Floods are often some of the most devastating natural events that can hit a home and the cleanup process that needs to begin afterward is one of the most hectic. Biological hazards such as sewage, chemicals, and even decaying bodies have been known to be found in flood waters, as the tragedy that was Hurricane Katrina showed us, and the likelihood of these things lurking in the flood water that has affected your home is fairly prevalent. Cleaning up your home after a flood can be one of the most trying experiences you can have, but if you stay calm and rational, you can get this done without a lot of help.
You need to obtain some protection equipment if you are going to be cleaning and disinfecting your home on your own. Latex gloves and rubber boots are just two of the things that you will need to protect yourself from the bio-hazards that now exist in your home. Make sure you have plenty of antibacterial soap on hand so that you can wash your hands frequently, especially before you eat anything.
Almost anything porous that has been contaminated by the water should be thrown out. Furniture like upholstered couches and chairs should be thrown out because the padding will absorb chemicals, soil, and sewage over the short time that it was in the flood waters and completely disinfecting these items without tearing out the old padding and re-upholstering them is almost impossible. They will still likely smell and eventually become molded. Any toys that your children had such as stuffed animals and even much of their bedding will need to be thrown away. Children should not be let back into the house until the cleaning process is finished.
Cleaning the sewage on the floors and walls will not be that easy. Obtain two buckets and put clean water for rinsing in one and water that has been treated with disinfectant in the other. Wash the floor with a mop, but do not put the dirty mop back into the clean water without rinsing it first. Follow this procedure and make sure you replace your rinse water often.
Depending on the condition of your drywall, you may either need to replace it or just repaint it. It depends on how long the house was under water, the amount of damage that was done and if the drywall appears to be trying to buckle. If discoloration is the only problem, repainting over it is feasible.
Showing posts with label sewage damage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sewage damage. Show all posts
Monday, February 4, 2008
Clogged Toilets Flooded Your Bathroom?
Everyone who has had a toilet has had the misfortune of having to unclog it and clean up the mess that resulted. A toilet that is let to overflow often can be a serious source of water damage to your floor and the sad thing is that this can be avoided the majority of the time.
If you have small children that like to play around in the bathroom, then it is possibly a good idea to invest in a product called a lid lock. This will lock down the lid of the toilet so that the hand of an adult can open it easily, but a child’s hand cannot. This keep you from worrying not only if the child has put something in the toilet that does not belong there, but also stop curious toddlers from actually climbing in it. These are not expensive at all and can save you quite a bit of time and worry.
Whenever a toilet overflows, the first thing most people tend to do is try and flush it again. This is not a good idea. Allow the water to get back to its normal level before attempting to flush it again. Be sure that the rest of the members of your household know this, too.
Bale water from the clogged toilet out until you cannot remove any more. Try using a plunger to see if that dislodges the object and the water goes down. If a plunger does not work, see if you can get the object out of the toilet by putting your hand (preferably in a waterproof glove that reaches to your elbow, since the water is probably nasty) down inside it, but be careful not to get it stuck. If you cannot get it out this way, you may need a plumbing snake.
If you think the clog is gone, fill a bucket with water and pour it down into the toilet. If the water goes down as it should, then the blockage is gone.
If none of these methods worked, it may be time to call a professional. There are such things as emergency plumbers that are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, but getting one of these in your local area may be a bit difficult. If the problem is a blocked city sewer, then you need to call the water company, since it will be their responsibility to remove the blockage.
If you have small children that like to play around in the bathroom, then it is possibly a good idea to invest in a product called a lid lock. This will lock down the lid of the toilet so that the hand of an adult can open it easily, but a child’s hand cannot. This keep you from worrying not only if the child has put something in the toilet that does not belong there, but also stop curious toddlers from actually climbing in it. These are not expensive at all and can save you quite a bit of time and worry.
Whenever a toilet overflows, the first thing most people tend to do is try and flush it again. This is not a good idea. Allow the water to get back to its normal level before attempting to flush it again. Be sure that the rest of the members of your household know this, too.
Bale water from the clogged toilet out until you cannot remove any more. Try using a plunger to see if that dislodges the object and the water goes down. If a plunger does not work, see if you can get the object out of the toilet by putting your hand (preferably in a waterproof glove that reaches to your elbow, since the water is probably nasty) down inside it, but be careful not to get it stuck. If you cannot get it out this way, you may need a plumbing snake.
If you think the clog is gone, fill a bucket with water and pour it down into the toilet. If the water goes down as it should, then the blockage is gone.
If none of these methods worked, it may be time to call a professional. There are such things as emergency plumbers that are on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, but getting one of these in your local area may be a bit difficult. If the problem is a blocked city sewer, then you need to call the water company, since it will be their responsibility to remove the blockage.
Here’s How To Deal With Sewer Damage
Undeniably sewage is a awfully foul substance and of allowing it inside the residence or having to wash it away is extremely unwelcome. Unfortunately, those who reside in an area presdisposed to being submersed, though, this can be an event you could someday have to clean up if the water find. Washing away sewage from a house is something countless homeowners within a submersed region have to contend with and though it will be a pretty unwelcome thing, you can be certain that you get the job finished on your own without having to get a professional business to complete it for you.
All things in the household has to be done away with. Furnishings that have thick padding should really be disposed of, since the more time those things stay under unsanitary water, the more the padding absorbs all things within it, from bacteria and viruses to sewage and chemicals. The biohazard factor of these items causes them to be awfully dangerous, so getting rid of them and acquiring new furnishings is really the best idea. Go with used furnishings if necessary until you can find something new, but your old furniture should be considered unsanitary, because you [most likelyprobablysimplysurely are not able to disinfect the padding once it becomes contaminated in this manner.
The carpet in your household needs to be gotten rid of, too. You can have it shampooed and cleaned with steam. If you are alright with allowing it to stay inside your house, then you may. But, most of the time carpet cannot be totally purified of these stains and/or dangerous particles.
Towels and some flimsy objects within the household could be washed, so you should be sure to wash these things in the most scalding water you have access to.
As you begin to scour your floors, you will want two metal or plastic tubs; the first will have with pure water and the other should be full of water and your cleaner. Use your mop or rag and put it into the cleaning solution and begin scouring. Rinse it inside the uncontaminated bucket completely and then put it again in the cleaning bucket. That is the only approach to prevent from cross contaminating your cleansing water.
All things in the household has to be done away with. Furnishings that have thick padding should really be disposed of, since the more time those things stay under unsanitary water, the more the padding absorbs all things within it, from bacteria and viruses to sewage and chemicals. The biohazard factor of these items causes them to be awfully dangerous, so getting rid of them and acquiring new furnishings is really the best idea. Go with used furnishings if necessary until you can find something new, but your old furniture should be considered unsanitary, because you [most likelyprobablysimplysurely are not able to disinfect the padding once it becomes contaminated in this manner.
The carpet in your household needs to be gotten rid of, too. You can have it shampooed and cleaned with steam. If you are alright with allowing it to stay inside your house, then you may. But, most of the time carpet cannot be totally purified of these stains and/or dangerous particles.
Towels and some flimsy objects within the household could be washed, so you should be sure to wash these things in the most scalding water you have access to.
As you begin to scour your floors, you will want two metal or plastic tubs; the first will have with pure water and the other should be full of water and your cleaner. Use your mop or rag and put it into the cleaning solution and begin scouring. Rinse it inside the uncontaminated bucket completely and then put it again in the cleaning bucket. That is the only approach to prevent from cross contaminating your cleansing water.
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