Blood or other bodily fluid in Marysville is cleaned up safely by a biohazard cleanup company that seals off the area, removes soaked materials, disinfects what is left and sends the waste through a regulated disposal channel. If police or the medical examiner are involved, the first step is waiting for them to release the space; if not, a company can start with an assessment. Biohazard Network connects you with an independent local company that does this work, and you hire that company directly; we do not clean anything ourselves.
If someone was hurt, fell, had a medical emergency or died with someone at their side, you may be dealing with this while still in shock. This page explains what the work involves and what to ask. A biohazard is any biological material, such as blood, that can carry germs that make people sick.
What this service covers
This page is about smaller or contained incidents: an injury at home, a medical emergency, a fall, or an attended death. The same work applies in a car, a shop, a break room or an office. If a death went unnoticed for a time, see unattended death cleanup in Marysville. For a violent event, see crime and trauma scene cleanup in Marysville. If sewage is involved, see sewage and biohazard waste cleanup in Marysville.
Why a visible cleanup is not enough
Blood can carry bloodborne pathogens, which are germs in blood that can cause disease, such as hepatitis B. Safety rules also cover OPIM, short for other potentially infectious materials, meaning body fluids besides blood that can carry the same germs. These fluids soak into porous materials, which are materials with tiny openings, such as carpet, padding, upholstery, drywall and car seats. A surface can look clean while the material under it is still contaminated, and household cleaning cannot reach that layer.
If it happened at a business
Workplace rules on bloodborne pathogens protect employees who might be exposed, so staff should not be asked to clean it up untrained. Close off the area, keep customers and staff out, and let the company you hire handle it.
What happens first
When a death was sudden or unexpected, or police were called, the space stays under their control until scene release, which means the authorities say they are finished and cleaning can begin. A medical examiner is a public official who investigates certain deaths. Here that is the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office1, which determines the cause and manner of death of persons who die suddenly, violently, or unexpectedly while in apparent good health. If you are unsure whether the office is involved or when the space will be released, you can reach an investigator at any hour through the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office at 425-438-6200.
After an injury or medical emergency, if no one asked you to leave the area untouched, you do not need anyone’s permission to call a cleanup company. Either way, please do not scrub, wash or throw out soaked items, and keep children and pets away. Leave any sharps where they are; sharps are needles, syringes, lancets and blades that can puncture skin. If it happened in a vehicle, leave it parked and closed.
What to expect from the company you hire
The crew wears protective equipment, such as gloves, eye protection and coverings for clothing. If a smell lingers after the source is removed, ask about odor work; odor remediation in Marysville explains it, and remediation means fixing a problem at its source rather than covering it. For insurance, ask the company for a written scope of work, photos and an itemized list of what was removed. Homeowners insurance sometimes covers this work, so ask your agent what your policy says. If flooring or drywall comes out, how biohazard cleanup fits with restoration explains the repairs that can follow.
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 works2. Personal property coverage includes your furnishings and personal items, such as your TV, clothing and dishes, the same page says.
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 exclude3.
Ask your insurer: “Without filing a claim yet, can you tell me if my policy covers cleaning up blood or body fluids in my home, and what limits apply?” Source: Steps to take after home damage or a loss (Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner)4
Before you hire, ask the company how its work follows OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard5, 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 yourself with the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) tool called Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business, and our guide to biohazard cleanup certifications explained walks through what each one means.
The process, step by step
- Assessment. The company looks at what is affected, including what may be hidden under flooring or inside a seat, and explains its plan to you.
- Containment. Containment means closing off the work area, for example with plastic sheeting, so contamination is not carried into the rest of the home, shop or vehicle.
- Removal of porous material. Materials that fluid has soaked into are cut out and bagged. For personal belongings, ask the company to check with you before anything leaves, so you decide what to keep and what to let go.
- Cleaning and disinfection. Remaining surfaces are cleaned first. Disinfection then follows; it means applying a product that kills germs on a surface that has already been cleaned.
- Disposal of biomedical waste. Biomedical waste is a legal category of biological waste; under RCW 70A.228.010 it includes discarded human blood, materials containing free-flowing blood, and sharps waste. A company that collects, transports and disposes of it must keep an operating plan that holds it separate from other solid waste until treatment or disposal. Ask who hauls the company’s waste, because hauling solid waste for pay requires a certificate of public convenience and necessity from the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission.
- Final check. Ask the company to walk through the finished area with you, or with someone you choose, and to hand over its records in writing.
Getting help in Marysville
Marysville is an incorporated city, so city departments handle permits here. If rebuilding is needed after materials are removed, the city’s Building Services (Community Development) reviews and inspects plans and structures for compliance with city code, and building permit applications go through the city’s Permit Portal.
Whether the property is in north Marysville near Gissberg Twin Lakes Park or closer to Mother Nature’s Window Park, give the company the exact location when you first reach out. If the company is coming from the south, afternoon traffic often backs up on northbound I-405 near the I-5 interchange in Lynnwood, so ask what arrival time it expects.
For questions about household waste or leftover medicines after the cleanup, the Snohomish County Health Department, reached at its Everett main office at 425-339-5200, has program pages named Garbage & Waste, Hazardous Waste and Medicine Disposal. The Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office1 publishes an Information Guide for Families, and it also keeps a Biohazard Cleanup Services list that it says is for convenience only, is not comprehensive, and is not an endorsement of any company on it. Ask any company you find the same questions listed above.
For other services in town, see biohazard and trauma cleanup in Marysville. For the wider area, see biohazard and trauma cleanup in Snohomish County.
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.