A lasting odor after a death, a hoarding situation or a sewage backup in Gig Harbor goes away only when its source is found and removed, along with any materials the source has soaked into. If someone died in the home, the police and the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office1 must finish their work and release the home before cleanup starts. Biohazard Network can connect you with an independent local company that does this work; we do not clean anything ourselves, and you hire the company directly.
If you are facing this now, feeling overwhelmed is normal. This page explains what the work involves, what to do first, and what to ask.
What odor remediation involves
Odor remediation means finding what is causing a smell, removing it, and then treating the space so the odor does not return. Sources include an unattended death, a home where the person living there has kept many belongings for a long time, animal waste, smoke, or a sewage backup. Some of these involve a biohazard, meaning any material, such as blood or other body fluids, that may carry germs that cause disease.
Why fragrance and household cleaners fall short
Air fresheners only cover an odor for a while, and household cleaners reach only the surface. Odor sources can soak into porous materials, which are materials with tiny openings that absorb liquid, such as carpet, carpet pad, drywall and the wood subfloor under flooring. When that happens, the material may have to be cut out, because surface cleaning cannot reach the source. The Washington State Department of Health2 (DOH) makes a similar point about mold when it says not to paint or caulk over it. Ask the company to show you what it plans to remove, and why, before work begins.
What to do first
If someone died in the home, call 911 if no one has yet. A medical examiner is the public office that investigates certain deaths. The Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office1 determines the cause and manner of death and investigates deaths in Pierce County under its jurisdiction; it can be reached at (253) 798-6494. Cleanup waits for scene release, which means the police or the medical examiner’s office say they are finished and the home can be entered and cleaned. Personal property the office holds, other than money, is released to the funeral home the legal next of kin chooses. See unattended death cleanup in Gig Harbor.
Whatever the cause, you do not need to clean anything yourself. While you wait:
- Keep damaged items until you talk with your insurer. The Office of the Insurance Commissioner tells renters not to throw damaged things away yet, because the insurer may want to inspect them.
- Do not vacuum or sweep rodent droppings. DOH3 says this can stir up contaminated dust, and that all droppings should be handled as if infectious.
- If mold has grown where sewage reached, or in hidden places, DOH2 says to hire a cleaning professional. If your home is on septic, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department4 has a Septic System Failure program. See sewage and biohazard waste cleanup in Gig Harbor.
What to expect from the company you hire
Ask the company to walk you through its plan, including:
- Protection and containment. Workers wear protective equipment. Containment means sealing off the work area, for example with plastic sheeting, so contamination and odor do not spread.
- Source removal, then disinfection. Affected materials come out first. Disinfection means using products that kill germs on the surfaces left behind.
- Deodorizing last. Odor treatment only works once the source is gone. Ask what method the company uses and whether anyone must stay out of the home during it.
- Disposal. Biomedical waste is Washington’s legal term for certain waste, including discarded human blood, materials containing free-flowing blood, and needles and syringes. The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department4’s Infectious Waste Management program permits and inspects businesses that generate, transport or treat infectious waste, so ask the company who will haul and treat its waste.
- Checking the result and records. Ask how the company will confirm the source is gone, what happens if the odor returns, and whether you will get photos, a written list of what was removed, and an itemized invoice for your insurer.
Before hiring, ask whether the company follows OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard, 29 CFR 1910.1030, which covers workplace exposure to blood and other potentially infectious materials (bloodborne pathogens are germs in blood that can cause disease), 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 search the company’s name in the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) lookup, Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business, and our certifications guide explains what to look for.
How long odor remediation takes
No one can give an honest timeline before seeing the home. Ask for the company’s estimate in writing, and know it may change once walls and floors are opened. These things can make the work longer:
- How long the source was there. More time can mean deeper spread into materials.
- How much porous material is affected. Removing carpet, pad, drywall or subfloor takes longer than cleaning hard surfaces.
- Airflow. Closed rooms and poor ventilation can hold odor in place.
- Belongings. Where a person who hoards has lived, items may need sorting first, and the person living in the home or the family decides what to keep and what to let go. See hoarding cleanup in Gig Harbor.
- Restoration. Replacing removed drywall, flooring or subfloor is separate work that follows; see how biohazard cleanup fits with restoration.
- Insurance. The Office of the Insurance Commissioner says you can ask your agent or company whether a loss is covered without filing a claim, and that you have the right to choose your own contractor for covered repairs. It also says many homeowner policies offer only limited mold coverage, and only when the mold results from a covered loss.
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
Odor remediation in Gig Harbor and nearby Pierce County
Gig Harbor is an incorporated city. Its Community Development Department, which includes the building & fire safety division, is responsible for land use, planning, development and code enforcement within the city limits.
Outside the city, ask about access before you agree to anything. The Key Peninsula is made up of small communities in a distinctly rural setting, including Herron Island, Home, Key Center, Longbranch, Vaughn and Wauna. Anderson Island gets gasoline and propane through weekly Monday ferry fuel runs; if the property is there, ask how the company would bring its crew and equipment across.
For mold or indoor air questions, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department4 has a Mold page among its Healthy Homes resources, and its main line is (253) 649-1500. More local information is on the Gig Harbor page and the Pierce 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.
- 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.