A lasting odor after a death, a hoarding situation, animal waste, smoke or a sewage backup goes away only when its source is found and removed, and the area is then deodorized and checked. Biohazard Network connects you with an independent local company that does this work; we do not do the work, and you hire the company directly.
If you are facing this now, take it one step at a time.
Why covering an odor does not work
Odor remediation means fixing an odor at its source instead of masking it. A lasting odor comes from material that has soaked into the home, such as body fluids, animal waste, smoke residue or sewage. Sprays, candles and household cleaners only add a scent on top, and when it fades the odor returns.
The source often reaches porous materials, meaning materials with tiny openings that absorb liquid, such as carpet, carpet pad, drywall and the wooden subfloor under flooring. Surface cleaning cannot reach what has soaked in, so these may have to be cut out. The Washington State Department of Health1 (DOH) makes the same point about mold: do not paint or caulk over it.
What happens first
If you believe someone has died in the home, call the police and do not go back inside. A medical examiner is a public official who investigates certain deaths. The Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office2 determines the cause and manner of death of persons who die suddenly, violently, or unexpectedly while in apparent good health; its investigators are on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 425-438-6200. Scene release means police or the medical examiner have finished and the home may be entered and cleaned.
The office’s Information Guide for Families answers frequently asked questions about next steps. The office also publishes a Biohazard Cleanup Services list, which it says is for convenience only and not comprehensive; being on or off the list is not an endorsement or disapproval. If you use it, treat it as a starting point and ask each company the questions below.
Until a company is on site:
- Do not scrub, spray or try to air the space out.
- Do not throw belongings away. The Office of the Insurance Commissioner tells renters to hold on to damaged things, because the insurer may want to inspect them.
- Where a person who hoards has been living, do not sweep or vacuum. DOH3 says all rodent droppings should be handled as if infectious, and sweeping or vacuuming stirs up dust.
For a sewage backup indoors, the Snohomish County Health Department4 does not investigate indoor sewage spills; it offers Guidelines for Cleaning Indoor Sewage Spills instead.
What the company you hire should do
Expect the crew to wear personal protective equipment: gloves, suits, and eye and breathing protection that keep contamination off skin and out of lungs. They may set up containment, meaning sealing off the work area with plastic sheeting so contamination does not spread to other rooms. Then they remove affected materials, clean, and disinfect, which means applying products that kill germs on surfaces. Deodorizing comes last, once the source is gone. Ask how the company will confirm the odor is gone and what happens if it returns.
Some removed material may be biomedical waste, a term Washington law limits to a set list that includes discarded human blood and sharps waste such as hypodermic needles and syringes. Under Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission rules, a company that collects, transports and disposes of biomedical waste must keep an operating plan that holds it separate from other solid waste, so ask who will haul it. For insurance, ask for a written scope of work, photos and an itemized invoice.
How to check a company
Before you hire, ask how the crew follows OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard, 29 CFR 1910.1030 (bloodborne pathogens are germs carried in blood that can cause disease), and the ANSI/IICRC S540 Standard for Trauma and Crime Scene Cleanup from the IICRC, the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification, a non-profit. Then look the business up yourself on the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) tool Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business, and see Biohazard Cleanup Certifications Explained for what each of these means.
How long odor remediation takes
A company needs to see the home before it can estimate, because several things change the length of the job:
- How long the source was there. The longer it sat, the deeper it can soak in.
- Porous materials. The more carpet, drywall or subfloor the source reached, the more must come out. DOH1 says water-damaged carpets, bedding and upholstered furniture should be cleaned and dried within 24 to 48 hours or considered for replacement, so a sewage backup left waiting can mean more removal.
- Ventilation. Closed rooms with little airflow hold odor longer, and drying and airing out after cleaning take time.
- Restoration. Rebuilding walls and floors is a separate stage, explained in How Biohazard Cleanup Fits With Water, Fire and Mold Restoration.
- Insurance. The Office of the Insurance Commissioner says an insurer has 30 days from the date a claim is filed to inspect the damage, and that you can ask your agent whether a loss is covered without filing a claim.
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
Odor remediation in Lynnwood
Lynnwood is an incorporated city, so its Development and Business Services Department is responsible for permitting of land use and building projects and for code enforcement. If removing drywall or subfloor leads to rebuilding, ask the company whether a permit is needed and who will apply for it.
The Snohomish County Health Department4 lists a Nuisance Properties program and a Mold & Air Quality information page, but it does not identify or test mold and has no indoor air quality program. If you also look after a property along the Mountain Loop Highway, the stretch between Granite Falls and Darrington has an annual winter closure, normally early November until the end of May, so ask how a company will reach it.
For your situation, see Unattended Death Cleanup in Lynnwood, WA, Hoarding Cleanup in Lynnwood, WA or Sewage and Biohazard Waste Cleanup in Lynnwood, WA.
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.