After a death that went unnoticed in Seattle, decomposition leaves an odor that ordinary cleaning does not remove. A lasting odor after a death, a hoarding situation or a sewage backup goes away only when a cleanup company finds and removes its source, then deodorizes the space and checks the result. In Seattle, if a death is involved, the King County Medical Examiner’s Office1 or police must release the home before that work can start. Biohazard Network connects you with an independent local company that does odor remediation; we do not do the work, and you hire the company directly.
Why covering an odor does not work
Odor remediation is the work of finding and removing what causes an odor, then treating the space so it does not return. Fragrance sprays, candles and household cleaners only mask an odor for a while, because the material causing it is still there. Porous materials, meaning materials that soak up liquid such as carpet, pad, drywall and wood subfloor, can hold that source below the surface, and the company may need to cut them out. The Washington State Department of Health2 (DOH) makes a similar point on its page titled “Mold,” which says not to paint or caulk over mold.
Sources include:
- A death that was not found right away (unattended death cleanup in Seattle)
- A hoarding situation (hoarding cleanup in Seattle)
- Animal or rodent waste
- Smoke after a fire (biohazard cleanup and restoration)
- A sewage backup (sewage and biohazard waste cleanup in Seattle)
What happens first
If a death is involved
The King County Medical Examiner’s Office1 investigates sudden, violent, unexpected and suspicious deaths that occur in King County. A medical examiner is the public office that looks into such deaths; under RCW 68.50.010, jurisdiction over a body found dead is vested in the county coroner or medical examiner. Cleanup can begin only after scene release, meaning police or the medical examiner have finished and handed the home back to you. Families are not charged for the investigation, and for questions about it, the King County Medical Examiner’s Office can be reached at 206-731-3232. Until release, please do not clean, cover or air out the room, and leave bedding, furniture and other belongings in place, since an insurer may want to inspect damaged items.
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 works. For sudden, accidental smoke damage, standard policies typically pay for cleaning and deodorizing, says the Commissioner’s smoke damage page3.
Usually not covered: Damage from smoking tobacco inside your own home over time is not covered, says the Insurance Commissioner’s smoke damage page3.
Ask your insurer: “Does my policy cover removing this odor from my home and belongings, and which items would be cleaned and which replaced?” Source: Smoke damage and your homeowner or renter insurance (Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner)3
If the source is animal waste or a hoarding situation
DOH4’s page titled “Hantavirus” says to handle all rodent droppings as if infectious and not to stir up dust by vacuuming or sweeping, so leave any droppings alone and mention them to the company. In a hoarding situation, odor work follows sorting: the person living in the home, or the family, first decides what to keep and what to let go.
If the source is sewage
Public Health – Seattle & King County has a program page titled “Sewage releases in Seattle and King County.” DOH2’s mold page says to hire a cleaning professional when mold has been contaminated by sewage, so a backup may need sewage cleanup and mold work before deodorizing can succeed.
What to expect from the company you hire
Ask the company to explain each step of its plan in writing:
- Protective equipment. Workers wear gloves, suits and breathing protection around affected materials.
- Containment. This means sealing off the work area, for example with plastic sheeting, so dust does not spread to other rooms.
- Removal. Ask which porous materials the company expects to remove, and why.
- Disinfection. This means treating remaining surfaces with products that kill germs.
- Deodorizing last. Deodorizing means treating the air and surfaces to break down odor that remains, and it works only after the source is gone.
- Checking the result. Ask how the company will confirm the odor is gone before walls or floors are closed up.
- Disposal. Biomedical waste is a legal category limited to types listed in Washington law, such as discarded human blood and needles taken out of their sterile packaging.
- Records. Ask for photos and a written list of what was removed. The Office of the Insurance Commissioner5 (OIC) says you can ask your agent or insurance company whether a loss is covered without filing a claim, and that homeowners can choose their own contractor for covered repairs.
Before you hire, ask how the company’s workers follow OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard, 29 CFR 1910.1030, the federal rule on worker exposure to bloodborne pathogens (germs in blood that can cause disease), and whether its methods follow 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. You can also look the business up with the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) tool Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business, and the certifications guide explains what each of these covers.
How long odor remediation takes
No one can say how long the work will take until a company has seen the source and the affected materials. These factors add time:
- How long the source was there. The longer it sat, the deeper it may reach into floors and walls.
- Porous materials. Cutting out carpet, pad, drywall or subfloor adds steps, and the surfaces beneath need treatment too.
- Ventilation. Rooms with little airflow can hold odor longer.
- Restoration. Replacing flooring, drywall or fixtures is separate work that comes after deodorizing and checking.
- Insurance approvals. The OIC5 says insurers have five business days to approve a mitigation scope when the policy requires protecting the property from further damage.
Rebuilding over a source that is still there can mean opening the wall again, so a confirmed result is worth waiting for.
Odor remediation in Seattle and King County
Seattle is an incorporated city, so the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI) is the office that issues construction and trade permits if restoration follows. Its Code Compliance section takes reports of code violations, which may matter to a landlord if an odor has led to a complaint. Public Health – Seattle & King County has an education page titled “Mold” for indoor air questions, though it says Public Health does not conduct mold assessments; its main number is 206-296-4600.
Vashon/Maury Island is reachable only by water, so for a property there, ask the company how it will bring equipment over and take affected materials away; the Fauntleroy ferry terminal carries ferry riders between West Seattle, Vashon Island and the Kitsap Peninsula. See also the Seattle page and the King County page.
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.