Independent crime and trauma scene cleanup companies handle cleanup after a crime, a serious injury or a death by suicide in Port Orchard. Cleanup can start only after police release the property and, if someone died, after the Kitsap County Medical Examiner’s Office1 has finished its work. Biohazard Network connects you with an independent local company that you hire directly; it does not do the cleanup itself.
This is a hard moment, and you do not have to handle the cleanup yourself. If you or someone in your family is struggling, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline offers free, confidential support by call, text or chat at any time, including for people worried about a loved one.
What this cleanup involves
A crime or serious injury can leave a biohazard behind, meaning material such as blood that can carry germs. The concern is bloodborne pathogens, which are germs carried in blood that can cause disease. Household cleaners cannot reach what soaks into porous materials, the things that absorb liquid, like carpet, drywall and mattresses, so those may need to be cut out and removed. A crime and trauma scene company removes and disinfects what was left behind, so your family does not have to see or handle anything.
Who controls the scene first
Police control the property while they investigate. If someone died, a medical examiner is also involved; this is an appointed official whose office looks into deaths. The Kitsap County Medical Examiner’s Office1 investigates all sudden, unexpected, or unnatural deaths in Kitsap County. You can reach the Kitsap County Medical Examiner’s Office at 360.731.6843.
A scene is released when the officials in charge finish and hand the property back to the owner or family. Police and the county do not clean afterward; the owner hires a private company.
Do not clean, move or throw away anything in the affected area. Keep the door closed and keep children and pets out. Personal property the office secures is released to the funeral home with your loved one, so there is no need to search the room. The office’s family Resource Guide says it does not endorse or recommend any specific providers, so the choice of company is yours.
After a death by suicide
When someone you love has died by suicide, everyday tasks can feel impossible. Your main contact for arrangements will be the funeral home you choose. Investigators carry a pamphlet for families that answers common questions, explains autopsies and lists grief-counseling resources, and you can ask for one. A cleanup company can take the room off your shoulders, and no family member needs to go back in to help. If privacy matters, ask before hiring how the company handles discretion.
For property managers and employers
After a serious accident in a rental unit, shared hallway or workplace, keep tenants, staff and visitors away from the area, and do not hand the job to maintenance staff. When the work is finished, ask the company for written records of what it removed, how it cleaned and how the waste left the property, for your insurer and your files.
What to expect from the company you hire
Ask the company to explain each step before work begins:
- Protective equipment: cleanup workers wear gloves, suits, eye protection and respirators.
- Containment: sealing off the work area, for example with plastic sheeting, so contamination does not spread.
- Removal: porous items that cannot be cleaned are cut out and bagged. Ask how belongings you may want to keep will be handled.
- Disinfection: applying products that kill germs on the remaining surfaces.
- Odor work: done after the source is removed; see odor remediation in Port Orchard.
- Disposal: biomedical waste is Washington’s legal term for certain listed materials, such as discarded blood and used needles. In Kitsap County, hauling it is regulated by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) and Kitsap Public Health District2 (KPHD), with UTC approval and a KPHD Solid Waste Hauling Permit required, so ask who hauls the company’s waste.
- Records: ask for photos and an itemized invoice for your insurer.
For smaller spills, see blood and bodily fluid cleanup. If a death went unnoticed for some time, see unattended death cleanup.
Checking a company 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, a voluntary standard from the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC), a non-profit for the inspection, cleaning and restoration industries. You can also look the business up yourself with the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) tool Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business, and the certifications guide explains what to look for.
Insurance and Washington’s crime victims program
Homeowners insurance sometimes covers this work, but policies differ. The Office of the Insurance Commissioner4 (OIC) says you can ask your agent or company whether a loss is covered without filing a claim, so make that call early. If a crime caused the damage, notify police and keep a copy of the report, as the OIC advises. You have the right to choose your own contractor for covered repairs. Read before you sign anything, since the OIC warns that signing a contractor’s assignment of benefit form could affect your rights. If you rent, a landlord’s policy does not cover your personal property, so ask your own insurer before letting any damaged belongings go.
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. Insurance companies can’t deny your claim if a covered loss is due to domestic abuse and you didn’t help cause the loss; if you file a claim for a property loss, you’ll also need to file a police report, says the Commissioner’s page on domestic abuse and insurance.
Usually not covered: A policy may exclude losses caused by intentional or fraudulent acts of anyone it insures, under RCW 48.18.550.
Ask your insurer: “What does my policy cover for cleanup after a crime, a serious injury or a suicide in my home, and do any exclusions apply?” Source: Filing a homeowner insurance claim (Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner)4
Washington’s Crime Victims Compensation Program5, run by L&I5, lists crime scene cleanup under what it does not pay for, so the cleanup itself needs another source, such as insurance. The program may still help your family with other costs, such as grief counseling, mental health treatment, medical and dental treatment, partial wage loss replacement and funeral expenses. If you apply, start with your insurance, because the program pays only after primary insurance. To qualify, a person must have been physically injured or mentally traumatized by a gross misdemeanor or felony in Washington, with the crime reported to law enforcement and cooperation in the investigation.
Port Orchard and Kitsap County details
Port Orchard is an incorporated city, so if removing damaged materials leaves walls or floors to rebuild, the city’s Department of Community Development is responsible for building and fire permits, permitting administration and code enforcement.
The county’s health department is the Kitsap Public Health District2. If you find sharps, meaning needles or other items that can puncture skin, leave them for the cleanup company and see the district’s Safely Handling Sharps guidance.
The Tacoma Narrows Bridge carries SR 16 between Gig Harbor and Tacoma, and SR 16 meets SR 3 at Gorst, at the western end of Sinclair Inlet. If a company is based in Tacoma or beyond, ask how and when its crew can reach the property.
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.