Independent crime and trauma scene cleanup companies clean up after a crime, a serious injury or a death by suicide in Tumwater, and they begin only after police, and the Thurston County Coroner’s Office1 if someone died, have released the property. Biohazard Network does not do this work; we can connect you with an independent local company that you hire directly. You do not need to clean or move anything first.
If you or anyone in your family is struggling, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline offers free, confidential emotional support. You can call, text or chat with a 988 Lifeline counselor anytime, day or night, including if you are worried about a loved one.
What this cleanup involves
This service covers cleanup after an assault, a homicide or a break-in with injury, after a serious accident that was not a crime, and after a death by suicide. The concern is biohazards: biological material, such as blood, that can carry germs. Germs carried in blood that cause disease are called bloodborne pathogens, and other body fluids that can carry them are called OPIM, short for other potentially infectious materials.
Household cleaning is not enough because fluids soak into porous materials, meaning things like carpet, padding, drywall and mattresses that absorb liquid. A cleanup company removes and disinfects what was left behind, so your family does not have to see or handle any of it.
Who controls the scene first
Police control a crime or accident scene until their work is done. If someone died, the Thurston County Coroner’s Office1 is involved too. A coroner is a public official who investigates certain deaths, and this office investigates sudden, violent, unexpected and suspicious deaths in Thurston County. Under RCW 68.50.010, a death caused by violence, whether self-induced or otherwise, falls under the county coroner’s jurisdiction, so you may be asked to stay out of the home for a time.
Cleanup starts at scene release, the point when police and, if involved, the coroner say they are finished and the property is back in your hands. Until then, do not wipe surfaces, move items or throw anything away. Deputy Coroners help families with answers about the death and next steps toward final arrangements, and you can reach the Thurston County Coroner’s Office1 at (360) 867-2140.
After a death by suicide
If your loved one died by suicide, you do not have to go back into the room or handle anything in it. The funeral home you choose cares for your loved one and generates the death certificate, which is signed by a physician or the Coroner’s Office1. A cleanup company can take the physical work off your shoulders. Before work starts, ask about discretion: whether its vehicles are marked, what it says if neighbors ask, and whether it will set aside photos, papers and keepsakes for you.
What to expect from the company you hire
Cleanup workers wear protective equipment such as gloves, coveralls and eye protection. Ask the company to explain its plan for each step:
- Containment: sealing off the work area, for example with plastic sheeting, so contamination does not spread.
- Removal: cutting out and bagging porous materials that cannot be cleaned.
- Disinfection: applying products that kill germs on hard surfaces after cleaning.
- Odor: treating any lingering odor only after the source is removed.
- Disposal: biomedical waste is the legal term for certain discarded materials, such as items soaked with free-flowing blood and used needles. A company that collects and transports it must keep an operating plan that holds it separate from other solid waste until treatment or disposal, so ask who will haul it.
- Records: ask for a written scope, photos, a list of what was removed and proof of disposal.
If drywall or flooring comes out, repairs may follow, and Tumwater’s Community Development Department provides permitting services, plan review, inspections and code enforcement.
Before you hire, ask the company to show how its work follows OSHA’s bloodborne pathogens standard2, 29 CFR 1910.1030, and the ANSI/IICRC S540 Standard for Trauma and Crime Scene Cleanup from the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC), a non-profit for the cleaning and restoration industries. You can also look the business up yourself with the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries3 (L&I) tool Verify a Contractor, Tradesperson or Business3, and the certifications guide explains what each check means.
After an accident at a rental or workplace
If someone was hurt at a rental, an office or a shop, close off the area and keep tenants, staff and customers away. Do not ask maintenance workers or employees to clean it up. When the work is finished, ask the company for written records of what was removed, how it was disposed of and that cleaning was completed. If a tenant’s belongings were affected, the Office of the Insurance Commissioner (OIC) says a landlord’s policy does not cover a renter’s personal property, so the tenant should check their own policy.
Does insurance cover crime scene cleanup?
It depends on the policy, and homeowners insurance sometimes covers this work. The OIC4 tells homeowners to understand what their policy does and does not cover, and you can ask your agent or insurance company whether a loss is covered without filing a claim. If a crime caused the damage, notify police and keep a copy of the report.
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. Insurance companies can’t deny your claim if a covered loss is due to domestic abuse and you didn’t help cause the loss; if you file a claim for a property loss, you’ll also need to file a police report, says the Commissioner’s page on domestic abuse and insurance.
Usually not covered: A policy may exclude losses caused by intentional or fraudulent acts of anyone it insures, under RCW 48.18.550.
Ask your insurer: “What does my policy cover for cleanup after a crime, a serious injury or a suicide in my home, and do any exclusions apply?” Source: Filing a homeowner insurance claim (Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner)4
The Crime Victims Compensation Program
If a crime caused the death, the Thurston County Coroner’s Office1 notes that benefits may be available from the Crime Victims Compensation Program5, run by L&I5. Plan for the cleanup bill separately, though: L&I lists crime scene cleanup among the things this program does not pay for. It can help with other costs, such as grief counseling, mental health treatment and funeral expenses. A person qualifies only if a gross misdemeanor or felony in Washington physically injured or mentally traumatized them and the crime was reported to law enforcement, with cooperation in the investigation. File with your own insurance first, since the program calls itself the payer of last resort.
Cleanup in Tumwater
Tumwater is an incorporated city, so permit and code questions go to the City of Tumwater. The Thurston County Public Health & Social Services Department lists Unwanted Medications drop-off sites, but they take no sharps, meaning needles and other items that can puncture skin, and no bloody or infectious waste, so leave those for the cleanup company. For more, see Tumwater and Thurston 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.
- 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.