After an unattended death on Bainbridge Island, the cleanup is done by an independent biohazard cleanup company that the family, the estate or the property owner hires directly. First, law enforcement and the Kitsap County Medical Examiner’s Office1 finish their work and release the home. Biohazard Network can connect you with an independent local company; we do not do the cleanup ourselves.
If someone you love died alone at home and was not found right away, you may be in shock and facing many decisions. You are not expected to clean anything, and you can take the steps below one at a time.
Why ordinary cleaning is not enough
When a person is not found for some time, body fluids can spread into the home. These fluids are a biohazard, meaning material that can carry germs able to cause disease. They soak into porous materials, which are things that absorb liquid, such as carpet, padding, drywall, mattresses and wood. Surface cleaning leaves contamination underneath. Professional cleanup removes what was affected, which protects the health of anyone who enters the home later and lets the home be repaired and lived in again.
What happens first
The medical examiner
Death investigations here are handled by the Kitsap County Medical Examiner’s Office1, under an appointed medical examiner system. A medical examiner is an official who investigates deaths to learn how and why they happened. Washington law places a person found dead, or a death from an unknown cause, under the county medical examiner’s jurisdiction, so the family waits for this office before planning any cleanup. Questions about the investigation can go to the Kitsap County Medical Examiner’s Office at 360.731.6843.
Cleanup begins after scene release, which means police or the medical examiner have finished and the home may be entered for cleanup. Until then, do not go in to clean or move anything. Even after release, do not throw away carpet, bedding or furniture yourself; ask your insurer first, since it may want to inspect damaged items.
The funeral home
You choose a funeral home, and personal property the office secured is released to it along with the body, so ask the funeral home about personal effects. Ask the investigators for the pamphlet they carry for families, which answers common questions, explains autopsies and lists grief-counseling resources. The office’s family Resource Guide states that it does not endorse or recommend any specific providers, so the choice of cleanup company is yours.
What to expect from the company you hire
Cleanup workers wear protective equipment because of bloodborne pathogens, which are germs carried in blood that can cause serious illness. Ask the company to explain each step before work starts:
- Containment: sealing off the work area so contamination does not spread to other rooms.
- Removal: taking out affected porous materials, including flooring and subfloor where needed.
- Disinfection: applying products that kill germs on the surfaces that remain.
- Odor work: treating the air and structure after the source is removed; see odor remediation on Bainbridge Island.
- Records: photos, a written scope of work and an itemized invoice for your insurer.
Biomedical waste is waste of the types Washington law lists, such as human blood and blood products. In Kitsap County, hauling it is regulated by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) and the Kitsap Public Health District2 (KPHD), and a hauler needs UTC approval and a KPHD Solid Waste Hauling Permit. Ask which permitted company will take the waste; the KPHD Site Restoration Hauler permit is a different permit, not the biomedical waste hauling permit.
Before you hire, ask whether the company follows OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard3, 29 CFR 1910.1030, and the ANSI/IICRC S540 Standard for Trauma and Crime Scene Cleanup, which comes from the IICRC (Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification), a non-profit organization for the cleaning and restoration industries. You can also search the company’s name in the Department of Labor & Industries4 (L&I) tool called Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business4, and the certifications guide explains what to look for.
How long it takes, and what makes it longer
A company cannot promise a timeline before it sees the home, and the work can grow once materials are opened up. Ask about these factors:
- How long before the person was found. More time can mean fluids reached farther into the home.
- Porous materials. Items and building materials that absorbed fluids are removed, not cleaned, and each one adds work.
- Flooring and subfloor. If contamination went below the surface, layers come out until clean material is reached.
- Odor work. This starts only after the source is removed, and the crew may treat and check more than once.
- Rebuilding. New floors or walls are a separate stage after cleanup; see how biohazard cleanup fits with restoration.
When a policy requires protecting the property from further damage, the Office of the Insurance Commissioner5 (OIC) says insurers have five business days to approve a mitigation scope, meaning the plan for stopping further damage.
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 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 exclude.
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
If you are the landlord or property manager
When a tenant who lived alone dies, RCW 59.18.595 sets out your duties. Start by checking the file for a designated person, someone a tenant living alone may name in writing, separate from the lease, to act for them on their death. Promptly mail or hand-deliver a written notice to that person, any known personal representative and the emergency contact on the rental application, among others, stating that the tenancy ends 15 days after the notice or on the date rent is paid through, whichever is later. You may enter and immediately dispose of perishable food, hazardous materials and garbage, but leave the tenant’s belongings for the tenant representative. Before you sell or dispose of belongings, a second notice must name a date at least 45 days after it is mailed, and personal papers and personal photographs are excluded.
Bainbridge Island and Kitsap County offices
Bainbridge Island is an incorporated city, and its Planning and Community Development (PCD) Department coordinates and manages development and land-use activity on the island, so ask it about rebuilding work after cleanup. In the county, SR 3 and SR 16 through Gorst are the only land-based route onto the Kitsap Peninsula and are congested, so ask a company coming from off the peninsula how it will reach you. For sharps, which are needles, syringes and blades, the Kitsap Public Health District2 offers Safely Handling Sharps guidance and can be reached at 360-728-2235. For other services, see cleanup in Bainbridge Island, blood and bodily fluid cleanup and Kitsap 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.
- Kitsap County Medical Examiner (opens in a new tab)After a sudden or unexpected death, cleanup waits until this office is done.
- Kitsap Public Health District (opens in a new tab)For local health questions, such as a home that was used as a drug lab.
- Kitsap Public Health: permitted waste haulers (opens in a new tab)Cleanup companies that haul away waste here need this permit.
- 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.