A lasting odor after a death, a hoarding situation, animal waste, smoke or a sewage backup goes away only when the source is found and removed, and the space is deodorized after that. In Silverdale, if a death is involved, the Kitsap County Medical Examiner’s Office1 must finish its work first. Biohazard Network connects you with an independent local cleanup company that does this work; Biohazard Network does not do the cleaning, and you hire the company directly.
If you are facing this now, it is normal to feel shaken. Odor remediation means finding what causes a smell, removing it, cleaning and disinfecting what is left, and only then treating the air so the odor does not return.
Why fragrance and household cleaners fall short
A lasting odor means its source is still in the home. Sprays, candles and household cleaners can hide it for a while, but the source keeps giving off odor. When the cause is body fluid, sewage or animal waste, it may also be a biohazard, meaning material that can carry germs that cause disease.
Odor also settles into porous materials, which have tiny openings that soak up liquid and air: carpet, carpet pad, drywall, upholstered furniture and wooden subfloor. Surface cleaning cannot reach what has soaked in, so a company may recommend removing some of these materials. Covering the problem does not work either. The Washington State Department of Health2 (DOH) says not to paint or caulk over mold, and sealing over any odor source leaves the cause in place.
What happens first
If a death is involved
A medical examiner is an official whose office investigates certain deaths. The Kitsap County Medical Examiner’s Office1 investigates all sudden, unexpected, or unnatural deaths in Kitsap County; its phone number is 360.731.6843. Under RCW 68.50.010, jurisdiction over the deaths that law lists, including a person found dead, rests with the county coroner or medical examiner. Leave the area as it is until that office, and police if they are involved, give scene release, which means permission to go back in and begin cleanup.
Personal property the office secures is released to the funeral home with the body, so ask the funeral home about those items. The office’s family Resource Guide says it does not endorse or recommend any specific providers, so choosing a company is up to you. See also unattended death cleanup in Silverdale.
What to leave to the company
You do not need to clean anything yourself. Do not scrub, pull up flooring or move belongings, and keep children and pets out. If there are rodent droppings, DOH3 says not to stir up dust by vacuuming or sweeping, and to handle all droppings as if they were infectious. If you rent, the Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) says not to throw damaged things away yet, because the insurer may want to inspect them.
When the odor is in the home of a person who hoards, the person living there should have a say in decisions about their belongings; see hoarding cleanup in Silverdale. For a sewage backup, Kitsap Public Health District4 (KPHD) has a Water Pollution Identification & Correction program and a Mold program that relate to sewage spills; see sewage and biohazard waste cleanup in Silverdale.
What to expect from the company you hire
Ask the company to explain each step before work begins. A sound plan for odor work covers:
- Protective equipment. Workers wear gear such as gloves, suits and breathing protection.
- Containment. This means sealing off the work area, for example with plastic sheeting, so contamination does not spread.
- Source removal. Affected porous materials come out. Ask how belongings will be handled and whether you can review items before anything leaves.
- Disinfection. This means using products that kill germs on the surfaces that remain.
- Deodorizing last. Treating the air works only after the source is gone; ask what method the company plans and why.
- Checking the result. Ask how the company will confirm the odor is gone and whether you can walk through with them.
- Waste. Biomedical waste is a legal category in Washington that includes discarded human blood and sharps such as needles and syringes. In Kitsap County, hauling it is regulated by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC) and KPHD4, and companies need UTC approval and a KPHD Solid Waste Hauling Permit, which is different from the KPHD Site Restoration Hauler permit. Ask how each kind of waste will leave the property.
- Records. Ask for photos, a written scope of work and a list of what was removed, for your insurer. The OIC says you have the right to choose your own contractor for covered repairs.
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 sudden, accidental smoke damage, standard policies typically pay for cleaning and deodorizing, says the Commissioner’s smoke damage page5.
Usually not covered: Damage from smoking tobacco inside your own home over time is not covered, says the Insurance Commissioner’s smoke damage page5.
Ask your insurer: “Does my policy cover removing this odor from my home and belongings, and which items would be cleaned and which replaced?” Source: Smoke damage and your homeowner or renter insurance (Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner)5
Before you hire, ask whether the company follows OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard, 29 CFR 1910.1030, the workplace rule on disease-causing germs carried in blood, and the ANSI/IICRC S540 Standard for Trauma and Crime Scene Cleanup from the IICRC, a non-profit organization for the inspection, cleaning and restoration industries. You can also look the business up with the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) tool, Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business, and the certifications guide explains what each of these means.
How long odor remediation takes
No one can give an honest timeline without seeing the home, so ask for an estimate after an in-person visit. These things can add time:
- How long the source was there. The longer it was present, the farther it may have spread into floors and walls.
- Porous materials. Removing carpet, pad, drywall or subfloor adds steps before deodorizing.
- Ventilation. Closed rooms with little airflow can hold odor longer.
- Hidden moisture. DOH2 says to hire a cleaning professional if a moldy area has been contaminated by sewage or is in hidden places.
- Restoration afterward. Rebuilding or repairing water or smoke damage is a separate stage; see how biohazard cleanup fits with restoration.
- Insurance. The insurer has 30 days from the date a claim is filed to inspect the damage, and the OIC says you can ask your agent or company whether a loss is covered without filing a claim.
Odor remediation in Silverdale
Silverdale is an unincorporated community, so code complaints about property here go to the county’s Department of Community Development, which takes them for unincorporated Kitsap County. Kitsap Public Health District4, reachable at 360-728-2235, has a Report a Public Health Concern service and a Mold page, and DOH2 says residents can contact their local county health department for more information about mold.
If a company you are considering is based across the SR 104 Hood Canal Bridge, which links Jefferson and Kitsap counties, ask how it plans the trip, since the bridge can drop to single-lane, one-way alternating traffic for repairs. More local information is on the Silverdale page and the Kitsap County page.
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.