How does one get the stench of sewer water out of a brick cellar?
Question:The city's sewer water backed up into our brick cellar. We've closed off the drain, and we've cleaned up most of the water with a shop vac. Does anyone have ANY idea how to get rid of this nasty stench?
I would REALLY appreciate any suggestions you may have!!
Answers:
leave the doors and windows open and run a couple of fans aimed at the door or window...spread a couple of pounds of fresh ground coffee around the floor..coffee absorbs a lot of odor. (and coffee smells a lot better than sewage, don't you think??) Oh yeah, place the fans near a wall farthest away from the door and about 2 ft from the wall...that will blow the odor out.good luck !!
Get a garden sprayer and add 1 cup bleach and 1 gallon of water. Spray everything that came in contact with the sewage and get out fast - the chlorine vapors will be strong for a few hours but it will kill the odor producing residue.
After that, lots of fresh air.
It wouldn't be a bad idea to buy or rent an ozone generator and let it run down there for about a week to finish off any lingering problems.
Good Luck
Dehumidifiers work well for drying out basements - just be sure to empty the reservoir frequently or it'll wind up right back on the floor.
lye
If it's sewage water.. Like we're talking poo-poo water. You don't want to mess around and do it yourself.. You will get some nasty and dangerous mold.. When this happened to our house... I was at work at the basement flooded. They hired Servpro and when I got home from work- I didn't know anything had even happened they did such a nice job... However, if you still opt the do it yourself route.. It's really important to disenfect all the floors... Once you get all the water out.. Give the basement a good rinse with regular water and then a few passes with bleach water. If you have any carpeting/furniture it may have to be thrown out... Open the windows and get some air circulation going down there or it will just get really musty and gross.. Also, to keep your drains clear, pour bleach down the drains and let it sit overnight... Good luck
More Related Questions & Answers...