After an unattended death in Puyallup, the cleanup is done by an independent biohazard cleanup company that the family, estate or property owner hires, and it begins only after police and the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office1 release the home. Biohazard Network does not clean or do any part of this work; we can connect you with an independent local company that you hire directly.
An unattended death means a person died alone at home and was not found right away. If that is why you are here, we are sorry. You are not expected to clean anything yourself.
Why ordinary cleaning is not enough
When a person is not found right away, body fluids can move past the surface into carpet, flooring and the layers below. These fluids are a biohazard, meaning a biological material that can carry disease, and they may hold bloodborne pathogens, which are germs in blood and some body fluids that can cause illness. Household cleaners reach only what you can see. Professional cleanup removes affected material at its source, which protects the health of whoever uses the home next and keeps hidden damage from causing problems later.
What happens first
The Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office
Pierce County uses a medical examiner system; a medical examiner is a public official who investigates certain deaths. Washington law places a body found dead under the county coroner or medical examiner, along with a person who died suddenly while in apparent good health without medical attendance in the 36 hours before death. The Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office1 determines the cause and manner of death for deaths under its jurisdiction. It has legal authority to perform an autopsy without family permission, and its report may not be ready until months later. Family members do not pay for one copy of requested reports. Questions about the investigation go to the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office at (253) 798-6494.
Scene release and the funeral home
Police or the medical examiner control the home until they release it, a step called scene release. Until then, do not clean, move belongings or throw anything away. The office releases the person’s personal property, other than money, to the funeral home the legal next of kin chooses, so choosing a funeral home is an early step.
What you can do now
After release, keep people and pets out of the affected room and close the door. Call your insurance agent; the Office of the Insurance Commissioner2 (OIC) says you can ask whether a loss is covered without filing a claim. Renters should hold on to damaged things for now, because the OIC notes the insurer may want to inspect them.
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 works3. 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: insurance covers sudden accidents, not ongoing issues, says the Insurance Commissioner’s smoke damage page, which lists what standard policies exclude4.
Ask your insurer: “Without filing a claim yet, can you tell me if my policy covers cleanup and repairs after a death in my home, and what limits apply?” Source: Filing a homeowner insurance claim (Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner)2
What to expect from the company you hire
The crew wears protective equipment and sets up containment, which means sealing off the work area so contamination does not spread through the home. They remove porous materials, meaning items that soak up liquid, such as carpet, padding, mattresses and drywall. Hard surfaces are then cleaned and disinfected; disinfection means applying products that kill germs on a cleaned surface. Odor treatment comes after the source is gone, as the odor remediation in Puyallup page explains.
Removed materials count as biomedical waste, which Washington law defines by a fixed list that includes human blood and blood products. The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department’s Infectious Waste Management program permits and inspects businesses that generate, transport or treat infectious waste, so ask the company who will haul its waste and where it will be treated. Ask, too, for photos, a written scope of work and a list of removed items for your insurer. If discretion matters, ask whether the company uses unmarked vehicles.
Before you hire, ask whether the company’s work follows OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard5, 29 CFR 1910.1030, and the ANSI/IICRC S540 Standard for Trauma and Crime Scene Cleanup from the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC), a non-profit for the cleaning and restoration industries. Then look the business up in the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business tool, and read the certifications guide for what each of these means.
How long it takes, and what makes it longer
No one can give a firm timeline before a company has seen the home. These things add time:
- How long before the person was found. More time can mean affected material reaches deeper layers.
- Porous materials. Each affected item has to be removed and packaged.
- Flooring and subfloor removal. The subfloor is the wood layer under the finished floor; if it was reached, a section may need to be cut out.
- Odor work. It starts only after the source is removed, and results may need to be checked.
- Rebuilding. Replacing flooring or drywall is a separate phase after cleanup.
Insurance timing matters as well. The OIC2 says insurers have five business days to approve a mitigation scope, the plan to protect the property from further damage, when the policy requires that protection, and 30 days from the date a claim is filed to inspect the damage. For how cleanup connects with later repairs, see how biohazard cleanup fits with restoration.
If the person who died was a tenant
Washington’s process for the death of a tenant who was the sole occupant is set out in RCW 59.18.595. The landlord must promptly mail or personally deliver a written notice to people including any known personal representative and the emergency contact on the rental application, saying the tenancy ends 15 days after the notice or on the date rent is paid through, whichever is later.
That process shapes the cleanup plan. The landlord may enter and immediately dispose of perishable food, hazardous materials and garbage, but other belongings follow the notice process, so ask the company to remove only affected items and set aside the rest. Keep personal papers and personal photographs especially safe, since the law does not let a landlord sell or dispose of them. A second written notice is required before any remaining property is sold or disposed of.
Puyallup offices and reaching the home
If rebuilding is needed, ask Development & Permitting Services, which includes a Code Enforcement division; building code violations go to Puyallup Building Services. More local detail is on the Puyallup page and the Pierce County page.
If a company you contact works from Gig Harbor, which sits on Gig Harbor Bay across the Narrows Bridge from Tacoma, note that the SR 16 Tacoma Narrows Bridge is tolled only for trips headed to Tacoma. Ask any company whether travel is part of its estimate.
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.