Sewage Cleanup and Restoration

How You Recover Your Chicago Residence After Sewage Biohazards

As one of the leading teams offering biohazard cleanup and recovery in the region, our experience in areas like restoring raw sewage and with contaminated water removal, continues to grow. In nearly all of these situations, it is unwise for you to attempt to clean up the damage on your own, as the contamination in your Chicago home could exceed what is safe to get exposed to without the personal protective equipment available to our SERVPRO team.

Understanding these risks, our team adorns all of the necessary safety gear, including:

• Disposable Coveralls Safety Glasses
• Half-face Respirators with Exchangeable Cartridges
• Durable Water-Resistant Gloves

What Does Sewage Backup Mean for Your Chicago Home?

Now you want to know how an adverse situation like this biohazard is going to impair your property. Much of the damage that can result relates to exposure, and where contaminated water makes contact with contents, construction materials, and other surfaces. Wood trim and drywall materials in the bathroom, for instance, must get removed and replaced to entirely clear bacteria and contaminants from the affected area.

Also, bouts of controlled demolition can provide faster access to our responding SERVPRO technicians to reach potentially contaminated materials like structural framework and joists. These bones of your house do not get removed when possible, so reaching them for disinfection and antimicrobial treatments can provide a solid foundation for our licensed contractors to rebuild.

Sewage Backup or Toilet Overflow? Call Us Today – (773) 434-9100

There are three major types of contaminated water. SERVPRO of West Loop / Bucktown / Greektown will inspect that contaminated water to determine the type of water and then plan the appropriate response to safely restore your home or business.

The three types of contaminated water:

Category 1: "Clean Water"

This is water from a clean source, such as a broken clean water supply line or faucet. If left untreated, category 1 water can quickly degrade into category 2 or 3 water depending upon such factors as time, temperature, and contact with contaminants.

  • Water from a clean source like a broken water line
  • If left untreated, can degrade into category 2 or 3

Category 2: "Gray Water"

This water has a significant level of contamination that could cause discomfort or illness if ingested. Sources for category 2 water may include washing machine overflow; toilet overflow with some urine, but no feces; or dishwasher overflow.

  • May contain bacteria and viruses
  • Can quickly degrade into category 3 if left untreated

Category 3: "Black Water"

This water is grossly unsanitary and could cause severe illness or death if ingested, and any contact should be avoided. Sources for category 3 water could include flooding from rivers or streams, water from beyond the toilet trap, water from the toilet bowl with feces, or standing water that has begun to support microbial growth.

  • May contain untreated sewage, harsh chemicals, and microbes
  • Water from flooding rivers or sewer backup

24 Emergency Service

Sewage backup should be considered an emergency and dealt with as quickly as possible. We are the water damage restoration specialists with specific training and expertise to safely restore your home or business.