Sewage damage is one of the hardest things to remediate especially if caused by a toilet backflow. Apart from bacteria contamination, the smell can be unbearable making it all the more harder to cleanup. Fortunately, there are professional sewage damage cleanup services whom you can contact for this job. But before you contact any company, you should know what services a contract should cover. Here is a rundown on the services included in a sewage damage cleanup.
Sewage Removal
The first thing that a sewage damage cleanup company usually does is to remove the sewage from your house. This should be done in a manner that sewage does not spill to any other parts of the house. Usually, these services will have an electrically powered tool that can collect sewage within minutes. One of these tools is a wet vacuum which is effective if a considerable amount of liquid or water is present along with the sewage.
Chemical Disinfection
No matter where sewage comes from, whether from a toilet backflow or flood, it contains millions of bacteria and fungi. It is important that these harmful micro-organisms be dealt with immediately in an effective manner since they can become air borne and contaminate the rest of the house. When looking for a sewage damage cleanup service, always ask for the type of disinfection process and chemicals they use. Some of the most common disinfectants are alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, bleach and ammonia.
Although you may not administer the disinfectants yourself, it is important to know a few safety tips in handling them. Proper ventilation is required while disinfecting to avoid suffocation. It will be best to keep children away from the contaminated area and out of reach of these chemicals. In addition, there are disinfecting chemicals that cannot be mixed with others. Bleach for instance cannot be mixed with solutions containing ammonia.
Drying
Everything that has been washed and affected by the sewage should be thoroughly dried. This includes carpets, rugs, floors, walls and pipes. Molds, a type of fungi, grow in damp surfaces and they can be harmful to your family. They are known to cause skin allergies and trigger asthma attacks.
Most tools/methods used by sewage damage cleanup services in drying are dehumidifier and hot water extraction (steam).
HEPA Vacuum
High efficiency particulate air (HEPA) vacuums are usually used in post sewage damage cleanup procedures. This is a very powerful tool that is guaranteed to reduce air borne bacteria and fungi. There are only a few services that have this powerful machine and although this can cost a bit more than the usual cleanup contract, it will reduce your family’s exposure to harmful air borne bacteria and diseases.
Apart from the types of services included in a sewage damage cleanup contract, you should also compare prices so you get a reasonable rate for the types of services you would want in the contract. However, remember that time is of the essence so you should immediately contact a professional service at the soonest possible time.
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