After an unattended death in Olympia, an independent biohazard cleanup company that the family, landlord or property manager hires directly does the cleanup, once the Thurston County Coroner’s Office1 and law enforcement have released the home. An unattended death means a person died alone and was not found right away. Biohazard Network can connect you with an independent local company; we do not do the cleanup ourselves, and you hire the company directly.
If someone you know died alone, we are sorry. You do not have to clean anything yourself, and you do not have to decide everything today. This page explains who comes first, what the company you hire does, and what can make the work take longer.
What this cleanup involves
When a person is not found right away, body fluids can soak into the floor, furniture and materials nearby. A biohazard is biological material, such as blood or other body fluids, that can carry disease. Some of it can carry bloodborne pathogens, which are germs carried in blood that can cause serious illness.
Household cleaning may make a surface look clean while contamination stays in the carpet pad, the wood below it, or the base of a wall. Porous materials are things that absorb liquid, such as carpet, mattresses, upholstered furniture and unsealed wood, and they may need to be removed rather than cleaned. Professional cleanup protects anyone who lives in or enters the home later, and it protects the home itself, because contamination left in a subfloor can keep causing problems long after the room looks normal.
What happens first in Olympia
In Thurston County, deaths are handled by the Thurston County Coroner’s Office1, which is run under an elected coroner system. A coroner is a public official who investigates certain deaths. This office investigates sudden, violent, unexpected and suspicious deaths in the county. State law also gives the county coroner jurisdiction over a body found dead, and over a person who died suddenly while in apparent good health without medical attendance in the 36 hours before death.
Until the coroner’s office and police release the home, leave the area as it is. Scene release means the officials in charge have finished their work and the space may be entered and cleaned. Please do not try to wipe surfaces, move bedding or carry out furniture, even after release.
You will also choose a funeral home. The funeral home generates the death certificate, which is signed by either a physician or the Coroner’s Office1. Deputy Coroners stay in contact with families and help with answers about the death and next steps toward final arrangements. You can reach the Thurston County Coroner’s Office at (360) 867-2140.
The Coroner’s Resources page lists bio-hazard clean-up companies under the heading “Bio-Hazard Clean-Up Services,” along with funeral homes and support groups. Whether you call a company from that list or one we connect you with, the questions below apply.
What to expect from the company you hire
The crew should wear protective equipment, such as gloves, suits and respirators, before entering the affected area. Ask how they will handle containment, which means sealing off the work area so contamination does not spread to the rest of the home. Affected porous materials are cut out and removed. Disinfection, which means applying products that kill germs on surfaces after cleaning, comes next. Once the source is gone, the company may do odor remediation for any lingering odor.
Biomedical waste is a set of waste types Washington defines by law, including discarded human blood and materials containing free-flowing blood. Ask how the company will get it to a hauler. A company that collects, transports and disposes of biomedical waste must keep an operating plan under Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission rules, and that plan must keep biomedical waste separate from other solid waste. Also ask for photos and a written report you can give your insurer.
Before you hire, ask how the crew is trained under OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard2, 29 CFR 1910.1030, and whether the company follows the ANSI/IICRC S540 Standard for Trauma and Crime Scene Cleanup, written by the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC), a non-profit group for the cleaning and restoration industries. You can look the business up yourself with the Department of Labor & Industries3 (L&I) tool Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business3, and our certifications guide explains what each of these means.
How long it takes, and what makes it longer
No honest company can tell you the length of the job before it sees the home. These things can add time:
- Time before the person was found. The longer it was, the farther fluids may have spread into materials.
- Porous materials. Carpet, padding, mattresses and soft furniture take longer to assess and remove than hard surfaces.
- Flooring and subfloor removal. If contamination reached the wood under the floor, that section may need to be cut out.
- Odor work. This comes only after the source is removed and may take more than one visit.
- Rebuilding. Replacing floors or walls is a separate step, sometimes done by a different contractor. Our page on how biohazard cleanup fits with restoration explains the handoff.
Ask for a written scope of work and an estimated schedule, and ask what could change it.
If you are a landlord or property manager
Washington has a specific rule for this, RCW 59.18.595. When a tenant who was the sole occupant dies, you must promptly mail or personally deliver a written notice to people including any known personal representative, any known designated person, and the emergency contact on the rental application. The notice must say the tenancy ends 15 days after it is mailed or delivered, or on the date rent is paid through, whichever is later.
On learning of the death, you may enter and immediately dispose of perishable food, hazardous materials and garbage. The tenant’s other belongings are different. A tenant representative who asks in writing in time gets possession of them, and you must send a second written notice, giving a date at least 45 days out, before selling or disposing of them. Even then, personal papers and personal photographs must be kept. Tell the cleanup company this before work starts, and ask it to set aside belongings that are not contaminated.
Olympia and Thurston County details
For public health questions, the county’s health department is the Thurston County Public Health & Social Services Department, at 360-867-2500.
State routes through the Thurston region include Interstate 5, U.S. 101 and State Route 507. Local planning efforts address congestion on I-5 between Mounts Road and Tumwater, so when a company is traveling that way, ask how it plans its arrival. Our Olympia page and Thurston County page cover other services nearby.
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.