Biohazard cleanup in Renton, meaning the removal of blood, body fluids and similar material, is done by independent private companies that you hire directly. If someone has died or been hurt, police or the King County Medical Examiner’s Office1 must finish their work and release the home before cleanup starts. After that, Biohazard Network can connect you with an independent local company that serves Renton.
Biohazard Network is a connector, not a cleanup company. We do not do the work or send anyone to the property; you speak with the company and hire it yourself. A biohazard is any material, such as blood or a body fluid, that may carry germs that can make people sick.
Renton is a city, so city offices handle permits and code
Renton is an incorporated city, so the City of Renton, not the county, handles permits and code issues inside city limits, from homes near Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park on the southeast shore of Lake Washington to the Renton Highlands east of the city center and Kennydale, a neighborhood annexed into Renton. The department to know is Community and Economic Development (CED), which leads land use planning and regulation and services for the development process; its page lists Code Compliance and Permit Services. If cleanup leads to repairs that need a permit, or a landlord has a code compliance question, ask CED.
Getting a company to a Renton address
Ask any company where it is based and how it will reach you. Only two transportation facilities cross Lake Washington, the I-90 and SR 520 floating bridges, so a company coming from the far shore will use one of them. 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, which is worth knowing if a company is based along it. Rural Greater Maple Valley/Cedar River lies east of Renton and Kent and extends to the Kittitas County line; if the property is there rather than in the city, say so on the first call.
After a death, the medical examiner comes first
A medical examiner’s office is the public office that investigates certain deaths to learn how and why they happened. The King County Medical Examiner’s Office1 investigates sudden, violent, unexpected and suspicious deaths that occur in King County. Its medicolegal death investigation line, for the medical and legal review of a death, is available 24/7 at 206-731-3232, ext. 5.
The investigation includes photographs, evidence collection and information from family and other witnesses. Scene release is the moment investigators and police say their work at the property is done; cleanup cannot begin before it.
While the examination is under way, you will be asked to choose a funeral home or crematory to receive your loved one, and the office asks families to select one within 3 days. Any personal effects collected go to that funeral home, so ask there about them. Families are not charged for the investigation or examination; the cost of cleanup is separate and is between you and the company you hire.
Public Health – Seattle & King County
For health questions about the property, the county health department is Public Health – Seattle & King County2, at 206-296-4600. If you come across needles, its page How to handle used or found sharps is a sensible first read; sharps are needles, syringes and other items that can puncture skin. If mold has grown after a leak, its Mold page offers education but says Public Health does not conduct mold assessments; the restoration guide explains how mold, water and fire work fits with biohazard cleanup.
Cleanup services in Renton
Unattended death cleanup
An unattended death is one where a person died alone and was not found right away. Unattended death cleanup covers cleaning and disinfecting the affected area after the home is released. Disinfection means using products that kill germs on surfaces after cleaning.
Crime and trauma scene cleanup
Crime and trauma scene cleanup is for a home or business after a violent event or serious injury, and after someone has died by suicide. Evidence that contributed to a death goes to the investigating law enforcement agency, not the family, so ask police about anything they took.
Hoarding cleanup
Hoarding cleanup helps when belongings have built up until rooms are hard to use or to move through safely. Hoarding is a recognized condition, and the person living in the home deserves a say. Ask how the company will sort belongings with you or your parent, set aside papers and keepsakes, and remove only what the person decides to let go.
Blood and bodily fluid cleanup
Blood and bodily fluid cleanup is for smaller areas, such as after an injury or a medical event at home. Workers wear protective equipment because of bloodborne pathogens, which are germs carried in blood that can cause disease. Porous materials, meaning things like carpet, padding and drywall, soak up liquid the longer it sits, which is the plain reason sooner is better; some may need to be removed rather than wiped.
Odor removal
Odor removal deals with odors that remain after the main cleanup. Odor removal means finding and removing the cause of a problem rather than covering it up. Ask the company how it will confirm the source is gone before it treats the air and surfaces.
Sewage and biohazard waste cleanup
Sewage and biohazard waste cleanup covers sewage backups inside a building and the removal of biomedical waste, the legal term for specific kinds of waste listed in state law, such as discarded human blood and used needles. If the home uses a septic system, the same department has an On-site Sewage/Septic System Program.
Questions to ask before you hire
Ask about privacy, such as whether vehicles are marked, and about a written estimate and timing. Homeowners insurance sometimes covers this work, so check your policy and ask whether the company will work with your insurer or expect payment from you.
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: Exclusions in home contracts may include certain events, such as flood or earthquake, says the Insurance Commissioner’s insurance glossary4. Standard homeowner policies also do not cover sewer or drain backups, says the Commissioner’s page on being underinsured5.
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)
Ask, too, how its workers follow OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard, 29 CFR 1910.1030, and the ANSI/IICRC S540 Standard for Trauma and Crime Scene Cleanup, a voluntary standard from the IICRC, a non-profit organization for the inspection, cleaning and restoration industries. Then look the business up in the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) tool Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business, and use the certifications guide to understand what you find.