When sewage spills into your home due to a sewage backup, you could encounter various viruses and germs that quickly contaminate everything. Without professional cleaners, your furniture and floors will easily absorb blackwater, making decontamination procedures impossible.

ICE Cleaning is a sewage cleaning company with skilled technicians that can thoroughly clean a sewage spill with industrial-grade equipment and specialised chemical solutions. Its sewage cleaners are available 24/7, all year round, and can be on-site in a matter of hours in an emergency.

Read on to learn more about sewage backups and why they require the intervention of professional cleaning services.

What is a sewage backup?

Sinks, toilets, and other drains become clogged when sewage or blackwater floods a pipe because of a block or pipe damage — this is a sewer backup.

Flushing litter down the toilet or pouring oil into the kitchen sink is frequently the reason for sewage backups. Other times, the problem may be caused by poorly maintained pipework, severe rain and flooding, or foliage roots damaging the pipes.

If your property has a private sewer, you must pay for repairs and expert cleaning services in the event of a spill or backup. You can relinquish ownership of your private sewer at any time to the local water company which will gain legal responsibility for future incidents.

What are the risks of sewage exposure?

Blackwater — also known as sewage — consists of several germs and viruses that inflict disease and severe illnesses. Sewage wastewater is an ideal environment for contagious bacteria, producing a very unpleasant odour in the area where the backup occurred.

If a sewage backup happens in your house, you must act quickly to prevent bacterial contamination of yourself and your property. Symptoms associated with Salmonella, E. coli, and gastrointestinal illnesses may begin to make themselves known after encountering sewage like:

• Nausea
• Diarrhoea
• Vomiting
• Respiratory infections
• Skin rashes and infections

Why are professional cleaning services necessary?

Due to the presence of bacteria in blackwater, it is too dangerous for unqualified individuals to tackle a cleaning operation by themselves. If the sewage has flooded areas of your home and infected porous materials such as wood and carpets, then a deep cleaning will be required.

Objects like upholstery, toys, medicines, and food must be disposed of. This can be especially difficult if the sewage water was left to soak for a long time.

Your home will need to be aired and dried out to prevent the growth of mould, which could start growing after 24 hours. This remediation process is long and cannot happen without the tools professional technicians have access to.

ICE Cleaning’s professional sewage cleaners can use state-of-the-art equipment and solutions unavailable to the public. Their techniques allow for thorough disinfection of your property and they will assist in disposing of contaminated products.

You can find out more about ICE Cleaning’s specialist cleaning services here.