Hoarding cleanup in Silverdale is done by an independent cleanup company that the family, landlord or property manager hires directly, working through the home at a pace the person living there can accept. The first step is making sure that person is safe and agreeing on what must be kept before anything leaves the house. Biohazard Network connects you with an independent local company; we do not do the cleanup or send anyone to the property.
If you are helping a parent, relative or tenant, it is normal to feel unsure where to begin. Hoarding is a recognized condition, and the goal is a safe home, not a judgment about the person.
What hoarding cleanup involves
Hoarding cleanup means sorting and clearing a home where belongings have built up until rooms, exits or appliances can no longer be used safely. Part of the work is patient sorting, and part is biohazard work. A biohazard is biological material, such as animal waste or body fluids, that can carry germs; bloodborne pathogens are germs carried in blood that can spread disease.
Clutter versus biohazard
Ordinary cleaning is fine for papers, clothing and boxes, which take time but are not dangerous to handle. Rodent droppings are different: the Washington State Department of Health1 (DOH) says breathing dust stirred up while cleaning droppings or nests can expose people to hantavirus, and that all droppings should be treated as infectious. Sharps, meaning needles, syringes, lancets and blades that can puncture skin, are another risk, and DOH notes that even dry, dead mold can cause health problems.
Respect, pace and consent
If the person living in the home can take part, give them a real say in what stays. Ask any company you contact how it sorts with the resident present, what happens if the person becomes upset, and whether it can work in stages. Put the ground rules in writing first, including who approves removing an item.
Keeping what matters
Before anything leaves, list what must be found and set aside:
- Identity papers, deeds and financial records
- Photographs, letters and keepsakes
- Medicines and medical equipment
- House, car and safe keys
- Cash, jewelry and other valuables
Ask how the crew flags these items and where they will be kept. Only what the person decides to let go should be removed.
What to do first, and what not to touch
Start with safety, not sorting. Check for a clear path to an exit, a kitchen and stove that can be used without risk, and a working bathroom. Leave the riskier tasks to the company you hire:
- Do not sweep or vacuum rodent droppings; DOH1 warns this stirs up dust.
- Do not pick up needles by hand; Kitsap Public Health District2 has a program titled Safely Handling Sharps.
- Do not paint or caulk over mold, which DOH advises against.
If someone has died in the home, the Kitsap County Medical Examiner’s Office investigates all sudden, unexpected, or unnatural deaths in Kitsap County; see unattended death cleanup in Silverdale.
How a cleanup company works room by room
Ask for the plan room by room before you agree. Expect the crew to wear protective equipment such as gloves, eye protection and breathing protection. Where there are biohazards, they may use containment, meaning a work area sealed off with plastic sheeting so dust and germs do not spread. Expect belongings to be sorted into groups such as keep, donate and let go, and badly affected materials, such as soiled carpet, to be removed. Disinfection, meaning treating surfaces with products that kill germs, follows cleaning, and odor remediation makes sense only once the source is gone.
Biomedical waste is a legal category in Washington that includes discarded blood and sharps waste. In Kitsap County, hauling it is regulated by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) and Kitsap Public Health District2, which lists permitted solid waste companies, so ask how any biomedical waste will leave the home. Ask, too, for photos, a written scope of work and an itemized invoice for your records or an insurer.
Repairs, pest control and restoration of water, fire or mold damage may be separate jobs; see how biohazard cleanup fits with restoration.
Before you hire, ask how the company trains its crew under OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard3, 29 CFR 1910.1030, and whether its methods follow the ANSI/IICRC S540 Standard for Trauma and Crime Scene Cleanup from the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC), a non-profit for the cleaning and restoration industries. Then look the business up with the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) tool Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business; our certifications guide explains what each check shows.
What affects the cost
Ask for a written estimate that lists each part. Factors include:
- Volume: how much has to be sorted and moved.
- Sorting pace: working alongside the resident takes longer.
- Biohazards: droppings, sharps, animal waste or mold add protective steps.
- Hauling: how much leaves the home and where it goes.
- Repairs afterward: floors, walls or fixtures that need work.
- Travel: the Tacoma Narrows Bridge carries SR 16 between Tacoma and Gig Harbor, with tolls only toward Tacoma; ask whether travel is in the quote.
Insurance may cover some related damage, but ask first: the Office of the Insurance Commissioner4 (OIC) says you can ask your agent or company whether a loss is covered without filing a claim. The OIC also says most homeowner policies don’t cover gradual leaks, and warns that signing a contractor’s assignment of benefit form could affect your rights.
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 works5. 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 and neglect: insurance covers sudden accidents, not ongoing issues, and you must properly maintain your home, says the Insurance Commissioner’s smoke damage page, which lists what standard policies exclude.
Ask your insurer: “What does my policy cover, and does that include cleanup and repairs after hoarding in my home?” Source: Filing a homeowner insurance claim (Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner)4
Help in Silverdale and Kitsap County
The Department of Community Development takes code complaints about property in unincorporated Kitsap County, and Kitsap Public Health District2, 360-728-2235, has a Report a Public Health Concern program. More guidance is on our Silverdale page and Kitsap County page.
If animals live in the home
Kitsap Humane Society covers unincorporated Kitsap County and is its animal control authority by contract. Washington law lets an officer with probable cause to believe the state’s animal cruelty law has been broken get a warrant, enter and take the animal, which may be placed with an animal care and control agency, unrelated foster care or a nonprofit humane society. If animals need help, you can contact Kitsap Humane Society before cleanup starts.
If the person is an older adult
The county’s aging office is Kitsap County Aging and Long-Term Care (ALTC). If you fear your parent may not be safe, Adult Protective Services investigates self-neglect, which Washington law describes as a vulnerable adult not living in a facility failing to provide themselves the goods and services needed for health. Reports can be made online at any hour, without proof or your name. If someone is in immediate danger, get emergency help.
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.