How To Prevent Long Term Damage After A Toilet Backup
- Zachary Konell
- May 5
- 5 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
Cleaning up toilet backup and overflows can seem like a gross but relatively easy process. It's not until you dig a little deeper into how sewage water can have la asting negative impact on your health does it start to seem like a good idea to involve a professional water damage restoration company.
Our team of experts can quickly locate hidden pockets of standing sewage to completely remove soiling and sanitize your space; leaving a clean and safe bathroom for continued future use.
On the surface, toilet overflows can seem like an easy fix. Clean up bulk soiling like toilet paper and feces, mop up standing water and then clean the floors with a number of over the counter cleaning chemicals. On the surface, this will likely leave your bathroom smelling fresh however, if you start to dig a bit deeper, you begin to realize just how much you might have left behind.
Professional sewage clean up services tackle toilet overflows with air quality in mind. Outside of the initial discovery phase, our professional black water clean up and mitigation technicians take all things into account. This includes potential tracking (spreading sewage and toilet water from the bathroom to other areas of the house on the bottom of your feet) to aerosolization of tiny particulates after the initial water damage has had an opportunity to dry a little.
The ANSI.IICRC S500 Standard for Professional Water Damage Mitigation outlines the proper steps based on the conditions of the damaged areas. Some recommendations may include the use of proper PPE (respirators, gloves, tyvek suits), as well as air filtration to help tackle odors and aersolized particulates. It's important to review the standard of care prior to building a Scope of Work to ensure all tasks being performed are necessary based on the level of contamination we are working to remove.
Identifying the Extent of the Toilet Backup
Typically when responding to a toilet overflow or black water damage, our team will utilize a series of specialized equipment to help determine the water migration line, or how far and where the water traveled to from the source. These tools typically include thermal imaging cameras, moisture meters and maybe even laser particle counters. Once we've been able to determine how far and where the water traveled, we can begin to put together a scope of work that makes sense for the house or property we are in. A few considerations we think of when building a scope of work are:
How long its been since the toilet overflowed
If the tile/grout has been sealed
If any clean up has already taken place
If contents were affected
If the water went under the sill plate or made its way under layers of flooring
Indoor Air Quality - Limiting Air Flow
As sewage begins to dry it starts to get flaky. Residue and particulates are easily aerosolized and kicked into the air, especially if you prematurely introduce heavy air flow. For this reason, our teams will focus on the removal and sanitization process prior to the structural drying. This doesn't mean you still can't stabilize the environment with a dehumidifier, we just like to control as many factors as we can before installing axial air movers. Another step we may take is setting air filtration and building a negative pressure containment system. These systems help to foster a clean working environment while preventing potentially contaminated air from escaping into other areas of the property. Our team will use a manometer to help determine when a containment system is under negative pressure and can also rely on visual cues during the water damage clean up and restoration.
Flushing the Sill Plate, Grout Removal & More!
If black water migrates under a sill plate and flows into another room, our team likes to ensure we account for residues left behind during our cleaning. Specialty equipment is used to help force hot water and a sanitizing agent under the sill plate, following the migration pattern of the contaminated water. This ensures we leave little behind in terms of harmful bacteria or pathogens. Another step we take in the event grout is not sealed, is to remove the pourus grout, re-color match and grout and then seal it when we are done. As mentioned, there is a lot that can go into professionally cleaning up sewage damages from toilet overflows!
Deodorization Techniques After Toilet Overflow
After a sewage damage or toilet overflow, we are most times left contending with a foul odor. To combat this initially, we may use a biological spore based cleaning agent designed to eat away at odor causing bacterias. We may also set hydroxyl units to help sanitize the air outside of the workspace which can cut down on unwanted odors as well.
Once the bulk soiling and sanitization process is complete, we may move into other chemical solutions designed to deodorize the space or even commercial grade essential oil disks have proven to work wonders when trying to elliminate nasty odors associated with sewage losses.
The best solution we've found for deodorization though actually comes from structural drying. Reducing the GPP (grains per pound) and RH (relative humidity) in a room after a water damage can also help alleviate musty odors from water damages. As the vapor pressure increases, evaporation takes place and will actually -initially - increase the amount of moisture in the air. When this happens (typically within the first 24 hours of drying) odors tend to get worse. After the moisture in the air is pulled out from our dehumidifiers though, things rapidly improve. Leaving moisture inside building materials like wood or drywall can prolong the odors associated with the water damage. This is another reason why hiring a professional water damage restoration company can benefit you.
Why You Should Hire A Professional
When it comes to sewage and the risks associated with incorrectly sanitizing a space after a toilet leak, it starts to make a lot of sense to have someone who is professionally familiar with how to correctly fix the problem. Our team of expert toilet overflow clean up and restoration technicians take pride in our fast and professional approach to toilet overflow and sewage damage restoration. With access to the lates tools and drying equipment, our team excels at fast sewage damage clean up. Our Bucks County, PA toilet overflow clean up services always include fast response times and professional service. If you're located in Montgomery County, Pa , Philadelphia, Bucks County or Southern New Jersey, Bulldog Cleaning & Restoration is your one stop shop for any size black water clean up and sanitization projects!
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