Sewage Cleanup
Category 3 water, cleaned up with the precautions it needs.
Short answer
Sewage is Category 3 water under the IICRC S500 standard: grossly contaminated and unsafe to handle without protection. Sterling contains the area, removes the water and the porous materials it touched, cleans and treats what stays, and dries the structure. Carpet, pad, and drywall that sewage soaked are removed, not dried.
Also called: sewage backup cleanup, sewer backup cleanup, toilet overflow cleanup, black water cleanup
What this service addresses
- Sewage on floors and in carpet
- Contaminated drywall, baseboards, and cabinets
- Water trapped under flooring
- Odor and residue after the water is gone
Who needs it
- Homes with a sewer or septic backup
- Toilet overflows involving waste that reached flooring or walls
- Drain backups that brought waste water into the house
- Homes where floodwater came in from outside, which is treated the same way
- FL Licensed Mold Assessor · MRSA5798
- FL Licensed Mold Remediator · MRSR5761
- IICRC Certified Water Restoration Tech
- NORMI-Certified Assessor & Remediator
- Insured · GL + E&O
- Independent Inspections · FL 12-Month Rule
What's included — and what isn't
Clear scope, honestly stated.
Included
- Emergency response every day, 7 AM to midnight
- Protective equipment and containment of the affected area
- Removal of sewage and contaminated water
- Removal of the porous materials sewage touched: carpet, pad, drywall, insulation
- Cleaning and EPA-registered antimicrobial treatment of what stays
- Structural drying with daily moisture readings
- Photos, moisture readings, and daily drying records for your insurance claim
Not included
- Repairs to the sewer line, septic system, or plumbing, which need a licensed plumber
- Rebuild after cleanup, which isn't part of the cleanup estimate
- Drying sewage-soaked carpet or drywall in place; it has to come out
A calm, methodical process.
Step 1: Respond
Call any time. Keep people and pets away from the water until we arrive.
Step 2: Contain
The area is isolated so contamination isn't tracked through the house.
Step 3: Remove
The water comes out, then the contaminated porous materials, bagged as they go.
Step 4: Clean
Remaining surfaces are cleaned and treated with an EPA-registered antimicrobial.
Step 5: Dry
Dehumidifiers and air movers dry the structure, read every day.
Thermal imaging reveals hidden moisture.
Drag the slider — infrared exposes the cold signature of moisture behind a wall that looks perfectly normal. It's the difference between guessing and knowing.
Methods & equipment
- IICRC S500 Category 3 procedures
- Personal protective equipment
- Containment
- EPA-registered antimicrobials
- Commercial dehumidifiers and air movers
- Pin and pinless moisture meters
- Thermal imaging
What you receive
- Photos before, during, and after
- Daily drying records
- A written, itemized invoice
Typical timing
We answer every day from 7 AM to midnight. The contaminated water and materials come out first; drying then runs until the readings say dry.
Pricing
Quoted on site
Quoted on site, with the same photos and daily drying records as every water job.
Financing is available for mold remediation and water damage work; ask about it with your free on-site estimate.
Sewage Cleanup — questions
Water from a clean tank or bowl on tile can usually be wiped up and disinfected. Once waste is involved, or the water backed up from the drain line, it's Category 3, and the porous materials it reached usually have to come out.
You may also need
Water Damage Restoration
Emergency water extraction and structural drying from Vero Beach to Boca Raton, with daily moisture readings and records for your claim.
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Storm & Flood Damage Cleanup
Water extraction, material removal, cleaning, and structural drying after hurricanes, flooding, and wind-driven rain.
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Mold Fogging (Antimicrobial Treatment)
Antimicrobial fogging with EPA-registered products, used after removal and cleaning or after water damage, never as a substitute for remediation.
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Water in the house? Call now.
We answer water emergency calls every day from 7 AM to midnight, at (786) 690-0329. The sooner the water is out and the drying starts, the less has to come out of the walls.