Finding blood or other bodily fluids after an injury, a fall or a sudden illness is upsetting, even when the person is going to be fine. In Port Orchard, this cleanup is done by an independent biohazard cleanup company that removes what the fluids soaked into, disinfects the area and sends the waste out through regulated channels; if a death occurred, the authorities must release the scene first. Biohazard Network connects you with an independent local company that you hire directly; we do not do the cleanup ourselves.
What this service covers
This page is about smaller or contained incidents: an injury at home, a medical emergency, a fall, or an attended death, meaning a death where a doctor, nurse or hospice team was caring for the person. It also covers places other than homes, such as a car, a shop, a store restroom or an office. Larger scenes are covered on the crime and trauma scene cleanup page, and a death that went unnoticed for a time is covered on the unattended death cleanup page.
Why ordinary cleaning is not enough
Blood is a biohazard, meaning a biological material that can carry disease to people. It can contain bloodborne pathogens, which are germs carried in blood, such as the virus that causes hepatitis B. Other bodily fluids can fall under OPIM, short for other potentially infectious materials, which safety rules treat with the same care as blood.
The harder problem is what you cannot see. Fluids soak into porous materials, meaning materials with tiny openings that absorb liquid, such as carpet and padding, upholstery, car seats, drywall and unsealed wood. A surface can look clean while contamination remains underneath, and scrubbing it puts the person doing it in direct contact with the fluid.
If it happened at a business
Washington’s bloodborne pathogens rules exist to protect employees who might be exposed to blood on the job, so staff should not be asked to clean it up untrained. Close off the area and leave it for the company you hire.
What happens first
If someone was hurt, their care comes first. Once they are safe, keep people, children and pets away, and close the door or lock the vehicle. Do not throw away soaked items or try to clean the area yourself.
If a death occurred, the authorities may need to see the area before anyone cleans. 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 a scene until they release it, and scene release means they have told you their work there is finished. You can reach the Kitsap County Medical Examiner’s Office at 360.731.6843. Its family Resource Guide says the office does not endorse or recommend any specific providers, so the choice of company is yours.
If you see needles, syringes or lancets, which are called sharps, leave them in place and tell the company. Kitsap Public Health District2 has a program page titled Safely Handling Sharps if you want to read more.
How the cleanup process works, step by step
Ask the company to walk you through each of these steps before it starts.
Assessment
The crew looks at where the fluid went, including under flooring, behind baseboards or inside seat cushions, and explains what needs to come out. Ask for a written scope of work and estimate before anything is removed.
Containment
Containment means sealing off the work area, for example with plastic sheeting, so contamination does not spread to clean rooms. Cleanup workers wear protective equipment such as gloves, suits and face protection inside it.
Removal of porous materials
Porous materials that absorbed fluid are cut out and bagged rather than cleaned in place. If belongings are affected, ask the company to show you each item first, so you decide what to keep and what to let go.
Cleaning and disinfection
Remaining hard surfaces are cleaned and then disinfected. Disinfection means applying a product that kills germs after cleaning has removed what is visible. If an odor remains once the source is gone, see odor remediation in Port Orchard.
Disposal of biomedical waste
Ask the company how the waste will leave your property. Biomedical waste is defined in Washington law by a specific list, which includes discarded human blood, materials containing free-flowing blood, and sharps waste. In Kitsap County, hauling biohazardous or biomedical waste is regulated by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission3 (UTC) and Kitsap Public Health District2 (KPHD), and a company needs UTC approval and a KPHD Solid Waste Hauling Permit to haul it. A KPHD Site Restoration Hauler permit is different: it covers hauling site waste in a company’s own equipment and is not the biomedical waste permit, so ask which one applies to your job. KPHD keeps a list titled Permitted Solid Waste Companies in Kitsap County | 2026, and its Solid & Hazardous Waste program covers waste questions.
Final check
Before the job is closed, walk through the area with the crew, or ask for photos if you would rather not go in. For insurance, ask for before-and-after photos, the written scope and an itemized invoice. Homeowners or auto insurance sometimes covers this work, so call your insurer early.
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 works4. Personal property coverage includes your furnishings and personal items, such as your TV, clothing and dishes, the same page says.
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 exclude5.
Ask your insurer: “Without filing a claim yet, can you tell me if my policy covers cleaning up blood or body fluids in my home, and what limits apply?” Source: Steps to take after home damage or a loss (Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner)
Checking the company you hire
Before you agree to anything, ask the company how its work 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 organization for the inspection, cleaning and restoration industries). You can also look the business up yourself in the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) tool Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business, and our guide, biohazard cleanup certifications explained, shows what to look for.
Port Orchard and Kitsap County details
Port Orchard is an incorporated city, and its Department of Community Development is responsible for land use planning, permitting administration, building and fire permits, and code enforcement. If removing drywall or flooring leads to repairs, ask that department whether a building permit is needed. For how cleanup connects to later repairs, see how biohazard cleanup fits with water, fire and mold restoration.
Give the company the exact location when you call: a home near McCormick Village Park on SW Old Clifton Road, for example, or a car near the Port Orchard Ferry Dock, where Kitsap Transit runs the foot ferry to Bremerton. Tacoma Narrows Bridge tolls apply only toward Tacoma, so if a company comes from that side, ask whether any travel charge is in the estimate.
If you have a health concern about a shared building you do not control, Kitsap Public Health District2 takes reports through its Report a Public Health Concern program, by phone at 360-728-2235 or online. More about local offices is on the Port Orchard and Kitsap County pages.
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.