A sewage backup is a health problem, not just a mess. We remove what came up, clean and sanitise everything it touched, and deal with the smell properly, in full protective gear, so nobody in your family has to be near it.
We understand the instinct. Something has come up through the floor drain, it is spreading, and the natural response is to grab a mop and start. That instinct is wrong here, and it is worth saying plainly.
Water that has come back up out of a sewer line carries bacteria and other pathogens. Mopping aerosolises it into the air you are breathing in an enclosed basement. A household mop and bucket cannot disinfect a porous surface, so what usually happens is the visible mess moves and the contamination stays. Meanwhile you have been standing in it.
Protective gear is not for show. It is the correct way to be in a contaminated space.
There is no point cleaning while more is arriving. Nearly every sewage backup traces to a blocked or damaged line, so that gets cleared first.
Solids and contaminated water out first, using equipment made for it rather than anything that will be used again in a clean space.
Porous materials that soaked up contaminated water do not come back. Carpet and padding, cardboard, particle board, soft furnishings, and insulation all fall in that group. We will be honest with you about this rather than leaving something in place that will smell in a month.
Two separate steps that get confused all the time. Cleaning removes the material. Sanitising kills what the material left on the surface. Skipping the first makes the second close to useless, because disinfectant cannot reach through soil.
A space that looks clean but stays damp grows mould, and the smell people complain about weeks later is nearly always something that was never properly dried or a porous item that should have gone.
Until the space is cleaned and sanitised, treat it as off limits, especially for children, anyone pregnant, anyone with a weakened immune system, and pets, who will happily walk through it and then across your floors. If your heating or air handling equipment is down there, leave it off so nothing is being circulated through the house.
Once the space is clean, it is worth putting a camera down the line to find out which of those it was. A backup that is never explained is a backup waiting to repeat.
Sewer backup cover is often a separate rider rather than part of a standard policy, so check yours. Whatever the answer, document heavily: photographs before anything is moved, a list of what was removed and why, and a clear record of the cause. We can give you notes on what we found and what we did, which is far more useful to an adjuster than a line item on a bill.
Immediately. Contaminated water sitting in an enclosed space gets worse by the hour, and mould can take hold within a day or two.
Hard, non-porous items usually clean up fine. Anything porous that absorbed contaminated water should go. We know that is unwelcome news when it is furniture you like, and we would rather say it than leave you with a problem.
Almost always because something porous is still holding contamination, or the space was never dried out fully. Air freshener covers it for a day. Removing the source is the only real fix.
Yes, and that is the advantage of calling us. The cause and the cleanup are one visit with one company, rather than a cleaning crew who cannot open the line and a second call to find out why it happened.
We do. Shared stacks affect several units at once and need coordinating, and businesses usually need it done outside opening hours. Both are workable. Just tell us the situation when you call.
Drain backing up right now?