This article discusses the problems of sewage or mold contaminated carpet that has been wet or flooded, noting that wall to wall carpet and padding that has been wet by flooding or a sewage backup is removed and tossed out along with its padding.

More valuable area rugs or carpets might be salvageable.

Photo: spraying a sanitizer on sewage contaminated carpeting is not effective and risks leaving a serious health hazard (sewage pathogens) in place in the carpet, in the padding below, and on the floor surface and floor cavity below that.

What to Do with Carpets or Rugs that have Been Wet by a Flood or Sewage Spill

Warning about Leaving Wet, Flooded or Sewage Contaminated Carpet In Place

Watch out: carpeting warning: while we frequently hear from readers whose building owner or cleaning company promise to "sanitize" wall to wall carpets that have been left in place, typically by using a carpet cleaning machine, steam, and spraying with a sanitizer. Those measures are unlikely to be effective.

It is very difficult to adequately sanitize a thick dense material like carpeting and virtually impossible to adequately sanitize carpet padding and flooring below a sewage-spilled-on carpet.

For details see:

CARPET / RUG FLOOD, MOLD, SEWAGE CONTAMINATION

CARPET MOLD / ODOR TESTS
and
CARPET PADDING ASBESTOS, MOLD, ODORS

In more than 50 years of field inspection and lab testing I (DF) have not once found that steam cleaning of an in-situ carpet was able to penetrate to sufficient depth to sanitize dense carpets, carpet padding, floor surfaces below the padding, nor could it penetrate heavy upholstered furniture.

Generally health department and departments of environmental protection or conservation recommend that such carpets and their padding be discarded.

Valuable area rugs or carpets can sometimes be cleaned and sanitized by a carpet professional. In such cases the carpet is removed from the building for professional cleaning and disinfection off-site.

Be sure to warn the carpet cleaning professional who is to attempt to clean and salvage a valauble rug or area carpet that the carpet was subject to a sewage spill.

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Concerns for Hidden Mold or Pathogens Where Carpets Have Been Wet

Watch out: in our experience [DF] when a building has been wet enough to allow water to enter even just the very bottom of a wall cavity, there is a high risk of harmful and costly mold contamination of both the interior wall cavity surfaces as well as wall insulation.

Some materials (plaster, mineral wool or cellulose insulation) resist mold growth a bit more than others (drywall, fiberglass insulation, exposed wood surfaces).

More advice on handling wall and floor cavities where the floors have been wet is

at FLOOD DAMAGED BUILDING CLEAN-UP for carpeting and rugs that have been wet by area or building flooding

Sewage Flooded Carpet was Left in Place, Sprayed with Disinfectant: Is that Safe?

Our reader asked:

My apartment was flooded almost ankle deep three weeks ago in hurricane Sally, the apartment manager is not replacing the carpet any time soon and is not replacing the baseboards or sheet rock in the building.

A extraction team was sent in and I was told the carpet was disinfected and I can move back in. Should I trust this information? On 2020-10-06 by Connie

Warnings by (mod) - No; it is not possible to "extract" all sewage and pathogens from carpeting and its padding and the floor below when it's left in place.

Watch out: OPINION: I wouldn't trust the health of that wet "disinfected" or "sanitized" carpet

Worse there's no doubt that water was in the wall cavities which means you have additional very serious areas of likely mould contamination

As we explain

at SEWAGE BACKUP, WHAT TO DO IMMEDIATELY

carpeting (wall to wall) that was flooded is generally thrown out. The lower portion of walls are opened and inspected and cleaned and of course moldy materials such as dry wall or insulation are removed.

When that's not done the risk is a very high probability of extensive mould growth in cavities of walls floors and ceilings

Special area rugs or carpets whose value exceeds the cost of remediation may be removed and professionally cleaned and sanitized.

For more detail and supporting argument and research on this question

See CARPET MOLD / ODOR TESTS for carpeting or rugs that have been wet and may be mold-contaminated

See Step 6. FLOOD DAMAGED BUILDING CLEAN-UP for carpeting and rugs that have been wet by area or building flooding

See SEWAGE CLEANUP PROCEDURES & STANDARDS for carpeting or area rugs that have been wet by plumbing drain leaks or sewage backups

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References for Carpet & Rug Cleaning, Disinfection, Salvage after Flooding or Sewage Contamination

• Berry, M.A., SUGGESTED GUIDELINES FOR REMEDIATION OF DAMAGE FROM SEWAGE BACKFLOW INTO BUILDINGS [PDF] US EPA, M.A. Berry, C. Blackburn, E.C. Cole, W.G. Ewald, T Smith, N. Suazo, S. Swan, Environmental Criteria and Assessment Office U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (MD-52), Research Triangle Park, NC 27711
  
  Excerpts:
  Highly porous (permeance factor >10) materials that have been exposed to sewage backflow and have a value that exceeds the cost of restoration such as high-value rugs and carpet, upholstery, and other textiles should be removed and restored off site.
  
  Highly porous materials with low cost or replacement value, such as carpet cushion, carpet, cardboard, tackless strip, wicker, and straw, should be removed and discarded as soon as possible.
  
  ...
  Area rugs and wall-to-wall carpet that have been extensively saturated with sewage backup are unlikely to be cost-effectively restored on site. Such rugs and carpet, along with the cushion, or underlayment, should be removed. Small rugs may be restored effectively through commercial laundering.
  
  If an effort is made to restore the carpet, extensive cleaning and saturation disinfection of the carpet should take place. All organic material must be removed, and the complex fibrous surfaces throughout the carpet must be disinfected.
  
  Following treatment, the carpet must be inspected thoroughly for cleanliness and dryness before being reinstalled in the restored environment. Carpet cushion must be removed, disposed of, and replaced with new material, without exception.
  
  Subflooring should be cleaned, disinfected, dried, and sealed if necessary before carpet and rugs are returned to the environment. Under no circumstances should efforts be made to restore carpet and rugs on site that have been extensively damaged by a Situation 3 sewage backup.
  
  In any case where it is deemed cost justifiable to restore carpet contaminated by sewage, an extraction cleaning method must be employed on all surfaces. Other carpet cleaning methods, such as absorbent compound, absorbent pad (bonnet), dry foam, or shampoo cleaning, are not adequate in that they may merely redistribute the contamination (10).
  
  The authors also include warnings about incompatabilities between some sanitizing agents and some carpets:
  
  Quaternary Ammonium Chloride Compounds (Quats):
  
  These agents have a limited spectrum of activity but are capable of killing gram-positive bacteria and fungi, and of inactivating gram-negative bacteria and some viruses. Quats have a naturally pleasant odor, counteract offensive odors, and are excellent cleaners. ...
  
  Disadvantages of this class of agents include the facts that they are neither sporicidal nor tuberculocidal and that many formulations exhibit poor results against gram-negative bacteria and some viruses. Also, these compounds are incompatible with anionic cleaners (i.e., mutual neutralization of disinfectant and cleaner) and with the dye blockers in stain-resistant carpet.
  
• IICRC: International Institute of Carpet and Upholstery Certification. (1991) CARPET CLEANING STANDARD, ANS I / IIRC S001 - 2021 [IICRC Website] International Institute of Carpet and Upholstery Certification, Vancouver, WA,
• IICRC, Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Certification, 4043 South Eastern Avenue, Las Vegas, NV 89119 . USA Customer Service: 844-464-4272 Standards: 844-216-7036 , with offices in the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and othe rcountries, Website: https://iicrc.org/ Contact and other telephone or chat services: https://iicrc.org/contactus/ or for certification help: CertifiedFirms@iicrcnet.org Exams@iicrcnet.org
  
  Website excerpt:
  The IICRC Standards serve to develop common, industry-accepted language and terminology that enables us to more universally discuss concepts and procedures regarding cleaning, inspection, and restoration.
  
  The IICRC is an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) member and accredited standards developer. ANSI coordinates standards, conformity assessment, and related activities in the United States of America.
  
  ANSI is responsible for overseeing the development of national consensus standards and verifying that the requirements for due process, consensus, and other criteria for approval have been met by the standard’s developer.
  
  An American National Standard (ANS) is a Voluntary Consensus Standard, and unless mandated by law, compliance is voluntary. However, some have been adopted as code or regulation by local, state, or federal authorities.
• Morey, Philip R. "Remediation and control of microbial growth in problem buildings." Microorganisms in Home and Indoor Work Environments. Taylor & Francis, London (2001): 83-99.
• Morey, PHILIP R. "Microbial remediation in non-industrial indoor environments." Sampling and analysis of indoor microorganisms, John Wiley & Sons, New York, NY, USA (2007): 231-242.
• Ohio, CARPET CLEANING WASH WATER DISPOSAL [PDF] Hamilton County, Ohio, greater Cincinnatti region, USA.
  Excerpt:
  
  No carpet cleaning wastewater or waste may be discharged to the storm drain.
• Patterson, R.; J.N. Fink; W.B. Miles. (1981) Hypersensitivity lung disease presumptively due to cephalosporium in homes contaminated by sewage flooding or humidifier water. J. Allergy Clin. Immunol. 68(2):128-132.
• Hamilton County, CARPET CLEANING WASTEWATER DISPOSAL

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Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs

How can I clean a little sewage backup onto my carpet?

i had a sewer line back up into my living quarters. Most of the affected area was lineolium over concrete.

Which I cleaned with bleach (1 cup bleach per gallon of water) But some got into the carpet (on concrete) Can I clean the carpet, and how?

Very short carpet, no pad, and on concrete/ On 2016-08-11 by Anonymous

by (mod) - sewage contaminated wall-to-wall carpets are history

You could have the carpet sanitized using a carpet sanitizing/disinfecting solution or shampoo, but in my OPINION such treatments are rarely competely effective; good procedure would be to replace no less than the section that was sewage contaminated.

 

After a toilet overflowed they sprayed sanitizer on my bedroom carpet: now it smells like sewage

Bathroom toilet backed up flooding bathroom, closet and half of my bedroom.

Was wet vaccumed up but not steam cleaned or cleaned at all for 3 days since it happened on new years eve.

When they did clean and sanitize the carpet I am concerned it should have been REmoved. Please advise.

Also just because of the bateria in general I am still afraid to sleep in my bedroom and can still smell sewer like smell. On 2016-01-18 by Melissa A

by (mod) -

I agree with you Melissa

Remove the carpet and clean and sanitize the exposed surfaces.

 

Sewage got onto a foot of my carpet - we cut it out and cleaned the floor: why do I still smell sewage?

Bathroom toilet flooded the tile floor, carpeted closet & seeped ionto bedroom carpet about a foot.

All carpet in closet was cut out & about two feet of carpet was cut in bedroom where it meets the bathroom. I've disinfected everything. Why do I still smell that sewer smell? On 2016-01-16 by Shana

by (mod) - check behind trim that got wet

Shana

If the floor was flooded sewage may have entered the lower portion of nearby partition walls; check behind baseboard trim and on the cavity side of drywall.

Should we toss out carpet contaminated by blood and feces - it was sprayed with a sanitizer?

Would you write off the carpet because from faeces and some blood was on a carpeting in a commercial office. Steam cleaned with quot ammonium applications and oxidiser? On 2017-02-14 by Anonymous

by (mod) - yes

Unless the carpet is a very valuable area rug that might be worth the cost of professional cleaning and disinfecting it's probably smarter to toss it out.

Watch out: to avoid leaving a health hazard, remove the carpet, the padding, and then have the exposed surfaces cleaned and sanitized.

...

Continue reading at SEWAGE CLEANUP PROCEDURES & STANDARDS - home, or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see SEWAGE CONTAMINATION in CARPETING or RUGS FAQs

Or see these

Recommended Articles

• CAR SMELL - Mold DEODORIZING - advice for vehicles that have been flooded or are mold-contaminated
• CARPET MOLD / ODOR TESTS for carpeting or rugs that have been wet and may be mold-contaminated
• DISINFECTANTS, SANITIZERS, FUNGICIDAL-SEALANTS SOURCES
• FIRE & SMOKE ODOR REMOVAL
• FLOOD & DISASTER BUILDING DAMAGE REPAIR PROCEDURES - home
• MOLD SANITIZER, SPRAY, BIOCIDE USE GUIDE
• ODOR REMOVING DETERGENTS
• OZONE MOLD / ODOR TREATMENT WARNINGS
• SALVAGE BUILDING CONTENTS - sorting & handling items that can or cannot be salvaged after flooding or sewage backup
• SEWAGE & SEPTIC CONTAMINANTS
• SEWAGE CONTAMINATION in BUILDINGS - home
• CRAWL SPACE SEWAGE CLEANUP
• SEWAGE BACKUP, WHAT TO DO IMMEDIATELY
• SEWAGE & SEPTIC CONTAMINANTS
• SEWAGE BACKUP PREVENTION
• SEWAGE BACKUP, WHAT TO DO IMMEDIATELY
• SEWAGE CLEANUP PROCEDURES & STANDARDS - home
• SEWAGE CONTAMINATION TEST
• SEWAGE CONTAMINANTS in FRUIT / VEGETABLES
• SEWAGE NITROGEN CONTAMINANTS
• SEWAGE PATHOGENS in SEPTIC SLUDGE

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