profit for the cleaning and restoration industries), then look the business up yourself with the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) tool, Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business. The guide biohazard cleanup certifications explained sets out what each of those covers and what the lookup can tell you.