Blood cleanup is biohazard work, because blood can carry germs, so it is removed and disinfected rather than just wiped. Blood and other bodily fluids in Seattle are cleaned up safely by an independent biohazard cleanup company whose crew wears protective equipment, removes what cannot be saved, disinfects what remains, and sends the waste through a permitted channel. The first step is to keep everyone away from the area and, if police or the King County Medical Examiner’s Office1 are involved, to wait until they release it. Biohazard Network does not do this work; it connects you with an independent local company, which you hire directly.
Whether this follows an injury at home, a fall, a medical emergency or a death, you do not need to solve everything today. This page explains what the work involves and what to ask.
Why ordinary cleaning is not enough
A biohazard is biological material, such as blood, that can carry disease. Bloodborne pathogens are germs in blood that can cause disease in people. OPIM, short for “other potentially infectious materials,” is the term for other body fluids that can carry those germs.
Blood can disappear from the top of a surface after it has soaked into porous materials, which are materials with tiny openings that absorb liquid, such as carpet, padding, upholstery, drywall and unsealed wood. Household cleaning may remove what you can see and leave what is underneath.
The same is true outside the home. A car seat, an office chair or a carpeted shop floor absorbs fluid the way a sofa does. For a shop, office or other workplace, bloodborne pathogens rules protect employees who might be exposed, so staff should not be asked to clean it up without training for the task.
What happens first
A medical examiner is the county official whose office investigates certain deaths. In Seattle, that office is the King County Medical Examiner’s Office1, which investigates sudden, violent, unexpected, and suspicious deaths that occur in King County; its medicolegal death investigation line is 206-731-3232, ext. 5. When police or the medical examiner are involved, they control the area until scene release, the point when they tell you the space is no longer under their control. If someone died, the unattended death cleanup page covers that situation. After an injury or medical emergency with no investigation, there may be nothing to wait for.
While you wait:
- Keep people and pets out, and close the door if you can.
- Do not scrub, rinse or try to move soaked items.
- Keep affected belongings rather than throwing them out, since the company and your insurer may need to see them.
- Do not pick up sharps, which are needles, syringes, scalpel blades and lancets that can puncture skin. Public Health – Seattle & King County2 has a page called How to handle used or found sharps, and you can point out any you see to the company.
What to expect from the company you hire
Expect the crew to wear protective equipment, such as gloves, coveralls, and eye and face protection. Before anything is removed, ask for:
- A walk-through and a written list of what will be removed and why.
- Photos before, during and after the work, and an itemized record you can give an insurer.
- A plain explanation of how the waste will leave the property.
- A note on whether odor remediation, which means removing the cause of a smell and treating what is left, is needed once the source is gone. Odor remediation in Seattle is its own service.
Homeowners insurance sometimes covers this work. For a car or a business, ask that insurer the same question, and ask the company whether it will deal with your insurer or bill you directly.
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
Before you hire, ask whether the company follows OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard, 29 CFR 1910.1030, and the ANSI/IICRC S540 Standard for Trauma and Crime Scene Cleanup (IICRC is the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification, a non-profit organization for the inspection, cleaning and restoration industries). You can also look the business up yourself with the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) tool called Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business, and the certifications guide explains what each of these means.
The cleanup process, step by step
Ask the company to walk you through each step before it begins.
Assessment
The crew checks where fluid reached, including under flooring, seat covers or trim, and writes a plan for the space.
Containment
Containment means sealing off the work area, for example with plastic sheeting, so nothing spreads to rooms or parts of a vehicle that were not affected.
Removing porous materials
Porous materials that absorbed fluid may need to be cut out, such as a section of carpet pad, drywall or a seat cushion. If removal leaves a gap that needs rebuilding, the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI) issues land use, construction and trade permits in the city, so ask whether the repair needs one. The page on biohazard cleanup and restoration explains how the two kinds of work fit together.
Cleaning and disinfection
Disinfection means applying products that kill germs on a surface. Hard surfaces such as tile, metal and sealed counters are cleaned first and then disinfected.
Disposal of biomedical waste
Biomedical waste is waste that falls within a list set by state law. Under RCW 70A.228.010, that list includes human blood and blood products, such as materials containing free-flowing blood, and sharps waste. Soaked items from a home, car or business can fall into that category, so they do not go out with ordinary garbage. Ask the company which permitted hauler takes its waste. A business owner can also read the health department2’s Biomedical waste guidance for businesses that generate this waste.
Final check
Before the crew leaves, walk through the space with them. Ask how they confirmed the area is clean, and get the final photos and records in writing.
Blood cleanup in Seattle and around King County
Seattle is an incorporated city, so permits and code questions go to SDCI rather than the county. If you manage a rental, SDCI conducts housing-related inspections, and its Code Compliance section takes reports of code violations.
If the person was taken to a hospital such as Harborview Medical Center on Seattle’s First Hill, the home, car or workplace they left still needs attention. For health questions, Public Health – Seattle & King County2 can be reached at 206-296-4600.
Vashon/Maury Island is reachable only by water, so for a property there, ask the company how it will get its crew and equipment across and how the waste will leave.
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. Ask a company where it is based and which route it will use, since that affects how soon it can be there.
For every service in the city, see Seattle, and for the wider county, see King County. If the situation involves a crime or serious trauma, the crime and trauma scene cleanup page applies.
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.