Advice needed in discussion with parents. My parents had a sewage back-up through the toilet in their basement lavatory. The issue is section of carpet that was soaked by the flooding. Their position is that they can clean this themselves ( Dad has been retired for over twenty years) or have a carpet cleaning comany do it. My Sister is trying to convince them that it should just be ripped out. I would prefer to have some authority to quote. They are quite reasonable and easy-going people, who are only slightly more stubborn than Winston Churchill. Thanks in advance for any and all sugestions
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If I had sewer back up I'd tear out the carpet, who needs all the bacteria, germs, smell .......... that would come with it. Can you actually get all that out with a rugdoctor!
That'd be all the reason I'd need!
Doug
"Tis possible to clean such a mess. It is necessary to have a powerful wet/dry vacuum -- 100 inches of water lift. First you suck up all the crappe and then you pour clean water on it again as a rinse and suck that up immediately. The powerful suction is needed to get ~5% moisture content. I use a crevis tool nozzle.
~Peter, the former janitor
Scrap the carpet! Unless it has some special meaning!
I have done insurance work for years. Something like this is likely covered by insurance. Of course you will have to pay the deductible. Any sewage back up is considered black water and affected items are to be removed and disposed of. The concrete then needs to be disinfected. If drywall/baseboards have been contaminated they should be removed of and disposed of as well. There is too much bacteria in these items to be properly cleaned. We follow the guidelines provided by the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration. http://www.iicrc.org This is the way we handle it for the insurance companies we deal with.
Thanks for the advice. the carpet went to the tranfer station today. I don't know if my parents will want to make a claim. The last time they had to deal with insurance company contractors was not at all pleasant.