Sewer Backup
Description
Sewer backup may vary from clean
water to raw sewage. It general causes both contamination and
discoloration in carpets.
Cause
Raw sewage may leak onto carpets if it is
blocked or backed-up.
Treatment
For smaller, loose rugs, and
wall-to-wall carpet installed on tacks, in-plant cleaning is the
best option. The germicidal and cleaning treatment has to be
thorough. Both the carpet and the floor surface have to be
completely cleaned and decontaminated. Germicides used for this have
to be effective even against the bacteria of E. Coli family, which
is present in contaminated sewage. For wall-to-wall carpets that are
glued down, cleaning on-site may not be completely effective and
in-plant cleaning may not be viable economically, as well as
practically. Contaminated padding is best discarded and should not
be reused.