In Everett, that covers homicide, suicide, assault and accident scenes in homes, vehicles and businesses. We are sorry you are facing this. After a crime, a serious injury or a death by suicide in Everett, the cleanup is done by an independent trauma scene cleanup company that the family or property owner hires directly, and it can begin only after police, and the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office1 if someone died, have released the scene. Biohazard Network does not clean or do any of the work; we can connect you with an independent local company so you do not have to search on your own.
If you or someone in your family is struggling right now, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline offers free, confidential support by call, text or online chat, any time, day or night. Its counselors can also help if you are worried about someone you love.
What this cleanup involves
Crime and trauma scene cleaners are independent companies that remove and disinfect what was left behind after an assault, a homicide, a break-in where someone was hurt, a serious accident, or a suicide. The goal is simple: the family should not have to see or handle any of it. A biohazard is any biological material, such as blood, that can carry germs and make people sick. Ordinary cleaning is not enough, because these materials can soak into porous materials, meaning things like carpet, padding, drywall and upholstery that absorb liquid, where household products cannot reach.
What happens first in Everett
Police control the scene first. If someone died, the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office1 is also involved. A medical examiner is the county office that investigates certain deaths; this one determines the cause and manner of death for people who die suddenly, violently or unexpectedly while in apparent good health. Its investigators are on duty around the clock at 425-438-6200.
Scene release means police and, when involved, the medical examiner have finished their work and handed the property back. Neither police nor the county cleans afterward. Before the release, stay out of the affected area. After it, do not try to wipe, scrub or move anything yourself. Keep children and pets out, close the door if you can, and leave the rest to the company you hire.
The Medical Examiner’s Office1 publishes a Biohazard Cleanup Services list as a convenience, but it says the list is not complete, that being on it or off it is neither an endorsement nor a disapproval, and that it takes no responsibility for any listed company’s work, so treat it as a starting point and still ask your own questions. Its Information Guide for Families is worth reading for answers about the office’s involvement and what comes next.
After a death by suicide
When someone has died by suicide, the funeral home cares for the person, and the cleanup company cares for the home. The Medical Examiner’s Office1 points families to its website for local funeral homes, crematoriums and bereavement support. You do not need to go back into the room or be there while the work happens; a relative or friend can meet the company instead.
If privacy matters to you, ask before you hire whether the company can arrive in vehicles without signs, what it says to neighbors who ask, and how it keeps your family’s information private. If a death was found some time later, the page on unattended death cleanup in Everett explains what is different.
For property managers and employers
After an accident or injury at a rental, a shop or a workplace, keep tenants, staff and customers away from the area until the company arrives, and do not ask an employee to clean it. Afterward, ask the company for written records of what was removed, what was disinfected and how waste was disposed of. These papers help with insurance and your own files. If walls or floors must be rebuilt, Everett is a first-class charter city, and Permit Services (City of Everett Public Works) processes all required permits for construction in the city.
What to expect from the company you hire
Ask the company to walk you through its plan before work begins. Expect that plan to cover:
- protective equipment against bloodborne pathogens, which are germs carried in blood that can cause disease;
- containment, meaning plastic sheeting or barriers that keep the affected area apart from the rest of the building;
- removal of affected porous materials that cannot be safely cleaned;
- disinfection, the use of products that kill germs on hard surfaces;
- odor treatment only after the source is gone (see odor remediation in Everett).
Some of what is removed counts as biomedical waste. Washington defines it by a set list that includes discarded human blood, materials holding free-flowing blood, and sharps such as used needles and lancets. Ask how the company will dispose of it: state transport rules require a company that collects and hauls biomedical waste to keep an operating plan that holds it separate from other solid waste until treatment or disposal. Ask, too, for photos and an itemized record for your insurer. For smaller spills, see blood and bodily fluid cleanup in Everett.
Checking a company before you hire
Ask any company you talk to how its crew follows OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard2, 29 CFR 1910.1030, and the ANSI/IICRC S540 Standard for Trauma and Crime Scene Cleanup, a guide from the IICRC (the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification, a non-profit for the cleaning and restoration industries). You can also look the business up yourself with the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries3 (L&I) tool called Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business3, and the certifications guide explains what the results mean.
Does insurance cover it?
Homeowners insurance sometimes covers this work, but only your policy can say. The Office of the Insurance Commissioner4 (OIC) tells homeowners to understand what their policy does and does not cover, and says you can ask your agent or company whether a loss is covered without filing a claim. If the loss came from a crime, notify police and keep a copy of the report. You have the right to choose your own contractor for covered repairs, and the OIC warns that signing a contractor’s assignment of benefit form could affect your rights, so read any such form slowly.
Renters should know a landlord’s policy does not cover a renter’s belongings. If items are contaminated and unsafe to handle, the OIC says to ask your insurance company what to do and not to discard damaged belongings yet, because the insurer may want to inspect them. For help, the OIC offers its Consumer Advocacy line and an “Ask an insurance expert” form.
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. Insurance companies can’t deny your claim if a covered loss is due to domestic abuse and you didn’t help cause the loss; if you file a claim for a property loss, you’ll also need to file a police report, says the Commissioner’s page on domestic abuse and insurance.
Usually not covered: A policy may exclude losses caused by intentional or fraudulent acts of anyone it insures, under RCW 48.18.550.
Ask your insurer: “What does my policy cover for cleanup after a crime, a serious injury or a suicide in my home, and do any exclusions apply?” Source: Filing a homeowner insurance claim (Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner)4
L&I5’s Crime Victims Compensation Program5 lists crime scene cleanup among the costs it does not pay for. It may still help with other costs, such as medical treatment, mental health treatment, grief counseling and funeral expenses, and it pays only after primary insurance. To qualify, a person must have been physically injured or mentally traumatized by a gross misdemeanor or felony in Washington that was reported to law enforcement, with cooperation in the investigation.
Reaching an Everett property
If a loved one was taken to Providence Regional Medical Center Everett, the hospital with an emergency department and Level II Trauma Center, you can stay with them while a company you hire handles the home. If the property is near Everett Station, the transit station and park-and-ride, mention it when giving directions. Ask where the crew is coming from: US 2 is one of only three year-round highways across Washington’s Cascade Mountain range, and SR 522 runs between Woodinville and Monroe and is still one lane in each direction between Paradise Lake Road in Maltby and the Snohomish River. For county waste questions, the Snohomish County Health Department (425-339-5200) runs Garbage & Waste, Hazardous Waste and Medicine Disposal programs. More county details are on the Snohomish 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.
- Snohomish County Medical Examiner (opens in a new tab)After a sudden or unexpected death, cleanup waits until this office is done.
- Snohomish 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.