If sewage damage is so extensive as to include all areas of your property, sewage damage cleanup should be just as extensive and aggressive. Sewage damage cleanup should be done with the view of protecting occupants from risk of pathogen-infested sewage wastewater. Below are recommended sewage damage cleanup steps to restore safety to a property.

1. Begin sewage damage cleanup in the soonest time possible. The longer the time of contamination, the higher the chances of microbial growth.

2. Inspect area of contamination. Evaluate the extent of damage, the type of organic matter present, types of materials that require remediation, and duration of exposure to contaminant.

3. Evacuate occupants who are not wearing any protective gear from contaminated site during early decontamination process. That is, during removal of sewage waste, cleaning, and disinfection. Do no let occupants into the area until after the place has been thoroughly disinfected.

4. Sewage damage cleanup technicians should wear HEPA respirator, rubber boots, splash goggles, face mask, and rubber gloves. If ceilings have also been contaminated, technicians should also wear protective suits and hard hats. Technicians with open wounds and sores should not be allowed to join the cleanup. Any wound acquired during cleaning should be reported to a physician immediately.

5. After raw sewage and wastewater have been removed, contaminated property items should be sprayed with disinfectant solution. The objective of pre-spraying materials is to contain and begin reduction of microbial organisms.

6. All contaminated materials should be studied and sorted out as non- porous, slightly porous, and thoroughly process.

7. Non-porous materials include concrete, vinyl, and Formica. Though these materials are considered non-porous, it is still recommended that a moisture meter is run through them to evaluate subsurface moisture content.

8. Semi-porous materials include upholstery, plaster, painted drywall, and linoleum can be cleaned and disinfected if penetration is limited to surface. However, if penetration includes subsurface, the items should be discarded and replaced.

9. For highly porous items, sort out the expensive ones from the affordable ones. The measure would be if buying a new item would cost more than cost of repair, then you can bring items to repair services. However, if cost of items is less than repair, then consider replacement of items. Highly porous materials include rugs, carpets, cardboards, wicker, tack less strip, and upholstery. To dispose, bag items in plastic first, then bring to a disposal site.

10. Remove solid waste and spill using shovel, wet vacuum, septic pump trucks, and other such items. Extract water also from rugs and carpets. Clean and disinfect tools after use.

11. After removal of raw sewage, clean all surfaces with detergent mixture. Afterwards, apply secondary disinfectant.

12. Clean also contaminated materials with detergent and soap first. Afterwards, apply disinfectant.

13. Clean and disinfect all tools used in sewage damage cleanup.

14. Air dry materials and all structural materials. Afterwards, re-survey remediated area. Evaluate the success of sewage damage cleanup. Did you miss removing any organic matter? Are the walls thoroughly dry? Is there any odor left?

Sewage damage cleanup should be extensive where sewage contamination is extensive. Its objective is to make a place safe to inhabit again. It is imperative that sewage damage cleanup achieve that goal.

About the author of this article:

samantha kleinsto is a disaster article writer for chicago sewage damage cleanup and orlando sewage damage cleanup