How To Handle a Toilet Overflow

10/11/2018 (Permalink)

Water damage cleanup after sewage backup in Chicago,IL

Most people have to deal with a flooded toilet at some point. You press the handle, and the water rises, but instead of draining, it flows over the rim and onto your bathroom floor. Water from the toilet is most likely to be Category 3 water, which means it's highly contaminated. If your bathroom has sewer damage from an overflowing toilet, there are several steps you can take to mitigate the problem.

Assessing the Severity

If only a little water escapes and it doesn't contain fecal matter, you may be able to clean up the mess yourself. You will need to call a sewage company that specializes in water remediation, however, if certain factors are present:

• A large amount of standing water on the floor
• Wet, contaminated carpet
• Water damage on walls, floors or cabinets

Professional mitigation technicians have the tools and the knowledge to make sure all the excess water is extracted, and all sewer damage is remedied.

Unstopping the Toilet

In order to prevent the toilet from overflowing again, you can take care of the problem that caused it to do so. If you can use a plunger to get rid of the clog, that is ideal. If your efforts do not produce any results, however, you may need to enlist the help of a plumber.

Sanitizing the Bathroom

No matter how big or small the problem is, any instance of a flooded toilet requires that all the surfaces impacted by the water be sanitized. Whether you hire professionals to take care of the disinfection or you decide to do it yourself, gloves can be worn to protect hands from the contaminated water. A benefit of hiring specialists to clean up your bathroom is that they can do post-cleaning tests to make sure the area is thoroughly sanitized.

If the toilet in your home in Chicago,IL, overflows, you will likely need to hire professionals for the cleanup. They can assess the situation, mitigate the sewer damage and sanitize the room.