Rescuing a Home after Sewage Backup in Arlington VA

In November 2019, PuroClean of Alexandria provided biohazard cleanup and water damage restoration to a residence in Arlington, VA after it suffered a sewage loss. Unfortunately, a county sewer line had broken, sending sewage into the home of a young family with small children. As kids are more susceptible to viruses and other contaminants, we needed to mitigate and restore the damage as fast as possible.

Risks of sewage flooding exposure in homes

Sewage contains parasites, viruses, bacteria, fungi, and many other contaminants. Therefore, contact with sewage without wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) and following proper procedures is a serious health risk. An unprotected person could contract over a dozen diseases, such as hepatitis A and encephalitis.

Yet, the greatest danger is actually not the risk of disease, but that of electrocution or explosion. Residents should never enter a flooded area or light matches until the utility companies have shut off the electric and gas service. Of course, a structure should be evacuated immediately if gas is leaking.

Certainly, sewage backups can occur due to many reasons. Those can include drainpipe clogs, tree roots, damaged sewer lines, or heavy rainfall.

Providing water damage restoration in Arlington VA

Although the terrible accident happened during the weekend, our team arrived on-site within the hour. Luckily, the flooding occurred during the day, which made our restoration efforts easier.

As is normal with sewage flooding, the water mostly affected the basement. At PuroClean of Alexandria, we deal with flooded basements almost daily. But incidents involving sewage — or category 3 black water — are rarer.

First, to remediate the sewage loss, we removed all affected contents, including drywall. Our crew kept their PPE on the whole time to prevent direct exposure to contaminated water. Then, we cleaned, sanitized and steam cleaned the area. Afterward, we used industrial fans and air scrubbers to dry the remaining humidity and remove contaminants from the air.

Finally, once we finished the job, the homeowners gave us an “Excellent Service” remark on the customer opinion survey! Those positive words made us so proud to have served them through such a difficult time.

For water damage restoration in Arlington VA, call PuroClean!

No matter the type of loss — flooding from clean water or sewage — we can handle your water damage restoration needs in Arlington, Alexandria or surrounding areas. Contact PuroClean of Alexandria for quick and efficient flood cleanup services.