After an unattended death in Marysville, an independent biohazard cleanup company does the cleanup, hired directly by the family, landlord or property owner. Biohazard Network does not do the work. We can connect you with an independent local company so you can ask questions and decide.
If someone you love, or a tenant, died alone and was not found right away, you are not expected to clean anything yourself. This page explains who comes first, what the work involves and what can make it take longer.
What this cleanup involves
An unattended death means a person died alone and was not found for some time. Fluids can then reach floors, furniture and the materials underneath. These fluids are a biohazard, meaning biological material that can carry germs able to make people sick. Household cleaning can make a surface look clean while contamination stays in padding, drywall or the floor below. Professional cleanup protects whoever enters next. It also protects the home’s future, because contamination left in place can keep causing odor and damage.
What happens first
The Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office
Snohomish County uses a medical examiner system. A medical examiner is a public official who investigates certain deaths. The Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office determines the cause and manner of death of persons who die suddenly, violently, or unexpectedly while in apparent good health. To reach an investigator, call the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office at 425-438-6200. Investigators are on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
For next steps, start with the office’s Information Guide for Families. The office also points families to its website for local funeral homes, bereavement support and biohazard cleanup. Treat its Biohazard Cleanup Services list as a starting point only. The office says the list is for convenience and is not comprehensive, and that being on it or left off it is not an endorsement or a disapproval.
The funeral home and scene release
Choosing a funeral home comes before any cleanup decision. Scene release means the officials in charge have finished and returned the home to the family or owner. Until then, do not clean, move belongings or throw anything away. Afterward, close the door to the affected room and keep children and pets out.
What to expect from the company you hire
The crew wears protective equipment such as gloves, coveralls and respirators. Ask the company to explain each step:
- Containment: sealing off the affected area so contamination does not spread.
- Removal: taking out affected porous materials. These are things that soak up liquid, such as carpet, padding, mattresses and drywall.
- Disinfection: applying products that kill germs on surfaces after cleaning.
- Odor work: done only after the source is removed. See odor remediation. Remediation means fixing a problem at its source.
- Biomedical waste: Washington’s legal term for certain waste types, including discarded human blood and materials containing free-flowing blood. A company that collects, transports and disposes of it must keep an operating plan that holds it separate from other solid waste. Ask who hauls it.
- Records: ask for photos, a written scope of work and a list of what was removed, for your insurer or the estate.
Before hiring, ask how the company’s work follows two standards. One is OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard1, 29 CFR 1910.1030 (bloodborne pathogens are germs carried in blood). The other is 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 organization for the inspection, cleaning and restoration industries. You can also look the business up with the Department of Labor & Industries2 (L&I) tool called Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business2. Our certifications guide explains what each one means.
How long it takes and what makes it longer
No one can give an exact time before seeing the home. Ask the company to explain its estimate after an inspection. These things add time:
- How long before the person was found. More time can let fluids reach deeper layers.
- Porous materials. Items that soaked up fluids are removed, not cleaned.
- Subfloor. This is the structural layer under the finished floor. If fluids reached it, sections may be cut out or sealed.
- Odor work. It starts only after the source is gone and may need a recheck.
- Rebuilding. Replacing floors or drywall is separate repair work, explained on our restoration page. In Marysville, building permit applications go through the city’s Permit Portal. Building Services (Community Development) reviews and inspects plans and structures for compliance with city code.
- Insurance. The Office of the Insurance Commissioner3 says the insurer has 30 days from the date a claim is filed to inspect the damage.
- Belongings. Deciding what to keep takes as long as the family needs.
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 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 exclude5.
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)3
If a tenant died in your rental
RCW 59.18.595 sets out a landlord’s duties when a tenant who was the sole occupant of a rental dies. On learning of the death, you must promptly mail or personally deliver a written notice. It goes to people including any known personal representative, any known designated person and the emergency contact the tenant listed on the rental application. Check your files first. A tenant who lives alone may have named a designated person in writing, separate from the rental agreement, to act for them on their death.
The law lets you enter and immediately dispose of perishable food, hazardous materials and garbage. The tenant’s other property goes to a tenant representative who asks in writing within the time allowed. Before you sell or dispose of unclaimed property, you must send a second written notice giving a date at least 45 days after it is mailed. Personal papers and personal photographs are not among what you may sell or dispose of. Ask the cleanup company for a list and photos of what it removes, so your records match these steps.
Unattended death cleanup in Marysville
Marysville is an incorporated city, so permits and code issues go to city offices. Death investigation and public health belong to the county. If conditions at a property raise public health or nuisance concerns, contact the Marysville Police Department’s Code Enforcement Unit. It administers the chapters of the Marysville Municipal Code that address public health, public nuisance and safety issues. For waste questions, the Snohomish County Health Department has Garbage & Waste and Hazardous Waste program pages.
Two places on Ebey Slough can help you describe where a home is. Downtown Marysville is the downtown core next to I-5 that starts at the waterfront. Ebey Waterfront Park is the city’s waterfront park with a boat ramp. A company traveling US 2 toward I-5 crosses the Snohomish River on the US 2 trestle, the only direct highway route across the river to I-5. Traffic and back-ups there have increased, and there are no carpool or transit lanes, so ask where the company is based.
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.