A lasting odor after a death, a hoarding situation or a sewage backup in a Tacoma home goes away only when its source is found and removed, and that work is done by an independent cleanup company you hire. Biohazard Network connects you with an independent local company; it does not do the cleanup itself.
If you are facing this, you may be grieving or unsure where to begin. This page explains what the work involves, what to leave alone and what can make it take longer.
What odor remediation involves
Odor remediation means finding the cause of a lasting odor, removing it, and then treating the space so the odor does not return. The source might be an unattended death, animal waste, smoke, a sewage backup, or a home where belongings have built up over years.
Why sprays and ordinary cleaners fall short
Air fresheners and household cleaners cover an odor or clean the top of a surface, but they do not reach its cause. Many building materials are porous, meaning they have tiny openings that soak up liquids. Carpet, carpet pad, drywall and subfloor are porous, so the source can sit below the surface, and these materials may have to come out. The Washington State Department of Health1 (DOH) gives similar advice about mold: do not paint or caulk over it. Deodorizing is the last step, done only after the source is gone.
What happens first
A medical examiner is the county office that investigates certain deaths, such as sudden or unexplained ones. This office determines the cause and manner of death for deaths in Pierce County under its jurisdiction, and its public number is (253) 798-6494. It releases the person’s personal property, other than money, to the funeral home the legal next of kin chooses, so some belongings may not be in the home. The unattended death cleanup page covers that process in more detail.
Cleanup starts only after scene release, the point when police or the medical examiner say they are finished and the home is yours again. You do not need to clean anything yourself. Please do not spray products, scrub surfaces or throw items away; the Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) tells renters that an insurer may want to inspect damaged things first.
If belongings have built up in the home, there may be signs of rodents. DOH2 says to handle all rodent droppings as if infectious and not to stir up dust by sweeping or vacuuming, so leave that to the company.
What to expect from the company you hire
Ask the company to explain its plan before work begins. It should cover:
- Protective equipment. Crews wear protective gear because body fluids can carry bloodborne pathogens, which are germs in blood that can cause disease.
- Containment. This means sealing off the work area so contamination and odor do not spread to other rooms.
- Removal of affected materials. Porous materials that absorbed the source are taken out, not just wiped.
- Disinfection. This means using products that kill germs on the surfaces that stay.
- Odor treatment and a check. Deodorizing comes after removal, followed by a way to confirm the odor is gone, such as a walk-through with you.
- Biomedical waste. In Washington this legal category covers listed types, such as discarded human blood, materials containing free-flowing blood, and used needles. In Pierce County, 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 haul it.
- Records. Ask for photos, a written scope of work and an itemized invoice for your insurer.
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 works4. 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 company’s work 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 for the cleaning and restoration industries. Then look the business up in the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) tool, Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business, and read the certifications guide for what the results mean.
How long odor remediation takes
No one can give an honest length for the job before the source is found. Ask instead what could make yours longer:
- How long the source was there. The longer it was present, the deeper it may have reached into floors and walls.
- Porous materials. Each layer of carpet, pad, drywall or subfloor that must come out adds work.
- Ventilation. How well air moves through the rooms affects how quickly remaining odor clears once the source is gone.
- Sewage and moisture. DOH1 says to clean and dry water-damaged carpets, bedding and upholstered furniture within 24 to 48 hours or consider replacing them, and to hire a professional when mold has been contaminated by sewage or is in hidden places.
- Restoration. Rebuilding walls and floors is a separate stage after cleanup; see how biohazard cleanup fits with restoration.
- Insurance steps. When a policy requires protecting the home from further damage, the OIC says insurers have five business days to approve a mitigation scope, which is the plan for stopping that damage.
Ask for a written plan that lists each stage so you can see where things stand.
Odor remediation in Tacoma
Tacoma is an incorporated city, so its permit and code office is the City’s Planning and Development Services. Its Regulatory Compliance division, which has Permit Compliance and Code Compliance parts, works for a safe, clean, livable environment for residents. If removing materials leads to repairs, ask the company whether a permit is needed.
The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department3 has information on Mold and on Septic System Failure, and its main number is (253) 649-1500. For other services in the city, see biohazard and trauma cleanup in Tacoma or the sewage and biohazard waste page.
If you also manage property elsewhere in Pierce County, distance can matter. The Key Peninsula is made up of small communities in a distinctly rural setting, such as Home, Key Center and Longbranch, and Anderson Island gets its fuel by weekly ferry runs, so ask a company how it will reach those addresses.
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.