Hoarding cleanup in Gig Harbor is the work of sorting, clearing and sanitizing a home where belongings have built up until rooms are hard or unsafe to use. It starts with making sure everyone is safe and that the person living in the home, or whoever has legal say over it, agrees to a plan. Biohazard Network connects you with an independent local company that you hire directly; we do not do the cleanup.
Hoarding is a recognized condition, not a character flaw, and good cleanup respects the person whose home it is.
Clutter versus biohazard
Belongings alone are not a biohazard, which is anything biological that can make people sick. When one is present, ordinary cleaning can spread germs or dust:
- Rodent droppings. The Washington State Department of Health1 (DOH) says dust from disturbed droppings or nests can expose people to hantavirus, and it advises against sweeping or vacuuming.
- Mold. DOH says even dry, dead mold can cause health problems.
- Sharps, such as needles, syringes and lancets. The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department2 offers a Safely Remove Discarded Sharps brochure and a sharps response kit.
- Body fluids. These can carry bloodborne pathogens, which are germs in blood that can cause disease.
Until a company has seen the home, try not to move piles or clean rodent areas yourself.
Respect, pace and consent
If the person living in the home can make their own decisions, the cleanup is their choice. Talk first about what they want to keep and what they decide to let go, and ask whether the company can slow the pace to keep them involved. Agree on what to save:
- Identity papers, deeds, wills, and tax or bank records
- Photos, letters and keepsakes
- Medicines and medical devices
- Keys, cash, jewelry and other valuables
Ask the crew to set these aside and check with you when unsure.
How the work goes room by room
Ask how the crew will first clear a path to each exit, then the kitchen and bathroom. After that, work moves room by room:
- Protect. Workers wear gloves, eye and breathing protection, and may set up containment: plastic barriers that keep dust and germs out of cleared rooms.
- Sort. Items are grouped to keep, donate or let go, with the person or family deciding.
- Remove. Contaminated porous materials, meaning soft items like carpet and mattresses that soak up fluids, may need to go.
- Disinfect. Surfaces are cleaned, then disinfected, meaning treated with a product that kills germs.
- Address odor. This comes after the source is gone; see odor remediation in Gig Harbor.
Biomedical waste is the legal term for certain waste types listed in Washington law, such as sharps waste and discarded human blood. The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department2’s Infectious Waste Management program permits and inspects businesses that generate, transport or treat infectious waste, so ask who will haul and treat it. Ask, too, for photos and a written record for your insurer.
What is included and what may be separate
A hoarding cleanup can cover sorting, hauling, removing contaminated materials and disinfection. Repairs, pest control and restoration may be separate jobs, so ask for a written scope; see how biohazard cleanup fits with restoration.
Checking a company before you hire
Before you hire, ask how the company’s crew follows OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard3, 29 CFR 1910.1030, and the ANSI/IICRC S540 Standard for Trauma and Crime Scene Cleanup, from the non-profit Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC). You can also look the business up with the Department of Labor & Industries4 (L&I) tool Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business4; our certifications guide explains each.
What affects the cost
Ask for a written estimate after the company sees the home. It should reflect:
- Volume: how many rooms are affected and how full they are.
- Sorting pace: item-by-item sorting with the resident present takes more time than clearing alone.
- Biohazards: droppings, mold, sharps or body fluids add protective steps and disinfection.
- Hauling: how many loads leave, and whether any must go through a permitted infectious waste channel.
- Repairs afterward: flooring, walls or fixtures damaged over time.
- Travel: distance and access; for property reached by the Pierce County ferry, vehicles must be in position with tickets 20 minutes before departure.
Can insurance help?
Insurance may help with related damage, but nothing is guaranteed. Washington’s Office of the Insurance Commissioner5 (OIC) says you can ask your agent or company whether a loss is covered without filing a claim. Ask about debris removal, which a homeowner policy generally includes only as limited coverage, and about mold, which many policies cover only in a limited way when it results from a covered loss. You may also 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 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)5
Local help in Gig Harbor
Gig Harbor is an incorporated city, the one that acquired the historic boatyard site at Eddon Boat Park in 2004 and whose first park, Crescent Creek Park, long-time residents still call “City Park.” See our Gig Harbor page for other services.
If the home may be unsafe
If a home has been reported or seems unsafe, start with the Community Development Department, which is responsible for land use, planning, development and code enforcement within the city limits; its page links Report a Code Violation and Code Compliance. The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department2’s Healthy Housing program has landlord and tenant resources but is not a hoarding complaint program. For a public health emergency, call the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department Duty Officer at (253) 649-1500.
If animals live in the home
Kitsap Animal Control serves the City of Gig Harbor by contract, and complaints go through the Gig Harbor Police Department. Under state law, a law enforcement or animal control officer with probable cause to believe an owner broke the state’s animal cruelty law may get a warrant, enter and remove the animal, which may be placed with an animal care and control agency, unrelated foster care or a nonprofit humane society.
If the person is an older adult
Pierce County’s Aging and Disability Resources (ADR) program runs the Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC). If you fear your parent may not be safe, Adult Protective Services investigates allegations of self-neglect, meaning a vulnerable adult living outside a facility fails to provide for themselves the goods and services needed for physical or mental health. Vulnerable adults include people 60 or older unable to care for themselves. You can report online at any hour without proof or giving your name; if the person is in immediate danger, call emergency services.
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.
- Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department (opens in a new tab)For local health questions, such as a home that was used as a drug lab.
- 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.