Biohazard cleanup in Kingston, WA, is done by independent local companies that you hire and pay directly, and Biohazard Network can connect you with one that serves this part of Kitsap County. If someone has died or been hurt, the first step is waiting until the officials in charge have finished and released the home. Cleanup starts after that.
Biohazard Network is a connector only. We do not clean, we do not employ crews, and we do not do or supervise the work. A biohazard is blood, body fluid or other biological material that can carry germs that cause disease. This page explains who you will deal with in Kingston, how a company reaches the property, and which kind of cleanup fits your situation.
Kingston is an unincorporated community
Kingston is an unincorporated community, so it has no city government of its own. Code complaints about property in unincorporated Kitsap County go to the Department of Community Development. Whether the home is near Kingston old town, the small-town commercial core, or out toward Kola Kole Park on NE Maine Street or North Kitsap Heritage Park off Miller Bay Road, that is the department that takes a complaint.
Getting a cleanup company to Kingston
Washington State Ferries runs an Edmonds / Kingston route. Kitsap Transit’s fast ferries from Kingston to downtown Seattle are passenger-only, so a crew bringing a work vehicle cannot use them. By land, SR 3 and SR 16 through Gorst are the only route onto the Kitsap Peninsula, and that route is congested. From Jefferson County, the SR 104 Hood Canal Bridge is the link, and it can drop to single-lane, one-way alternating traffic for repairs. Ask any company where its crew starts from and how it plans to reach your property.
When someone has died at home
The Kitsap County Medical Examiner’s Office1 investigates all sudden, unexpected, or unnatural deaths in Kitsap County. A medical examiner is an appointed official who leads death investigations. Police or the medical examiner control the home until they release it. Scene release means the officials in charge tell you they are finished and the space can be cleaned.
While you wait, a few things may help. Investigators carry a pamphlet for families that answers common questions and lists grief-counseling resources, so ask for one if you did not get it. Personal property the office secured goes to the funeral home with the body, so ask the funeral home, not the cleanup company, about those items. The office’s family Resource Guide says it does not endorse or recommend any specific providers, which means the choice of company is yours. You can reach the Kitsap County Medical Examiner’s Office1 at 360.731.6843.
The local health department
Kingston is covered by the Kitsap Public Health District2. Families needing death certificates can use its Birth & Death Certificates program, and anyone can use its Report a Public Health Concern option. You can reach the Kitsap Public Health District at 360-728-2235.
Cleanup services in Kingston
Pick the service closest to your situation. A company can help you sort out the rest.
Unattended death cleanup
An unattended death is one where a person died alone and was not found right away. This cleanup covers the area where the person was found, including removing porous materials, which are soft or absorbent materials like carpet and padding that cannot always be fully cleaned. See unattended death cleanup in Kingston.
Crime and trauma scene cleanup
This covers a home or business after a violent event, a serious injury, or a death by suicide, once the scene is released. The crew cleans and disinfects the affected area; disinfection means using products that kill germs on surfaces. Read about crime and trauma scene cleanup in Kingston.
Hoarding cleanup
Hoarding is a recognized condition, not a character flaw. This work means sorting belongings with the person living in the home or with family, removing only what the person decides to let go, and then cleaning. Ask any company how it involves the person in decisions. Learn more about hoarding cleanup in Kingston.
Blood and bodily fluid cleanup
This is for smaller incidents, such as an injury or medical emergency, where blood or body fluids reached floors, furniture or a vehicle. Bloodborne pathogens are germs carried in blood that can cause disease, and OPIM (other potentially infectious materials) are body fluids other than blood that can carry the same germs. If you find sharps, meaning used needles, syringes or blades, leave them in place and read the Kitsap Public Health District2’s Safely Handling Sharps guidance. See blood and bodily fluid cleanup in Kingston.
Odor removal
Odor removal means finding and removing the source of a problem rather than covering it up. Odor removal deals with an odor that remains after a death or a sewage problem, and it may involve removing affected materials. Read about odor removal in Kingston.
Sewage and biohazard waste cleanup
This covers sewage backups, septic problems and other waste that carries germs. The Kitsap Public Health District2 runs a Drinking Water & Onsite Sewage program for septic questions and a Mold program, since moisture from a spill can lead to mold. Ask the company how it will package, haul and dispose of the waste. See sewage and biohazard waste cleanup in Kingston, and how biohazard cleanup fits with water, fire and mold restoration.
What to ask before work starts
It helps to start soon after the home is released, because contamination can keep soaking into floors and walls. Homeowners insurance sometimes covers this work, so call your insurer and ask the company for a written estimate. If privacy matters, ask whether the company uses unmarked vehicles. Ask what will be removed, what will be cleaned, and how the company will show you the work is finished.
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: Exclusions in home contracts may include certain events, such as flood or earthquake, says the Insurance Commissioner’s insurance glossary4. Standard homeowner policies also do not cover sewer or drain backups, says the Commissioner’s page on being underinsured5.
Ask your insurer: “Without filing a claim yet, can you tell me if my policy covers biohazard cleanup in my home, and what limits apply?” Source: Filing a homeowner insurance claim (Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner)
Before you hire, ask how the crew 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 for the cleaning and restoration industries), then look the business up yourself in the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) tool called Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business. The guide to biohazard cleanup certifications explained walks through what each of these means.
For the rest of the county, see biohazard and trauma cleanup in Kitsap County.