Stop using every water fixture in the building immediately. Do not flush toilets. Do not run sinks, dishwashers, or washing machines. Any water you add to the drain system comes back up through the lowest fixture in the building, which is likely the floor drain or toilet that is already showing the backup. Adding more water makes the immediate scope larger.
Then call a licensed plumber to clear the blockage and call us for the cleanup. Both calls need to happen the same day. The plumber resolves the cause. We handle the contaminated material that has already entered the building. One does not replace the other.
Why Sewage Backup Requires Professional Cleanup
Sewage is Category 3 contaminated water under the IICRC water damage classification standard. It contains human waste, bacteria, viruses, and other pathogens that survive on surfaces and in porous materials. Cleaning it up with household products, a mop, and fans is not remediation. It is rearranging contamination. The materials that absorbed sewage water drywall, flooring, subfloor, insulation are either cleaned with appropriate antimicrobial agents and documented to standard or they are removed. In most cases involving porous materials, removal is the right answer.
A property manager in the Arts District called us after a sewer lateral backup flooded the ground floor of a commercial unit. The tenant had cleaned the visible mess before calling anyone. When we arrived, the visible floor was clean but the drywall base and the subfloor were still fully contaminated. Cleaning the surface had not addressed the contamination absorbed into the materials below. The scope was larger than it would have been with an immediate professional response.
What Happens During Our Response
We extract standing sewage water, contain the contaminated area, remove contaminated porous materials that cannot be cleaned to standard, treat remaining surfaces with hospital-grade antimicrobial agents, and dry the structure with commercial equipment. Every step is documented for your insurance claim. We wear full OSHA-compliant protective equipment throughout.
Call (702) 442-1126 now. We are available 24 hours a day. Read more about our sewage cleanup process.