A sewage backup, a septic failure, found needles or rodent droppings in a Renton home, rental or business are cleaned up by a private biohazard cleanup company that the owner, landlord or property manager hires directly. First, keep people and pets away from the area and leave the material alone. Biohazard Network connects you with an independent local company; we do not do the work, and you hire the company yourself.
Finding this in a property you own or manage is stressful. This page explains what the work involves, what to do first, and how waste has to leave the property.
What this service covers
A biohazard is any material that can carry germs that make people sick. This page covers biohazards that are not tied to a death or a crime: sewage from a backed-up line or a failed septic system; sharps, meaning needles, syringes and blades; rodent droppings and nests; and other contaminated material left in rentals, vacant properties and businesses.
Biohazard remediation means removing the contamination and making the space safe to use again. Ordinary cleaning falls short because sewage soaks into floors and walls where a mop cannot reach, and household tools can spread germs instead of removing them. The Washington State Department of Health1 (DOH) says on its Mold page to hire a cleaning professional when a moldy area has been contaminated by sewage.
A medical examiner is a public official who investigates certain deaths, and Unattended Death Cleanup in Renton, WA covers that situation. A former illegal drug lab is a separate job too, because its decontamination workers and contractors must be certified through DOH’s Drug Lab Cleanup Program.
What to do first, and what not to touch
Sewage or septic backup
Keep everyone out of the wet area, avoid drains connected to the backup, and do not try to dry or bleach soaked carpet yourself. For a property on septic, Public Health – Seattle & King County2, the county health department, has an On-site Sewage/Septic System Program and a page on Sewage releases in Seattle and King County. Its main number is 206-296-4600.
Needles and other sharps
Do not pick up a needle with bare hands or drop it in household trash. Public Health – Seattle & King County2 publishes How to handle used or found sharps; read it before anyone touches one, or leave sharps for the company you hire.
Rodent droppings
Hantavirus is a virus that infected deer mice can shed in urine, saliva and droppings, according to DOH3’s Hantavirus page. Because people can breathe it in from dust stirred up while cleaning droppings or nests, do not sweep or vacuum, and do not rely on a dust mask, which DOH says does not protect against viruses. Treat every dropping as possibly infectious, since there is no way to tell how old it is.
How the process works
The company you hire should inspect the whole area, including spaces under floors and behind walls, and give you a written plan before work begins.
The crew wears protective equipment such as gloves, suits and respirators, and sets up containment, which means sealing off the work area so contamination does not spread to clean rooms. Porous materials are ones that absorb liquid, like carpet, pad, drywall and insulation. Ask which of them the company plans to remove, since sewage that has soaked in cannot be wiped away. Disinfection, the step that kills germs on surfaces after cleaning, follows on what stays. Odor work comes once the source is gone; see Odor Remediation in Renton, WA.
How waste leaves the property
Biomedical waste is the legal term for certain infectious waste, and Washington’s definition is limited to the types listed in RCW 70A.228.010, including sharps waste and materials containing free-flowing blood. Any landlord or business owner can also ask how the company keeps that waste apart, since a company that collects and transports biomedical waste must keep an operating plan that holds it separate from other solid waste until treatment or disposal.
Removed flooring and drywall are a separate load. The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission says a company must obtain a certificate of public convenience and necessity before transporting solid waste for compensation, so ask who will haul that load.
Records and insurance
Ask for photos, a written scope of work and an itemized invoice to give your insurer. The Office of the Insurance Commissioner4 (OIC) says you can ask your agent or company whether a loss is covered without filing a claim, which is worth doing before work starts. You may choose your own contractor for covered repairs; before you sign a contractor’s assignment of benefit form, know that the OIC warns it could affect your rights. In a rental, a landlord’s policy does not cover a tenant’s personal property, and tenants should keep damaged items until their insurer says whether it wants to inspect them.
Usually covered: If your home is on a sewer system, sewer backup coverage can be added to a home policy as an optional endorsement, says the Insurance Commissioner’s flood insurance page5.
Usually not covered: A standard home policy does not cover sewer backup, but it can be added as an optional endorsement, says the Insurance Commissioner’s flood insurance page5. If you rent, your landlord’s or property management company’s policy covers the building but not your belongings, says the Commissioner’s renter insurance page.
Ask your insurer: “Does my policy include a sewer backup endorsement, and does it cover this backup?” Source: Learn how home insurance works (Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner)
Restoration afterward
Sewage cleanup overlaps with water damage restoration. Once the biohazard is removed, drying and rebuilding can follow, sometimes by a different company; How Biohazard Cleanup Fits With Water, Fire and Mold Restoration explains the handoff.
Checking a company before you hire
Ask the company how its work follows OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard, 29 CFR 1910.1030 (bloodborne pathogens are germs in blood that can cause disease), and the ANSI/IICRC S540 Standard for Trauma and Crime Scene Cleanup from the IICRC, a non-profit organization for the inspection, cleaning and restoration industries. Then look the business up yourself with the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) tool called Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business, and read Biohazard Cleanup Certifications Explained to understand what each check tells you.
Renton and King County
Renton includes Kennydale, a neighborhood annexed into the city, and Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park, a city park along the southeast shore of Lake Washington. Because Renton is an incorporated city, its Community and Economic Development (CED) department, which leads land use planning and regulation and services for the development process, is where to ask about permits if walls or floors must be rebuilt. Its page lists Code Compliance and Permit Services among its sections.
If someone left contaminated material on your property, Public Health – Seattle & King County2 has an Illegal dumping program. If mold appears after a backup, its Mold page offers education, but Public Health does not conduct mold assessments.
Ask any company where its crew is based. King County also includes Vashon Island, which ferry riders reach through the Fauntleroy ferry terminal, and the rural Snoqualmie Valley around cities such as North Bend and Skykomish. More local guidance is on Biohazard and Trauma Cleanup in Renton, WA and Biohazard and Trauma Cleanup in King County.
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.