Sewage spills usually occur in the underlying parts of your house, such as the basement, since sewer lines run underground. So, you must clean up sewage components in your basement whenever you notice them before they can spread throughout your house and cause health hazards, not to mention structural damage.
You can do this as a DIY project or hand it over to professionals such as Water Damage Near Me, depending on the damage done and the time and effort it may take to clean up the mess.
What Do You Need to Know About Raw Sewage Cleanup?
Sewer and water treatment systems help ensure that the residents of a neighborhood have access to clean drinking water besides taking care of human waste. Professionals with special skills and training work round the clock to design these systems so that other common people don’t need to deal with nasty raw sewage.
Exposure to raw sewage poses many health risks as it consists of a host of disease-causing viruses, bacteria, and other parasites. However, workers who help clean up raw sewage contents every day, and are at a greater risk of falling sick, make sure that they wear protective gear such as gloves, masks, boots, and goggles.
So, cleaning up raw sewage backup is by no means an easy job, and you will need to attend to it as soon as you notice it in your basement or anywhere in your house before it spreads.
How to Clean up Sewage in Your House?
As suggested, sewage contents backing up into your basement or anywhere in or around your house is a major cause for concern that you need to deal with quickly to prevent it from spreading to the rest of the property. Depending on the severity, you may be able to deal with the problem yourself, but it’s always best to call professionals such as Water Damage Near Me and let them take care of it.
However, if you feel that the issue is minor and are up for cleaning up the mess, don’t forget to take the following preventive measures.
- Don’t let anyone, particularly children, senior citizens, and pets, anywhere near the affected area, as they are the most vulnerable.
- Be sure to cut the power and water supply and turn off the gas before getting to the task.
- Open all the windows in the affected room or area and let in some fresh air.
- Shift all affected items to a safe place.
- Disinfect the area using a suitable agent such as chlorine bleach to prevent bacterial spread.
- If you have a homeowner’s insurance, notify your provider by sending them pictures of the spill as evidence.
So, if you have a sewage spill in your basement and decide to clean it yourself, start with some basic disinfection, and clean the standing water, but don’t try to unclog any drains.
Steps for Cleaning Sewage Backup
Dealing with a sewage backup is by no means an easy job, and you should attempt it only if the affected area is a small part, such as the basement, bathroom, or kitchen. Even in this case, you should deal with the problem slowly, carefully, and safely by following these steps.
- Don’t forget to put on protective equipment, such as facemasks, rubber boots, gloves, and goggles, so that you don’t come in direct contact with the sewage.
- Close the door to the affected areas to prevent the sewage contaminants from escaping.
- Remove the sewage water standing using a suitable pump or wet-dry vacuum, preferably with a dedicated filter.
- Use a shovel to take out the dirt and debris and put them away safely into separate plastic bags for disposal.
- Move all the affected items you think you can fix to a safe spot and discard those that are beyond repair.
- Remove any flooring materials such as carpets and mats and remove all the affected wall panels, baseboards, and insulation materials.
- Use suitable hot water and disinfectant solutions to wash the floors, walls, and other affected surfaces, and subsequently, deep-clean the area with water and detergent. Also, scrub the floor with chlorine bleach and water solution before giving it a good rinse.
- Remove any excess water standing and air-dry the area by opening the windows (if the weather outside is dry and sunny) or using a dehumidifier (if it is cold or rainy). However, ensure the area is dry within a day or two of the spills to prevent mold growth.
- Sewage backup can increase indoor moisture and harbor mold formation. So, attend to mold growth immediately, if any, to prevent it from spreading to the other parts of the house.
- Discard all the affected consumable goods, including food or drinks and soft or porous items such as toys, rugs, curtains, and clothes.
- Call the experts and have them check all high-value contaminated items and clean upholstered items, such as carpets.
- Mix one cup of chlorine bleach with water and wash all the affected items that you kept aside, including clothes, furniture, and appliances.
- After cleaning all the items affected by the sewage contaminants, place them outside so they dry.
- Call in the professionals and have them check all the electrical and plumbing systems in the affected areas to see if they need repairs or replacement.
When to Call the Professionals
While you should refrain from cleaning up sewage spills yourself and let the professionals handle it instead, there may be cases when your only option would be to call experts with the necessary training, skills, and experience to deal with such a situation.
However, you may need to take these desperate measures only when you have multiple affected rooms or worse when the spill covers the entire house. Similarly, you may also need to contact an expert if the spill occurs through a sewer or septic tank leak and backup that has been over 24 hours.
Other instances where you may need professional help include sewage water leaking through your home air-conditioning systems that adversely affect you or one of your family members.
You can call different people depending on how and where the damage occurs. However, you may need the help of these professionals when you have a sewage spill under your house.
Conclusion
You may be able to clean up a sewage spill under your house, especially if it is a minor one, but it’s always better to get a professional such as Water Damage Near Me to come over to your place and deal with it. Such experts have the required skills, training, and experience, not to mention the equipment, to quickly, safely, and efficiently handle cleaning up sewage spills.
So, the next time you have a sewage spill somewhere under your house, such as the basement, be sure to call the professionals and have them assess and clean it up. However, if you decide to do it yourself, at least be sure to wear protective gear and follow these steps to stay safe.
