Sewer backup may vary from clean water to raw sewage. It general causes
both contamination and discoloration in carpets.
Cause
Raw sewage may leak onto carpets if it is blocked or backed-up.
Treatment
For smaller, loose rugs, and wall-to-wall carpets installed on tacks,
in-plant cleaning is the best option. The germicidal and cleaning treatment
has to be thorough. Both the carpet and the floor surface have to be completely
cleaned and decontaminated. Germicides used for this have to be effective
even against the bacteria of E. Coli family, which is present in contaminated
sewage. For wall-to-wall carpets that are glued down, cleaning on-site
may not be completely effective and in-plant cleaning may not be viable
economically, as well as practically. Contaminated padding is best discarded
and should not be reused.