What Items Can I Save After A Sewage Back-Up?

5/3/2016 (Permalink)

Contributed by Michael Johnson, Production Manager

What items are salvageable from Sewage Back up?

A sewage loss in your home can be detrimental. There are many items in the home that should be discarded. In the world of water damage we call a sewage loss a Category 3. This type of water damage is very dangerous if not cleaned up correctly. The list of contaminates in a sewage back-up is long. One of them is Hepatitis B. Hep B can live out of the body for 50 days. This is why the cleaning process is so important.

There are many items that can be cleaned by a professional from a sewage loss. Here is a Short list of what cannot be saved:

Some Electronics – Depending on the type and how far the contamination went down into the item will come into play. You cannot wipe off just the outside and say it is good to go. If sewage comes in contact with a power cord or a small transfer box it should be replaced. If the item is not replaced the contamination will fester inside and could cause a major fire hazard. This is a very serious issue that should be handled by a professional.

Soft Goods/Certain Textiles – Some can be cleaned depending on the material make, age and contamination level. Certain items like pillows or stuffed animals will need to be dissembled, filling removed, exterior cleaned and put back together with clean materials.

Engineered Wood/ Press wood - Any wood item that has been modified where contamination has come in contact with an unfinished surface cannot be cleaned. This is due to the many cavities that pressboard and engineered wood have. Natural/Solid wood can be treated and sanded to remove the affected areas, then re-stained to match existing colors.

Carpet/Pad – If at any time there was sewage that soaked through to the carpet or pad, the area must be removed! There is no way to guarantee that the carpet and pad are fully decontaminated.

If there are any questions, Please call your local SERVPRO and we will help.