Crime Scene, Homicide and Trauma Cleanup in Seattle, WA

Trauma cleanup in Seattle covers the home or business after a homicide, an assault, a suicide or a serious accident. After a crime, a serious injury or a death by suicide in Seattle, an independent crime and trauma scene cleanup company that you hire does the cleanup; police and the county do not. The work can start only after police, and the King County Medical Examiner’s Office¹ if someone died, release the property. Biohazard Network does not do this work; we can connect you with an independent local company, which you hire directly.

We are sorry you are facing this. If you or anyone in your family is struggling, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline offers free, confidential support by call, text or chat, any time of day or night, including for someone worried about a loved one.

What this cleanup involves

This service covers what is left after an assault, a homicide, a break-in where someone was hurt, a serious accident, or a death by suicide. The company’s crew removes and disinfects what was left behind, so your family does not have to see or handle any of it. A biohazard is biological material, such as blood, that can make people sick. Blood can carry bloodborne pathogens, which are germs such as viruses that cause disease. Safety rules group blood with certain other body fluids as OPIM, short for “other potentially infectious materials.” Household cleaning can spread these materials instead of removing them, and contamination can soak in below the surface.

What happens first

Police control the property while they investigate. If someone died, the King County Medical Examiner’s Office¹, the county office that investigates sudden, violent, unexpected, and suspicious deaths that occur in King County, also has a role. Under RCW 68.50.010, a death caused by violence, whether self-induced or otherwise, falls under the jurisdiction of the county coroner or medical examiner, so the person’s care is in that office’s hands, not yours. Its work at the scene includes photographs, evidence collection and information from family and witnesses, and families are not charged for the investigation. If you have questions, its medicolegal death investigation line, available 24/7, is 206-731-3232, ext. 5.

Scene release means investigators have finished and handed the property back. Until then, stay out of the affected area. After release, you still do not need to clean, move or throw away anything before the cleanup company arrives.

After a death by suicide

If your family has lost someone to suicide, the cleanup company can take this task off your shoulders. While the examination is under way, you choose a funeral home or crematory, and the office asks families to choose within 3 days. Personal effects collected in the investigation go to that funeral home, which is also where viewing happens. You do not need to go back inside until the work is done. If privacy matters to you, ask the company before hiring how it handles discretion, such as whether its vehicles are marked.

For property managers and employers

After an injury or accident at a rental, a shared building or a workplace, close off the area and keep tenants, staff and visitors away. Do not ask maintenance or janitorial staff to handle it. Before work starts, ask the company what written records it will provide afterward: what was removed, how it was disposed of, photos, and confirmation that cleaning was finished. Keep those records for insurance and your own files.

What to expect from the company you hire

The crew wears protective equipment such as gloves, suits and respirators. Ask how it will set up containment, which means sealing off the work area so contamination does not spread. Porous materials, meaning things that soak up fluids such as carpet, padding and drywall, may need to be removed rather than cleaned. Hard surfaces are cleaned and then disinfected; disinfection means applying products that kill remaining germs. Odor is treated after its source is removed, as the odor remediation page explains.

Biomedical waste is Washington’s legal term for certain discarded materials, including human blood, materials containing free-flowing blood, and sharps waste such as used needles. Also ask for a written estimate and a final report with photos for your insurer.

Before you hire anyone, ask how the company follows OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard², 29 CFR 1910.1030, and the ANSI/IICRC S540 Standard for Trauma and Crime Scene Cleanup, a voluntary standard from the IICRC (Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification), a non-profit for the cleaning and restoration industries. You can also look the business up yourself in the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries³ (L&I) tool called Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business³, and our certifications guide explains what to look for.

Does insurance cover crime scene cleanup?

Homeowners insurance sometimes covers this work, so check before assuming either way. The Office of the Insurance Commissioner⁴ (OIC) says you can ask your agent or company whether a loss is covered without filing a claim. When you ask, mention dwelling coverage, which the OIC says typically covers repairing or replacing a damaged home, and the limited debris removal coverage it says a homeowner policy generally includes. If the loss was due to a crime, notify police and keep a copy of the report, as the OIC advises. You may choose your own contractor for covered repairs, but read any assignment of benefit form carefully, since the OIC warns that signing one could affect your rights. Renters should know that a landlord’s policy does not cover a renter’s personal property.

The Crime Victims Compensation Program

The Crime Victims Compensation Program⁵ of L&I⁵ does not pay for crime scene cleanup; L&I lists it under what the program does not pay for. It may still help with other costs, including mental health treatment, grief counseling, partial wage loss replacement and funeral expenses. If someone in your family was hurt by the crime, it may be worth applying: a person qualifies if they were physically injured or mentally traumatized by a gross misdemeanor or felony in Washington, and the crime was reported to law enforcement with cooperation in the investigation. Because the program pays only after primary insurance, file with your own insurer first.

Seattle and King County details

Whether the property is near Pike Place Market, Seattle’s original farmers market, or near Green Lake Park, the steps above are the same. If the company you choose is based on the Eastside, it reaches Seattle by I-90 and its floating bridges or by the SR 520 floating bridge, so ask where its crew is coming from. If needles are found on the property, Public Health – Seattle & King County, at 206-296-4600, has guidance on how to handle used or found sharps.

If a death went unnoticed for some time, Unattended Death Cleanup in Seattle, WA covers that situation.

Crime and trauma scene cleanup: every town we cover