A sewer backup can contaminate your basement and make it a breeding ground of bacteria. Toxic black mold can start growing in your basement if it is not sanitized and disinfected in 24 hours. All basement surfaces need to be disinfected in order to deal with the water damage properly.
Prepare Cleaning Tools and Detergent
First, you need to prepare all the cleaning tools and detergent. They should be placed in an area near to the basement door so that you can easily access them. To prevent odor from spreading in the house, you can use a plastic sheet to cover the door. While working, you will want to open the windows to ensure there is enough oxygen in the atmosphere. If the weather outside is humid, you can leave the windows closed as opening it will not help much too. The equipment and detergent you need to prepare are mops, rags, and bleach.
Wear Safety Clothing
It is important that you wear safety clothing when you are disinfecting your basement with bleach. Before handling the bleach, you should wear long sleeve shirt and pants. In addition, you should wear gloves to protect your hand from direct exposure to the bleaching chemical. Goggles can be worn to prevent chemical solutions from entering your eyes when you are cleaning the area.
Contact the Utility Service Provider
Next, you should contact your utility service provider to cut off the electricity to the basement. You should also inform your utility service provider if there is a circuit breaker in the basement. You can use a battery-operated torchlight to provide some light while you are working.
Disinfect the Floor and Walls with Bleach
You can take a bucket and mix a chlorine solution. The chlorine solution can consist of 1.5 cup of bleach that is poured into 3 gallons of warm water in a bucket. After the solution is mixed, dip the mop in it and start mopping the area for at least 5 minutes. You may need to open up the wallboard in your basement to check if the water has entered into the wall. If floodwater has seeped in the wall, you will have to use a bleach solution to treat it. Just soak a rag cloth in the bleach solution and wipe the unfinished wall. The surfaces should be left wet for at least a few minutes. After that, you can turn on a dehumidifier to dry the area thoroughly.
Stay Safe During Basement Cleanup
Sanitizing and disinfecting a basement can come with certain risks. You want to avoid going into the basement if the flood water has not yet receded. A dry vacuum is not to be used to clean a flood in the basement. Besides, you will want to avoid using metal utilities such as metal brushes to clean the floor as they can spread rust.
