Your basement can be badly damaged by sewage backups and spills. Don’t think of it as an easy cleanup issue, sewage contains several microorganisms that can lead to serious health problems. When it comes to cleaning up sewage you should always wear appropriate clothing, goggles, shoes and gloves for protection.
Always follow the rules and regulations listed by state and local authorities while cleaning up your basement after a sewage backup. Most regions allow disposal of padding, carpeting and other things in a land fill near your locality, but you are required to dispose of sewage in a sanitary sewer. Expecting and nursing women, babies or little kids, older people and anybody suffering from severe health conditions should not be in the basement or home that is affected by sewage backup. The affected basement should be contained by setting up a plastic vapor barrier along with HEPA air cleaning systems.
Here are some steps that you can take to remove the sewage from your basement.
1. Use submersible pumps to pump out the standing water from your basement.
2. Use vacuum system that comes with a filtration device to extract sewage from the flooring or other items.
3. Remove all the items both contaminated and undamaged from your basement. Dispose of items that cannot be salvaged.
4. Take out all the flooded carpeting, vinyl flooring, wood flooring and others, and dispose them properly. The contaminated water and sewage will seep underneath your flooring and therefore, so it has to be removed not just cleaned.
5. After removing all the items and materials you can now start cleaning the structural things such as the wood framework, concrete floors and other stems. Use antimicrobial disinfectants to clean all the areas of your basement. After cleaning the areas thoroughly, clean them once again so that they are absolutely cleaned.
6. After getting rid of all the standing water and sewage, it’s time to dry out your basement completely. Use air movers and dehumidifiers to dry off all the exposed surfaces. Leaving the structure wet is not recommended as it may result in mold growth. Time for drying your basement depends on the amount of flooding as well as on the type and number of drying equipment employed. The normal drying time is three to four days for most surfaces and materials. However, concrete floors may take 4 to 15 days to dry out completely.
7. Use deodorizing agents to get rid of bad smell.
Once all the areas and surfaces of your basement are dry, you can begin reconstruction. You should hire the services of a professional company if you want to avoid the hassles of cleaning up your basement after a sewage backup.
