A lasting odor after an unattended death, a hoarding situation or a sewage backup goes away only when an independent cleanup company finds and removes its source, then deodorizes the space. If a death is involved, police and the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office1 finish their work first. Biohazard Network can connect you with an independent local company serving Lakewood; we do not do the cleaning, and you hire that company directly.
If you are facing this after a loss or a hard discovery, you do not need to start cleaning on your own.
Why sprays and ordinary cleaning fall short
Odor remediation means removing the cause of an odor rather than covering it. After a death, or with animal waste, smoke or sewage, the odor comes from material that has soaked into the home. Air fresheners and household cleaners can hide it briefly, but the material stays. The Washington State Department of Health2 (DOH) warns against painting or caulking over mold for a similar reason: the cause is still underneath.
Porous materials are materials that soak up liquid, such as carpet, carpet pad, drywall and wooden subfloor. Surface cleaning cannot reach what has soaked into them, so affected sections may need to be cut out and replaced, which can mean removing more than you can see.
Where a person hoards, an odor can come from several places, such as animal waste or spoiled food among belongings. Sorting comes first, and the person living in the home or the family decides what to keep and what to let go; see hoarding cleanup in Lakewood. If there are signs of rodents, DOH3 says not to vacuum or sweep, which stirs up dust, and to handle all droppings as if they were infectious.
What happens first
If someone has died
A medical examiner is a county official who investigates certain deaths. The Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office1 determines the cause and manner of death and investigates deaths under its jurisdiction that are of concern to public health, safety and welfare. RCW 68.50.010 places deaths such as those from unknown or obscure causes under the county coroner or medical examiner. Questions about the investigation can go to the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office at (253) 798-6494.
Scene release means police or the medical examiner have finished at the property and handed it back. No odor work should begin before then. Our page on unattended death cleanup in Lakewood covers that situation in more depth.
What to leave alone
Once the property is released, keep the affected room closed and leave it as it is. Do not pull up carpet, scrub surfaces or throw items out. The Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) tells renters not to discard damaged things yet because the insurer may want to inspect them, and owners may want to wait for the same reason.
For a sewage backup, DOH2 says to hire a cleaning professional when a moldy area has been contaminated by sewage or is in hidden places. If a septic system failed, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department4 has a Septic System Failure program. See sewage and biohazard waste cleanup in Lakewood for that work.
What to expect from the company you hire
The crew should wear protective equipment such as gloves, eye protection and breathing protection, because body fluids can carry bloodborne pathogens, which are germs in blood that can cause disease. Ask the company to explain each step before it starts:
- Containment: sealing off the work area so dust and particles do not spread through the home.
- Removal: cutting out affected porous materials and bagging them.
- Disinfection: treating surfaces with products that kill germs.
- Deodorizing: treating the air and remaining surfaces, done only after the source is gone.
- Checking the result: ask how the company will confirm the odor is gone, and whether you can walk through before the job is called finished.
Biomedical waste is a Washington legal category that includes discarded human blood and used needles, called sharps. The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department4’s Infectious Waste Management program permits and inspects businesses that generate, transport or treat infectious waste, so ask how the company’s waste will be handled and who will haul it.
Ask for photos, a written scope of work and records you can share with an insurer. The OIC says you can ask your agent or insurance company whether a loss is covered without filing a claim, and that 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
Checking a company before you hire
Ask whether the crew works under OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard, 29 CFR 1910.1030, and the ANSI/IICRC S540 Standard for Trauma and Crime Scene Cleanup (IICRC is a non-profit organization for the inspection, cleaning and restoration industries), then look the business up yourself in the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) tool called Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business. The certifications guide explains what each of these covers and what the lookup can show you.
How long odor remediation takes
No one can give an honest timeline before seeing the property. These things can make the work longer:
- How long the source was present before anyone found it.
- How far it reached into porous materials, including subfloor and the lower parts of walls.
- Hidden areas, such as inside walls or under flooring, that have to be opened.
- Ventilation, meaning how easily fresh air can move through the space during and after the work.
- Whether restoration follows, such as replacing drywall or flooring; see how biohazard cleanup fits with restoration.
- Waiting for an insurer to inspect before materials come out.
Ask for a written plan that lists each stage and what must happen before the next one starts, rather than a single finish date.
Odor remediation in Lakewood
Because Lakewood is an incorporated city, its Planning and Public Works Department performs permitting, building inspections and development review. If drywall or subfloor has to be replaced, ask the company whether that rebuild needs a permit from that department.
The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department4 serves Pierce County, and its main line is (253) 649-1500. Its Mold program, on its Healthy Homes page, is a place to start if moisture from a backup has led to mold. If you also look after property on the Key Peninsula, a distinctly rural area of small communities including Key Center and Longbranch, ask any company whether it serves that area. For more, see biohazard cleanup in Lakewood and Pierce County.
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.