A lasting odor after a death, a hoarding situation, animal waste, smoke or a sewage backup comes from a source in the home, and it fades only when a cleanup company finds and removes that source, a process called odor remediation. Biohazard Network can connect you with an independent local company that does this work; we do not clean or deodorize anything ourselves.
You hire that company directly.
Why fragrance and ordinary cleaning fall short
Sprays, candles and household cleaners can cover an odor for a while, but the source keeps releasing it, so it returns. The Washington State Department of Health1 (DOH) makes a similar point about mold, saying not to paint or caulk over it. The source may sit in porous materials, which are materials that soak up liquid, such as carpet, carpet pad, drywall and subfloor. Surface cleaning cannot reach what has soaked in, so these may have to come out. Ask the company to show you what it found and why each item needs removing.
What happens first
If someone died in the home
Under RCW 68.50.010, the county coroner or medical examiner has jurisdiction over certain deaths, including those from unknown or obscure causes. A medical examiner is a public official who investigates deaths. Here that is the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office, (253) 798-6494, which determines the cause and manner of death and investigates deaths in the county under its jurisdiction. It releases the person’s personal property, other than money, to the funeral home the legal next of kin chooses. The unattended death cleanup page covers this in more depth.
For any source
Please do not scrub, sweep or vacuum the affected area. If rodent droppings are part of the problem, DOH2 says to handle all of them as if infectious and not to stir up dust by vacuuming or sweeping. The Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) tells renters not to throw damaged things away yet, because the insurer may want to inspect them. In a hoarding situation, the person living in the home should help decide what to keep and what to let go; see hoarding cleanup in Puyallup.
What to expect from the company you hire
Ask the company to explain each step before it starts:
- Protective equipment. The crew wears protective gear because the source may be a biohazard, meaning material that can carry germs that cause disease, such as bloodborne pathogens, which are germs carried in blood.
- Containment. This means sealing off the work area so dust and contamination do not spread.
- Removal. The source and affected porous materials come out before any odor treatment.
- Disinfection. This means applying products that kill germs to the surfaces that stay.
- Deodorizing. Air and remaining surfaces are treated only after the source is gone.
- Checking the result. Ask how the company will confirm the odor is gone and what happens if it returns.
- Disposal. Biomedical waste is a legal category in Washington limited to listed types, such as discarded human blood and sharps waste, meaning needles, syringes and blades removed from their sterile packaging. The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department3’s Infectious Waste Management program permits and inspects businesses that generate, transport or treat infectious waste, so ask who will carry and treat the company’s waste.
- Records. Ask for photos, a written scope of work and an itemized invoice for your insurer.
For a sewage backup, DOH1 says to hire a cleaning professional if a moldy area has been contaminated by sewage or is in hidden places; the sewage and biohazard waste page explains that work. The OIC4 says you can ask your agent or insurance company whether a loss is covered without filing a claim, and that homeowners have the right to choose their 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 how the crew follows OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard, 29 CFR 1910.1030, and the ANSI/IICRC S540 Standard for Trauma and Crime Scene Cleanup, which comes from the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC), a non-profit organization for the inspection, cleaning and restoration industries. You can also look the business up with the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) tool Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business, and the certifications guide explains what each one means.
How long odor remediation takes
No one can promise a timeline before the home is inspected. These things make the work longer:
- How long the source was there. A source left longer can reach deeper into floors, walls and furnishings.
- Porous materials. Each one that has to come out adds removal, disposal and later repair.
- Ventilation. Spaces with little air movement, such as closets, crawl spaces and attics, can hold odor longer.
- Restoration. Rebuilding after drywall or subfloor comes out is a separate stage; see how biohazard cleanup fits with restoration.
- Insurance. The OIC4 says insurers have five business days to approve a mitigation scope when the policy requires protecting the property from further damage.
Sooner is better for one plain reason: a source left in place keeps soaking into materials, so more may have to come out.
Odor remediation in Puyallup and Pierce County
Puyallup is an incorporated city, incorporated by vote in 1890, so permits and code matters inside city limits go through the city. Its Development & Permitting Services includes a Code Enforcement division, with complaint forms at the permit center in City Hall, and building code violations go to Puyallup Building Services. Whether the home is near Pioneer Park downtown, home of the Puyallup Farmers Market, or near the Washington State Fair Event Center fairgrounds, the county offices on this page apply.
The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department3, (253) 649-1500, has a Mold page on its Healthy Homes pages, a Septic System Failure program for homes on septic, and a Healthy Housing program with tenant and landlord resources. DOH1 says fixing leaks is generally the landlord’s job and reducing condensation generally the renter’s.
The same county offices serve the Key Peninsula, made up of small communities in a distinctly rural setting, and Anderson Island, which gets fuel through weekly Monday ferry fuel runs. If a relative’s property is there, ask a company early whether it serves that location. More services are listed on the Puyallup 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.