Washington Funeral Resources & Education
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PERFORM BODY CARE

Moving the Body

Families or the designated agent may bring a body home after a death in a hospital or other institution, including from the Medical Examiner’s office. It is wise to check hospital or care facility body release policies well in advance if possible to ensure a smooth transition. A burial-transit permit is required to dispose of remains through any means (e.g. burial, cremation, alkaline hydrolysis, natural organic reduction) RCW70.58A.210. After you complete the report of death and get a signature from a medical certifier within two (2) days of death or discovery, you will file the death report with the local registrar who will issue the burial-transit permit. RCW70.58A.200. (See How to Transport the Dead.)

​For examples of family-directed after-death care following a hospital death, see Mikaela’s Story and Rich’s Story.

On This Page

  • Moving a Dead Body
  • Bathing, Dressing, Casketing, Cooling
  • Autopsy and Organ/Tissue Donation

​Body Care Made Easy

Bathing, Dressing, and Casketing
A body, after death, may be washed in bed or on a table with clear water, or with lavender or other essential oils added, or by using a cleaning product the person or family is used to using. Modesty can be preserved by covering with a sheet. Participants may choose to practice universal precautions if there is any concern about disease transmission. After the washing, dressing can be accomplished by cutting garments up the back and tucking them in underneath. Whether the person remains on a bed or table and later transferred to a casket, or is placed there after bathing, it may take four or five people to help move them. 

For examples of bathing, dressing, and shrouding, see Mikaela’s Story, Alicia’s Story, Karen’s Story and Lashanna’s Story.

Cooling
A body may be kept at home until the family is ready to cremate or bury. There is no time limit in Washington law for a body to lie in honor; one to three days is common. Refrigeration is not necessary: a body will keep for that period without odors or significant changes in a 55 to 65-degree room if properly cleaned and prepared under normal circumstances. Reduce the room’s temperature by opening the windows or with air conditioning if possible. Placing and periodically replacing dry ice or Techni Ice™ under and over the body will help cool the body. (Learn more about dry ice and Techni Ice™.)
 
Other than in rare cases deemed necessary by the Department of Health, embalming is not required by law.  For decades, it was utilized as a means of preserving deceased individuals between the time of death and disposition, but now that funeral homes in Washington are required to have access to refrigeration facilities, embalming is only infrequently performed.

Autopsy and Organ Donation
Neither autopsy nor organ donation are automatic disqualifications for bringing a body home for vigil. Many autopsied and harvested bodies have still been appropriate for a home vigil. Medical Examiners and other medical personnel, when informed prior to the procedure, will do their best to assist the family or designated agent in repairing affected sites and incisions to make a body fit for viewing. Ask for a clear, detailed description of what procedures are being done and for advice on body care once the body is released. Knowing what you are about to experience will guide your decisions about what and how much to do, and how you will manage.

​Resources for Conducting Home Body Care

PictureComplete body care instructions included
Undertaken With Love: A Home Funeral Guide for Congregations and Families by Holly Stevens and Donna Belk is included in the newly republished After-Death Care Educator Handbook available through Amazon.

One Washcloth Project
One Washcloth facilitates healing by supporting individuals, communities, and institutions to engage family and community members directly after death through the simple gift of a washcloth.

For more information leading to other How To pages, go to:
Complete Paperwork
Arrange Disposition
​Transport the Dead
Create Ceremony
Go Out Greener


​Resources and Online Links

The After-Death Care Educator Handbook
​FCA How to Arrange a Home Funeral
FCA Organ and Body Donation
FCA Embalming Explained

Techni Ice™



​FCA = Funeral Consumer Alliance
​GBC = Green Burial Council
NEDA = National End-of-Life Doula Alliance

Learn How To:

Perform Body Care
Complete Paperwork
Arrange Disposition
Transport the Dead
Create Ceremony
​Go Out Greener
Work With Professionals
Pay For a Funeral

Learn About:

How to Get Help
Washington Funeral Law

Professionals
Community Education
Home Funeral Resources
FAQs
​Glossary of Terms
Stories
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Washington Funeral Resources
and Education
 

WAstatefuneral@gmail.com
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Contact

Landscape photos courtesy of
Sean Proll
Justin Craig

All Rights Reserved
Picture
Washington Funeral Resources and Education is a non-commercial public interest site dedicated to helping Washington consumers care for their own dead with or without the assistance of a funeral director. See FuneralPartnership.org for more state funeral information. This site is maintained as a project of White Eagle Memorial Preserve and Sacred Earth Foundation, which coordinates responses to inquiries with other Washington-based organizations and practitioners that support the mission of the Funeral Partnership.
Disclaimer: 
This website has been created by volunteers making reasonable efforts to provide resources and materials for informational purposes only. Any information you obtain from this website is not legal advice and should not be relied upon without confirmation of current law. No warranties, expressed or implied, are made with respect to the information herein. There is no guarantee that the information contained here is complete or up-to-date as of the date that you view this site. ​The agencies linked via hyperlinks are responsible for the content of those sites. Their information is subject to change and should be consulted directly to ensure accurate and up-to-date information. Please report any inaccuracies to us in the form on the CONTACT page. Thank you!
  • Home
  • How To
    • Get Help Now
    • Learn the law
    • Have a Home Funeral
    • Perform Body Care >
      • Cooling Techniques
    • Complete Paperwork
    • Arrange Disposition
    • Transport the Dead
    • Create Ceremony
    • Go Out Greener
    • Pay for a Funeral
    • Work With Professionals
  • Learn More
    • Resources For Professionals
    • Tools for Community Education
    • Organizations, Articles, Books
    • Sample Forms
    • Glossary
    • Media Kit
    • Pandemic Care Guide >
      • Pandemic Care Guide
      • Practical Guidelines
      • Ceremony Resources
      • Articles
      • Covid-19 FAQs
    • FAQs
  • Read Stories
    • Read Their Stories
    • Heather's Story
    • Mikaela's Story, P 1
    • Mikaela's Story, P 2
    • Mikaela's Story, P 3
    • Alicia's Story
    • Rich's Story
    • Jake's Story
    • Briar's Story
    • Karen's Story
    • Lashanna's Story
  • Blog
  • Contact