When a death in Seattle is found days later, decomposition can reach floors, walls and the air, so this cleanup takes more than ordinary cleaning. After an unattended death in Seattle, the cleanup is done by an independent biohazard cleanup company that the family, property owner or landlord hires directly. First, the King County Medical Examiner’s Office1, the county office that investigates certain deaths, completes its work, and the family chooses a funeral home. Biohazard Network can connect you with an independent local company; we are a connector and do not do the cleanup ourselves.
An unattended death means a person died alone and was not found right away. It is a hard thing to face, and you are not expected to clean the room yourself. Please do not try.
Why ordinary cleaning is not enough
When time passes before a person is found, body fluids can soak below the surface into flooring and walls. These fluids are a biohazard, meaning material that can carry germs harmful to people, including bloodborne pathogens, which are germs carried in blood that can cause disease. Household cleaners do not reach below the surface or make the area safe. Professional cleanup protects anyone who later lives in or repairs the home, and it protects the home, since affected materials left in place can keep causing problems after the surface looks clean.
What happens first in King County
King County uses a medical examiner system, so in Seattle the office involved is the King County Medical Examiner’s Office1, which investigates sudden, violent, unexpected, and suspicious deaths that occur in King County. If you have questions about where things stand, the King County Medical Examiner’s Office medicolegal death investigation line, available 24/7, is 206-731-3232, ext. 5.
Until police or the medical examiner give scene release, meaning permission to enter and begin work, leave the room as it is and do not remove anything. If you see needles or other sharps, meaning anything that can puncture skin, do not touch them; Public Health – Seattle & King County2 has guidance on how to handle used or found sharps.
While the examination is under way, the family chooses a funeral home or crematory to receive the person. The office asks families to choose within 3 days, so it can help for one relative to make that call while another handles the home. Personal effects the office collects go to that funeral home, and families are not charged for the investigation or examination.
What to expect from the company you hire
Ask whether the crew will wear protective equipment and set up containment, which means sealing off the work area so contamination does not spread through the home. Porous materials, meaning things that soak up liquid such as carpet, mattresses and drywall, may need to be cut out and removed. Disinfection, which means applying products that kill germs, then treats the surfaces that remain. Odor work comes last, after the source is gone; odor work in Seattle explains that step.
Biomedical waste is a legal category in Washington that covers specific listed types of waste, such as discarded human blood and materials containing free-flowing blood. Ask, too, for photos, a list of what was removed and a written scope of work to share with your insurer.
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. For damage from those risks, dwelling coverage typically covers repairing or replacing your damaged home.
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 cleanup and repairs after a death in my home, and what limits apply?” Source: Filing a homeowner insurance claim (Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner)5
How to check a company
Before you hire, ask whether the company’s workers are trained under OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard, 29 CFR 1910.1030, and whether it follows the ANSI/IICRC S540 Standard for Trauma and Crime Scene Cleanup, a voluntary industry standard from the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC). You can look the business up yourself with the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) tool called Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business, and biohazard cleanup certifications explained describes what each of these means.
How long it takes, and what makes it longer
No one can give a firm timeline before seeing the home, so ask the company for an estimate after it inspects. These factors can add time:
- Time before the person was found. The longer it was, the farther fluids may have spread and the more material may need to come out.
- Porous materials. Anything that absorbed fluid must be removed, not wiped down.
- Flooring and subfloor. If fluids passed through the floor covering, the crew may need to cut out subfloor, the structural layer underneath, and treat what lies below.
- Odor work. It starts only after the source is removed and surfaces are disinfected.
- Rebuilding. Replacing flooring or drywall is a separate step, and the Seattle Department of Construction and Inspections (SDCI) issues land use, construction, and trade permits, so ask whether the repair needs one.
- Insurance. When a policy requires protecting the property from further damage, the Office of the Insurance Commissioner5 says insurers have five business days to approve a mitigation scope (a plan for stopping further damage); ask your insurer whether it wants to inspect first.
For landlords and property managers
If a tenant who lived alone dies in a Seattle rental, RCW 59.18.595 sets out the landlord’s duties. On learning of the death, you must promptly mail or personally deliver a written notice to people including any known personal representative, any known designated person, and the emergency contact on the rental application. Check your files for a designation: a tenant who lives alone can name a person in writing, separate from the rental agreement, to act for them after death. The notice must say the tenancy ends 15 days after it is mailed or delivered, or on the date rent is paid through, whichever is later, so plan the cleanup around that date.
You may enter right away to dispose of perishable food, hazardous materials, and garbage, but the law sets separate steps for the tenant’s belongings, which a tenant representative, such as the personal representative of the estate, may ask in writing to take possession of. Tell the cleanup company which items to set aside and document. A second written notice, naming a date at least 45 days after mailing, must come before any sale or disposal, and personal papers and personal photographs are excluded even then.
Unattended death cleanup across Seattle
Whether the home is near Discovery Park, Seattle’s largest park, or near Pike Place Market, Seattle’s original farmers market, the same offices are involved: the King County Medical Examiner’s Office1 and Public Health – Seattle & King County2. A company based on the Eastside reaches Seattle across Lake Washington on one of only two crossings, the I-90 and SR 520 floating bridges, so ask how and when it can reach the property. See also biohazard and trauma cleanup in Seattle and 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.