A sewage backup is more than an unpleasant plumbing problem. When wastewater enters your home, it can spread bacteria, viruses, parasites, and other contaminants across floors, walls, furniture, and personal belongings. Even after the visible water disappears, contamination can remain behind.
Understanding the health risks associated with a sewage backup and knowing when to seek professional sewage backup cleanup can help protect your household and prevent further damage to your property.
Why Is a Sewage Backup Dangerous?
Sewage contains wastewater from toilets, sinks, showers, and other household plumbing. When it backs up into a home, it can contain microorganisms and other contaminants that should not come into contact with people.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) notes that sanitary sewer overflows can contain bacteria, viruses, protozoa, intestinal worms, and fungi. Exposure can contribute to illnesses ranging from gastrointestinal problems to more serious infections.
This is why homeowners should treat sewage backups as potential biohazard situations rather than ordinary water damage.
What Causes a Sewage Backup?
Several problems can cause sewage to flow backward into a home, including:
- Clogged sewer lines
- Blocked household drains
- Tree roots entering sewer pipes
- Broken or damaged sewer lines
- Heavy rainfall overwhelming sewer systems
- Sewer system failures
- Septic system problems
- Improperly maintained plumbing
- Equipment or pump failures
The EPA identifies blockages, line breaks, sewer defects, equipment failures, and inadequate maintenance among the potential causes of sanitary sewer overflows.
Identifying and fixing the source is essential, but stopping the backup is only the first step. The contaminated area still needs to be properly assessed and cleaned.
Health Risks of Sewage Exposure
Sewage contamination can create several potential health concerns.
Bacterial and Viral Exposure
Raw sewage can contain microorganisms capable of causing illness. Direct contact with contaminated water, surfaces, or materials can increase the risk of exposure.
The CDC warns that water contaminated with sewage can make people sick and recommends avoiding contact whenever possible.
Gastrointestinal Illness
Exposure to sewage can potentially lead to gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, and diarrhea.
The EPA specifically identifies gastroenteritis and other gastrointestinal illnesses among potential health consequences associated with exposure to sewage overflows.
Skin and Wound Infections
Sewage-contaminated water can be especially concerning when someone has cuts, scrapes, or other openings in the skin.
If you have an open wound that comes into contact with contaminated water, wash the area thoroughly with soap and clean water and seek medical advice if you develop signs of infection.
Mold Growth
Sewage backups often involve significant moisture. If affected areas remain wet, mold can develop and create another indoor environmental concern.
The EPA notes that moisture can allow microorganisms already present indoors to grow and that cleanup should address both contamination and moisture.
Sewage Can Contaminate More Than the Floor
One of the biggest mistakes homeowners make is assuming that cleaning the visible wastewater is enough.
Contaminated water can affect:
- Carpet and carpet padding
- Hardwood flooring
- Baseboards
- Drywall
- Insulation
- Upholstered furniture
- Mattresses
- Cabinets
- Personal belongings
- Stored items
Porous materials can absorb contaminated water, making them much more difficult to clean and disinfect effectively.
CDC guidance for homes affected by sewage-contaminated floodwater recommends discarding materials that cannot be adequately cleaned and disinfected, including carpeting, carpet padding, upholstered furniture, mattresses, and contaminated drywall or insulation.
Don't Rely on the Smell to Determine Whether Your Home Is Safe
A strong sewage odor is an obvious warning sign, but the absence of a strong smell does not necessarily mean contamination is gone.
Microorganisms and contaminated materials may remain even after the visible wastewater has been removed.
Professional sewage backup cleanup focuses on identifying affected areas, removing contaminated materials when necessary, cleaning and disinfecting appropriate surfaces, and addressing lingering odors.
What Should You Do After a Sewage Backup?
If sewage enters your home, take precautions before attempting cleanup.
1. Keep People and Pets Away
Children and pets can accidentally come into contact with contaminated water or materials. Keep them away from the affected area until cleanup is complete.
2. Avoid Direct Contact
Don't walk through contaminated water unnecessarily or handle contaminated materials without appropriate protective equipment.
The CDC recommends using rubber boots, gloves, and eye protection when sewage is involved in cleanup.
3. Address Electrical Hazards
If standing water is near electrical outlets, appliances, wiring, or electrical equipment, don't enter the area or attempt to operate electrical devices while standing in water.
Have a qualified professional address electrical concerns before entering a potentially dangerous area.
4. Stop the Source
Contact a plumber or appropriate sewer professional to determine why the backup occurred and correct the underlying problem.
5. Document the Damage
Take photographs of affected areas and damaged belongings when it is safe to do so. Keep records of cleanup expenses, repairs, and communications with your insurance company.
6. Arrange Professional Cleanup When Necessary
If sewage has spread through multiple rooms, soaked porous materials, or created extensive contamination, professional sewage backup cleanup can help ensure the property receives appropriate remediation.
Why Sewage Cleanup Is Different From Ordinary Water Cleanup
Clean water from a leaking supply pipe is very different from wastewater entering a home from a sewer line.
Sewage may contain biological contaminants that require additional precautions. The EPA recommends avoiding contact with sewage backups and using appropriate protective clothing during cleanup.
Professional cleanup technicians can evaluate the affected area and determine which materials can be cleaned and which may need to be removed.
The process may include:
- Assessing the extent of contamination
- Containing affected areas
- Removing contaminated materials
- Cleaning hard surfaces
- Disinfecting appropriate surfaces
- Drying affected areas
- Removing persistent odors
- Properly handling contaminated waste
Why Porous Materials May Need Special Attention
Materials such as drywall, carpeting, carpet padding, mattresses, and upholstered furniture can absorb contaminated water.
Once sewage penetrates these materials, simply wiping the surface may not address what has been absorbed underneath.
CDC guidance specifically recommends removing and discarding certain materials that cannot be adequately washed and disinfected after sewage contamination.
A professional assessment can help determine what should be restored and what should be removed.
Can Homeowners Clean Up a Sewage Backup Themselves?
The answer depends on the size and severity of the incident.
A very small, contained incident may be manageable if homeowners follow appropriate safety procedures and have the necessary protective equipment.
However, professional sewage backup cleanup becomes particularly important when:
- Large areas of the home are contaminated
- Sewage has remained in the property for an extended period
- Carpet, drywall, insulation, or furniture has been saturated
- There is a strong or persistent odor
- Contamination has spread into multiple rooms
- You are unsure how to safely handle contaminated materials
- Someone in the household may be particularly vulnerable to infection
The CDC recommends taking precautions to prevent unnecessary exposure to microorganisms and cleaning products during contaminated-water cleanup.
Why Professional Sewage Backup Cleanup Can Help
A sewage backup can be overwhelming, especially when homeowners are already dealing with property damage and an unpleasant odor.
Professional sewage backup cleanup provides a structured approach to addressing the contamination.
At Bio-One of Rochester, trained technicians assess affected areas, remove contaminated materials when necessary, clean and disinfect the property, and work to restore the affected space. Bio-One of Rochester specifically provides sewage backup cleanup services throughout Rochester and surrounding communities.
We also provides other specialized biohazard cleanup services, including blood spill cleanup, feces and urine cleanup, odor removal, rodent droppings cleanup, and unattended death cleanup.
Protecting Your Family After a Sewage Backup
Even after cleanup, take precautions before returning to normal use of the affected area.
Make sure:
- Contaminated materials have been properly addressed.
- Affected surfaces have been appropriately cleaned and disinfected.
- The area has dried thoroughly.
- Persistent sewage odors have been investigated.
- The plumbing or sewer problem that caused the backup has been repaired.
- Any damaged electrical systems have been evaluated by a qualified professional.
- Items that cannot be safely cleaned have been removed.
Don't assume that making the room look clean means the cleanup is complete. Proper sewage backup cleanup should address both visible damage and potential contamination.
Final Thoughts
A sewage backup can turn a familiar part of your home into a potential health hazard. Wastewater may contain bacteria, viruses, parasites, and other contaminants, and it can spread beyond the area where the backup first occurred.
The safest approach is to keep people and pets away from contaminated areas, avoid unnecessary contact with sewage, address the source of the backup, and determine whether professional remediation is necessary.
Helpful Resources
- EPA – Sanitary Sewer Overflows — Information about sewer overflows, causes, property damage, and public health concerns.
- CDC – Guidelines for Cleaning Safely After a Disaster — Safety recommendations for cleanup involving sewage and contaminated water.
- CDC – Safety Guidelines for Reentering Your Flooded Home — Guidance on potential sewage and mold contamination after flooding.
- EPA – Flood Cleanup to Protect Indoor Air and Your Health — Information about microorganisms, cleaning, disinfection, and health risks after contaminated-water events.
