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Sewer Backup Cleanup | Essential Steps for Success

sewer backup cleaning 2
WHAT TO DO AFTER A SEWER BACKUP

Navigating Through Sewer Backup Cleanup

Those who have experienced a sewer backup in their home may wondered to themselves, what next? Between worrying about lost personal items and the overwhelming smell of raw sewage, they may become unsure how to manage the needed sewer backup cleanup. If you are experience a sewage backup in your home or business, it is essential to act quickly to minimize damage and protect your occupants from illness. Most sewage disasters come from a basement drain and can fill your basement with hundreds of gallons of foul smelling water.

Sewer backup cleaning is direly necessary to prevent you and your family from airborne germs that are pathogenic (causing sicknesses). Children as well as the elderly should be removed from the property till all sewage has been removed and sanitizing has taken place. Because sewer water is grossly contaminated, professional flood restoration service is better than doing it yourself. They will have the experience, resources and training to assure the air and all affected surfaces have been fully sanitized.

If you however, are convinced giving a noble effort can achieve success, continue reading this article for essential steps for success.

Things That Cause Sewer Backups

Blockages

Blockages happen in plumbing systems when something becomes lodged in the sewer line, preventing water from escaping the home. These blockages happen for many reasons. Grease being poured down the sink may coagulate into a waxy ball, collecting toilet paper and additional grease. Wipes, yes even the flush-able kind, can get stuck in your plumbing’s rough interior also collecting debris, blocking waste lines and causing a need for sewer backup cleanup.

Tree Roots

Tree roots seem to be the most common cause of sewer line blockages. Tree root systems stretch out 360 degrees around a tree as far reaching as the branches themselves. Any compromise or crack in the sewer line is enough for a tree root to be attracted to the moisture that finds its way from the pipe. In a matter of years these roots find their way into the sewage main itself, slowly blocking the flow of waste.

Once any blockage begins, whether by root, wipes or grease the waste that once flowed freely begins to be obstructed. This is why sewers backup, waste no longer can be channeled from the property due to a blockage and comes up through a floor drain, toilet or sink.

Sewer Backup From A Basement Floor Drain

Sewage backups in basements are the most common type sewer backup scenario insurance companies receive calls for. A blockage has occurred somewhere in the system and back pressure results in forcing unwanted waste into the home.

Sewer Backup Cleanup | Essential Steps for Success

Protect Against Cross Contamination

The first thing that needs to occur immediately after sewage enters the home is safeguarding against cross contamination. Lay down floor coverings or runners leading to your basement door so each time someone comes up they do not allow their feet to come into contact with carpet or hard surface flooring.

Germs spread easily from shoes, touching contaminated surfaces with hands and even from clothes that come in direct contact with waste water. Carpets should be covered in plastic, including stairways that will be in used to assure the spread of germs is reduced. Heavy cloth runners are also great at reducing germ spread and can be purchased at a local hardware store.

Assessing Damages

After the floors have been properly protected, you will need to assess the damages by evaluating the size and scope of the backup. Sewer backup cleaning is only as good as the assessment of the actual area affected. Missing adjoining rooms, contents affected or building materials like drywall, base and flooring will compromise the success.

Eyesight and touch are the only things needed to determine whether or not an item has been affected. Cardboard boxes and wood paneling typically give away any indication of moisture. Sewer damaged paneling must be replaced not restored. 

Drywall and cabinets, however, tend to hide their moisture content beyond what the eye can perceive. Professional restoration companies use non-penetrating moisture meters to determine exposure. You too may need the help of a moisture meter to correctly evaluate certain materials. If you don’t own one, a local hardware stores should have one that is affordable.

If sewage water has come into contact with drywall, removing wet drywall during flood cleanup will be necessary. Walls should be cut up 1′ from the base if the water is lower than 12″ and cut up to 2′ if the water is over 12″.

Protective Wear

Depending on the severity of the sewer back up in basement, you may consider covering your clothes with a disposable haz-mat suit or cover yourself in overalls. In even a less severe sewer backup cleanup context, you will need gloves up to the elbows, a face mask and googles so you are protected from waste and splattering.

Sewage water is abounding with up to 81 harmful viruses, e-coli bacteria, harsh chemicals and germs that can cause illness and disease. The health risks associated with sewage need to be regarded during the sewer backup cleanup process so you are not exposed to the water.

Turn off Furnace and Air Conditioner

Turning off your furnace and/or air conditioner will keep air borne contaminates from being introduced throughout the home. This goes for any fans that are turned on as well. Make sure air circulation is minimized so harmful germs don’t spread rapidly. Proper sewer water cleanup must give careful consideration of the dangers of germs being spread through air movement.

Addressing Humidity 

A quality dehumidifier placed to control elevated moisture in the air is important during sewage cleanup. A healthy humidity in a home is typically below 50%. When sewer systems backup elevated humidity can soar to well above this level, which can aid in mold growth. A dehumidifier will keep levels safe and prevent secondary moisture damage that is often associated with flooding.

Cleaning Tips for Sewer Water Cleanup

  • Remove all sewage water with a wet mop, shop vac or towels. Safely poor the water down the toilet and dispose of all absorbent materials used.
  • Clean all wet surfaces with a cleaning agent that says “kills 99.9% of all germs” on the label. Wipe aggressively on all non-absorbent wet surfaces to remove dirt, soil and scum films that came in contact with flood waters.
  • Wash down any wall, all floors and surfaces where sewage presence is known to be. Absorbent wall materials such as drywall and paneling may need removal.
  • Rinse after cleaning with 1 part vinegar and 5 parts water. This will help to remove films and naturally deodorize materials.
  • After these steps you can open windows, door wall and even introduce additional air movement by placing fans to help carry the outside air

What to do With Wet Fabrics and Clothes?

Clothing, bedding, garments, carpets, furniture, stuffed animals, boxes and saturated toys should be discarded as sewage destroys things beyond the scope of being safely restored. There can be exceptions where some items can be cleaned and disinfected, however, the cleaning protocols are stringent and require a trained and experienced individual. Discarding these items may cost you a bit, but a doctors visit or multiple ones can add up to often being more in cost than replacement. 

When discarding contaminated items during sewer backup cleanup be sure to use a 3ml garbage bag to assure it is strong enough to carry safely through the home without leaking. Take completely out of the home and place outside till garbage pickup, do not leave in garage.

Be sure to remove all clothing after sewer water cleanup is completed, and place in the washing machine. Do not place them in a laundry basket or hamper as they will contaminate everything they touch and may off-gas germs in the air.

Washing the hands is the very least you may want, as a complete shower is recommended and you will certainly feel better after a hot shower.

Everyone involved in the cleaning operation should be particularly mindful of their hygiene. Fingers should be kept away from eyes, nose and mouth. Fingernails should be cleaned, and smokers should make sure before lighting up and inhaling that they didn’t contaminate their cigarettes from touch.

Professional Management During Sewer Backup Cleaning

When professionals are contracted to do sewer backup restoration they are required to follow the IICRC S-500 publication for materials restoration. They should not cut corners but give strict adherence to the guidelines, which means expensive building materials may need to go. Because often the service is covered under a homeowners insurance claim, such materials will be replaced with funds the insurance carrier will cover.

Flooring Materials

There are only a few types of floor covering that can survive a sewer back up. Any absorbent floor coverings will always have to be discarded. That includes carpet, padding, laminate wood and hardwood. Any floating style laminates or vinyl style flooring’s will also always need to be removed.

There is no way to pull and clean sewer water from underneath these floors that would provide a clean enough end result. Ceramic tile, installed over a cement foundation, is typically OK, as well as glue down vinyl tile, as long as the installation is secure and there are no gaps in the tile for water to find.

Any loose vinyl or ceramic tile will allow water to become trapped underneath it and will always have to be removed. Once your flooring has been removed, or inspected and deemed salvageable, it is time for cleanup.

High Pressure Steam Cleaning – Necessary After A Sewer Backup

Starting from the base of the stairs, professionals will steam clean salvageable flooring using high pressure steam cleaning. Sewer backup cleanup involves the removal of dirt’s, debris and bio-films that only steam cleaning can manage.

High pressure steam cleaning has multiple advantages to regular mop cleaning. By pressure blasting your flooring with high pressure, hot steam will break loose any stubborn contaminants and push water out of the extremely small pockets in your concrete floors, tile and grout. 

Treating All Surfaces – Applying Agents For Germ Elimination

Once your basement has been thoroughly steam cleaned the professionals should apply an antimicrobial agent to all surfaces. At this point the smell of sewer water in your basement should be a thing of the past! You will also be free to move about your basement without worry of cross contaminating the rest of your home.

Placing Drying Equipment – After The Sewer Backup Service

After the floor has been cleaned completely and an antimicrobial agent has been sprayed, it is time to place our equipment. Depending on the type and scope of your water loss, your tech will place certain equipment around your basement to force air over your wet building materials. Fans are used primarily for this purpose, set against walls and over flooring to push dry air along wet materials in an attempt to soak that excess water up and pass it to our next piece of equipment, the dehumidifier.

Any sewer backup cleanup service that neglects to also provide structural drying is leaving the property at the mercy for mold growth. Mold thrives in environments where elevated humidity, stagnant air and the absence of UV lighting exist. Structurally drying the property will make sure to leave an environment no longer conducive to mold, mildew and odors.

Air Quality Control – After The Sewer Backup

Lastly, the professionals should place an air scrubber or negative air machine to manage air quality control. These machines contain a 3 stage filtration system with netting tight enough to capture molds. The first stage is a large particulate filter, able to grab dust and dirt floating in the air. The second is a small particulate filter, grabbing what the first filter was unable to grab. Last is a HEPA filter. This High-efficiency particulate air filter has the ability to trap particulates as small as .03 microns! As this filtered air is begins to pass quickly around your basement, soon elevated and toxic molds are removed to safe levels.

Macomb’s Best Sewage Cleanup Experts are Standing By!

If you are considering professional restoration for a sewage backup in basement or property look no further than the experts at Action Extraction of Macomb. We specialize in sewer backup cleanup, offering swift and thorough solutions to restore property and work with all insurance companies.  We have the resources, experience and dedicated staff to restore your property to its former condition and in many cases, better condition. All our services come with a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee.

Call today 586-949-4448 to speak LIVE with the owner who can answer any of your questions or dispatch our emergency restoration team who can be on-site in 1 hour. 

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