Hoarding cleanup in Olympia is the careful, room-by-room sorting, removal and sanitizing of a home where belongings have built up until the space is no longer safe, done by an independent cleanup company that the family or property owner hires directly. The first step is a calm walk-through with the person living in the home, so everyone agrees on safety goals and on what stays. Biohazard Network can connect you with an independent local company in Olympia; it does not do the cleanup itself.
If you are worried about a parent, a relative or a tenant, it is normal not to know where to begin. Hoarding is a recognized condition, not a character flaw, and the work goes best when the person keeps a real say.
Clutter versus biohazard
Much of the work is sorting belongings. Some homes also hold a biohazard, meaning material that can carry germs, such as rodent droppings, spoiled food, mold or used needles. Needles, syringes and lancets are called sharps. Washington law defines biomedical waste as a short list of types, including discarded human blood and sharps waste, and these need special handling. That is why ordinary cleaning is not enough: the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) says breathing dust from disturbed rodent droppings can expose people to hantavirus, and that even dry, dead mold can cause health problems.
What to do first
If someone has died in the home, the Thurston County Coroner’s Office1 comes first. A coroner is the elected official who investigates sudden, violent, unexpected and suspicious deaths, so leave everything in place until the scene is released; see unattended death cleanup in Olympia.
Otherwise, you do not need to clear anything before a company sees the home. In the meantime:
- Do not sweep or vacuum droppings; DOH2 says to handle all droppings as if infectious.
- Do not pick up needles or anything with blood on it.
- Do not move piles that block a door or hold other items up.
Respect, pace and consent
Ask the company whether the person can be present, whether sorting can happen in stages, and how the crew will check before anything leaves the house. What the person decides to let go should be their choice wherever safety allows.
Keeping what matters
Agree in advance on what to set aside: documents, photos, medicines, keys and valuables. Ask the crew to put these in a marked box. For unused medicines, the Thurston County Public Health & Social Services Department3 runs an Unwanted Medications drop-off program; its page says the sites take no sharps or bloody or infectious waste.
How a company works, room by room
The company you hire should start with safety: a clear path to each exit, then a working kitchen and bathroom. The crew wears protective equipment and may use containment, which means sealing off the work area so dust does not spread. Porous materials, soft things that soak up liquids such as carpet and mattresses, may need removal if contaminated. Next comes disinfection, which means using products that kill germs on surfaces. Odor work follows once the source is gone; see odor remediation in Olympia.
Ask how any biomedical waste will leave the property. Washington’s rules for companies that collect and transport it require an operating plan that keeps it separate from other solid waste until treatment or disposal. Ask, too, for photos and a written list of what was removed, for your insurer.
What may be separate
Ask whether the quote covers sorting, hauling, cleaning and disinfection. Repairs, pest control and water or mold restoration may be separate jobs; how biohazard cleanup fits with restoration explains how they connect.
Checking a company yourself
Before you hire, ask how the company’s crew follows OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard4, 29 CFR 1910.1030, and the ANSI/IICRC S540 Standard for Trauma and Crime Scene Cleanup; IICRC is the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification, a non-profit for the cleaning and restoration industries. You can also look the business up with the Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) tool called Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business, and the certifications guide explains what to look for.
What affects the cost
No two homes are alike, so quotes vary with:
- Volume: how many rooms, and how full.
- Sorting pace: working slowly alongside the person takes more hours.
- Biohazards: droppings, mold or sharps add steps and special disposal.
- Hauling: how much leaves the home.
- Repairs afterward: floors or walls may need a separate contractor.
- Travel: the I-5 segment over the Nisqually River estuary links Thurston and Pierce counties, so ask a company based in Pierce County about travel charges.
For insurance, the Office of the Insurance Commissioner5 (OIC) tells homeowners to understand what their policy does and doesn’t cover, and says you can ask your agent whether a loss is covered without filing a claim. The OIC says most homeowner policies don’t cover gradual leaks, and many offer only limited mold coverage. Landlords should know their policy does not cover a renter’s personal property.
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 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 and neglect: insurance covers sudden accidents, not ongoing issues, and you must properly maintain your home, says the Insurance Commissioner’s smoke damage page, which lists what standard policies exclude.
Ask your insurer: “What does my policy cover, and does that include cleanup and repairs after hoarding in my home?” Source: Filing a homeowner insurance claim (Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner)5
Local help in Olympia and Thurston County
Olympia is an incorporated city, and Washington law lets a city adopt ordinances about dwellings with problems such as fire or accident hazards, disrepair or inadequate sanitary facilities. The county health department3’s Solid Waste (Garbage) - Compliance program, which is not a hoarding program, takes complaints about improper accumulation of solid waste on private property in unincorporated Thurston County and the urban growth areas; for a concern inside a city, its staff contact that city to work together or refer it. A local health officer also has a duty to prevent, control or abate nuisances detrimental to public health.
If there are pets. Joint Animal Services serves Lacey, Olympia, Tumwater and unincorporated Thurston County. Under Washington law, an animal control or law enforcement officer with probable cause to believe the animal cruelty law was broken may get a warrant, enter and remove the animal, which may then go to an animal care and control agency, unrelated foster care or a nonprofit humane society. Raising a concern is about the animals’ care, not blame.
If the person is an older adult. The Lewis-Mason-Thurston Area Agency on Aging has a Thurston County Office in Olympia. If you think the person may not be safe, DSHS’s Adult Protective Services investigates self-neglect, which Washington law describes as a vulnerable adult living outside a facility who is not providing for themselves the goods and services needed for physical or mental health. That can include a person 60 or older who is unable to care for themselves. You can report online at any hour without proof or your name; if the person is in immediate danger, DSHS says to call emergency services.
Whether the home is in Historic Downtown Olympia or on the Westside, the city’s regional shopping area, these are the offices to know. More local information is on biohazard and trauma cleanup in Olympia and the Thurston 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.
- Thurston County Coroner (opens in a new tab)After a sudden or unexpected death, cleanup waits until this office is done.
- Thurston County Public Health and Social Services (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.