Sewage-Contaminated Basement Cleanup in Milwaukee, WI

Why porous material comes out

Carpet, pad, insulation and drywall that held sewage cannot be cleaned to a safe standard, so they are removed.

Porous materials take in water and whatever it carries. Once sewage has soaked into carpet pad, insulation or drywall, cleaning the surface does not remove what is inside. The crew removes those materials and logs each one, so the homeowner can see what was taken and why.

Hard materials such as sealed concrete, metal and finished wood can often be cleaned and disinfected. The crew makes that choice for each surface and records it.

Disinfection and its limits

A disinfectant is used on hard surfaces for the time the label sets, and it is not a substitute for removing porous material.

Disinfection kills what a cleaning pass leaves behind, but only on surfaces that have been cleaned first. A disinfectant applied to a soaked carpet pad does not reach the material inside, which is why the pad is removed.

The crew follows the label on the product, allows the time it needs and rinses or dries the surface as the label requires. The product and the time are recorded in the scope.

• Clean the surface before applying disinfectant
• Use a product suited to wastewater contamination
• Allow the time the label requires
• Rinse or dry the surface as the label requires
• Record the product and time in the scope

Checking the result before the work is closed

The result is checked by sight, by odour and by readings before the work is signed off.

A basement is not finished when the last bucket is emptied. The crew checks the floor, the wall base, the drains and the stored items against the scope. It takes readings in the subfloor and the wall base, and it notes any surface that still smells or shows a stain.

If a surface is not clean, the crew cleans it again rather than signing it off. The sign-off is written with the final readings.

• Check the floor, wall base and drains against the scope
• Take readings in the subfloor and wall base
• Note any surface that still smells or stains
• Clean again any surface that fails the check
• Sign off with the final readings

Protecting people in the house

Children, pets and anyone with a weak immune system stay out of the work zone until the work is signed off.

Sewage cleanup is a health matter as well as a cleaning job. The homeowner should keep children and pets out of the work zone, wash hands after any contact, and keep food and drink away from the area. Anyone with a weak immune system should not enter the work zone while it is being cleaned.

The crew seals the work zone where it can, uses the protection the work requires and keeps the area ventilated while the product acts.

• Keep children and pets out of the work zone
• Wash hands after any contact with the area
• Keep food and drink away from the work zone
• Keep anyone with a weak immune system out
• Ventilate the area as the crew directs

Stored contents and their fate

Contents that held sewage are often removed, and the list says which were saved and why.

Stored boxes, shelving and furniture that held sewage are usually removed, because they cannot be cleaned to a safe standard. Hard furniture with a sealed finish may be cleaned and kept, and the crew writes that decision into the list.

The homeowner decides with the crew which items are kept, and the list is signed. An insurer reviewing the claim uses the list to see what was lost and why.

• List each item, its condition and the decision
• Photograph each item before it is removed
• Explain removals in the scope
• Sign the list with the homeowner
• Keep the list with the claim file

Personal protection and the work zone

The crew wears protection for the work, and the homeowner stays outside a sealed zone.

Sewage cleanup requires protection the crew wears for the whole job: gloves, eye protection and a suitable mask, with disposable outer clothing where the work requires it. The work zone is marked and kept separate from the rest of the house, and the air is ventilated to the outside where practical.

Waste material removed from the basement is bagged and taken out in sealed containers. The crew does not leave bags in the house overnight, and it records each removal in the scope.

• Wear gloves, eye protection and a suitable mask
• Mark and separate the work zone
• Ventilate to the outside where practical
• Bag removed waste in sealed containers
• Do not leave removed waste in the house overnight