Wastewater contains harmful bacteria and contaminants that could lead to a wide range of diseases, including gastroenteritis. Sometimes, due to blockage, flood water, or septic tank damage, there could be an overflow. In such situations, it’s important to reach out to a restoration company for sewage overflow cleanup.
What You Need to Know About Sewage Overflow Cleanup
While experienced professionals can help clear the wastewater from your home and address the underlying problems, homeowners must be aware of the steps they should take to overcome these unexpected challenges.
Common Causes of Sewage Overflow in Homes
Some of the most common causes of wastewater entering homes in the United States include the following:
- Tree roots blocking sewer lines
- Faulty septic tank
- Excessive flooding in the region
- Sewage blockage
- Torrential rains
When flooding, rain, or blockage puts pressure on the sewage system, wastewater can enter your home. This can result in harmful bacteria and pathogens spreading across your living spaces.
A reputable restoration company can create an effective sewage overflow cleanup plan to remove all of the dirty water from your house and sanitize the affected areas to ensure a safe and clean environment for you and your loved ones.
Understanding Sewage Overflow Cleanup Process
When wastewater enters your home, it’s an emergency that requires you to act quickly. A systematic approach to tackling sewage overflow cleanup may be the right way to go about it.
Here are the steps to follow:
Step 1: Prioritize Safety
Since you’ll have to walk in the wastewater, wearing the right equipment is important. Goggles, protective facemasks, and gloves are highly recommended, as they can prevent interaction with harmful contaminants.
Step 2: Switch Off the Power Supply
If the wastewater continues to rise, it could reach the level at which your electrical outlets are, creating a hazardous environment for sewage overflow cleanup. Assess the situation and cut off the power in the affected areas.
Step 3: Ventilate the Area
While reaching out to a professional for sewage overflow cleanup is a must, you also need to take the right steps to reduce the impact of domestic wastewater flooding.
Before cleaning the mess, open the doors and windows to ventilate the area and remove the foul odor. This can make it easy to work in the affected areas.
Step 4: Document the Damage
Some insurance policies may cover damages associated with wastewater flooding on your property.
To increase your chances of financial recovery, you must document all of the damage in the affected areas. This makes it easy to evaluate the losses when filing a claim with the insurer.
Step 5: Remove Standing Water
If the wastewater continues to rise, use a wet vacuum or pump to extract it from your house. Although dumping it all out on the street may seem like a wise option, it could lead to legal troubles.
Make sure to go through the local regulations to help you remove the standing water in a safe and effective manner.
Step 6: Discard the Contaminated Items
Carpets, furniture, and other items that come into contact with wastewater may remain contaminated for days. If you don’t discard these immediately during the sewage overflow cleanup, your family may be at risk of contracting harmful diseases.
Step 7: Clean and Disinfect
To destroy the deadly pathogens, mix bleach and water in a large bucket and start mopping the surfaces. You can also use a commercial disinfectant solution for the cleanup.
Make sure to clean all of the surfaces, especially those that are frequently touched, to prevent the spread of bacteria. We highly recommend doing a couple of washes to clean the affected areas thoroughly.
Step 8: Dry the Area
Wet surfaces and humidity can increase the risk of mold. This is another problem that you need to be very careful of. It’s essential to dry up all of the affected areas using fans and dehumidifiers.
Here is a table that summarizes the steps involved in the sewage cleanup process:
| Steps | What to Do |
| Step 1 | Wear protective gear to ensure your safety |
| Step 2 | Cut off the power supply |
| Step 3 | Properly ventilate the affected area |
| Step 4 | Document the damage for insurance purposes |
| Step 5 | Extract standing water with a pump |
| Step 6 | Remove contaminated items |
| Step 7 | Clean and disinfect the affected surfaces |
| Step 8 | Dry the area |
Why Is It Important to Seek Professional Sewage Overflow Cleanup Services?
While removing sewage may seem like a cost-effective DIY solution, there are several challenges that homeowners must realize and certain risks that they must recognize.
Removing wastewater, disinfecting the affected areas, and eliminating the unpleasant odor according to the best industry practices are important in ensuring a safe and hygienic environment for you and your loved ones.
Let Fine Restoration Handle the Sewage Overflow Cleanup for You!
Are you experiencing a sewage overflow in your Kansas City home? Fine Restoration offers 24/7 cleanup services to help remove potentially harmful pathogens from your living spaces.
Call us at (913) 225-9718 to protect your family and home from further damage!
