Never DIY Sewage Clean-Up
There are many home repair projects that are able to be completed successfully by homeowners. Outlets like HGTV, the DIY network, and YouTube have many shows and videos dedicated to all the things you can DIY around your home. But there is one major repair project that is dangerous to yourself and your family to try and repair it yourself and that is cleaning up sewage water damage.
No matter where sewage water damage comes from, whether from a flood or a sewage backup, the water contains harmful contaminants that can spread disease and infection. You can put yourself at risk of a variety of diseases if you try to clean sewage yourself. But that is just one reason to not DIY a sewage clean-up project.
Sewage clean-up is a tricky business. It’s not as straightforward as cleaning up water damage from, say, leaks from home appliances like refrigerators, sinks, faucets, or washing machines. Standard cleaning materials that are readily available in stores near you are not enough to mitigate the damage caused by sewage. Not even bleach is enough to clean up sewage. Ineffective cleaning means that the dangerous substances that came in with the sewage will continue to linger. This can expose your family, friends, clients, or customers to the allergic reactions and respiratory effects that can come with exposure to sewage water.
Why is Sewage so Harmful?
Sewage water damage is categorized as the most dangerous type of water damage, black water damage. Sewage itself is classified as a biohazard and can cause infections or viruses like e. Coli or rotavirus. This water can contain microorganisms, and human or chemical waste and can cause serious allergic reactions or respiratory symptoms if not cleaned properly.
Additionally, any materials that come into contact with the sewage will be contaminated and need to be disinfected and cleaned, or replaced.
How Should Sewage be Cleaned?
If the worst happens and you need to have sewage cleaned in your home or business, you should hire a professional water restoration professional to make sure the job is done right and minimizes the health risks, which definitely makes the investment worth it.
Hiring a professional means you won’t have to expose yourself to the harmful contaminants contained in sewage. Professionals will have the necessary products and equipment to ensure a complete cleaning job is done, as well as the proper protective equipment and training to
properly clean sewage and restore your home or business to its initial state.
Water damage often comes hand in hand with sewage incursions. Sewage cleaning professionals are trained to counter this eventuality as well, unlike the DIY cleaner. Professionals will have the dehumidifiers and other equipment needed to remove excess water and moisture, avoiding further damage to your structure. Once the water is gone, they will be able to restore and repair whatever damage is present.
