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Sewage Cleanup
Sewage Cleanup: what it covers
Quick answer
Sewage cleanup removes raw sewage after a sewer line, floor drain or toilet backs up, strips out the porous materials it touched, disinfects what remains and dries the structure. It is Category 3 work with real health risks. In Bluffdale, backups usually surface first through a basement floor drain, so most of these jobs start downstairs.
The first step is to stop adding to it. Every flush, shower, dishwasher cycle and load of laundry drains toward the same blocked line, so stop using water anywhere in the house. Keep children, pets and anyone with a weakened immune system away from the area, and do not touch the water or anything it soaked with bare hands.
Most backups start in the sewer lateral, the pipe that carries waste from your house to the city or district main under the street. Roots, grease, flushed wipes or a sagging section of pipe can block it, and sewage then comes up at the lowest opening in the house, usually the basement floor drain or a lower-level shower or toilet. Less often, a blockage in the main itself pushes sewage back into several homes on the same street.
Two jobs happen in parallel. A licensed plumber or sewer contractor clears the line and finds out why it blocked, and the restoration crew removes the sewage and everything it contaminated, disinfects and dries. The cleanup follows the Category 3 procedures in the ANSI/IICRC S500 standard.
Do not touch sewage with bare hands, run the washer, flush or shower while a drain is backing up, or mix bleach with other cleaners. Keep children, pets and anyone pregnant, elderly or with a weakened immune system out of the area until it has been cleaned and disinfected.
A basement floor drain or toilet gurgling when the washing machine or dishwasher empties
Dirty water rising from the floor drain or the lowest shower when a fixture upstairs runs
Several drains slowing down at once, rather than a single sink or tub
The water level in a lower-level toilet bowl moving or bubbling when another fixture drains
A sewage smell in the basement that comes and goes, especially after heavy water use
A dark, damp stain spreading across carpet near the laundry or mechanical room
An odor that lingers after a previous cleanup, a sign contamination is still under trim or tack strip
Cost
How much does sewage cleanup cost in Bluffdale?
Sewage cleanup costs more than clean-water drying because more material is removed, every remaining surface is disinfected and crews work in full protective gear.
Sewage Cleanup pricing in Salt Lake County (2026)
Job
Typical range
What it includes
Sewage backup cleanup, typical basement
$3,500–$12,000+
Depends on how far it spread and how much finished space it reached
Category 3 (black water) mitigation (per sq ft)
$7–$15
Used for smaller or upper-floor sewage areas
Wet carpet pad removal and disposal (per sq ft)
$0.75–$2.00
Pad and carpet touched by sewage are always removed
Flood cut: remove wet drywall 2–4 ft up (per linear ft of wall)
$3–$8
Drywall is cut above the highest point the sewage wicked
Antimicrobial application (per sq ft)
$0.50–$2.00
Applied after cleaning, before drying equipment goes in
After-hours, weekend or holiday emergency fee
$100–$300
Explained on the phone before a crew is sent
Estimates for southern Salt Lake County and northern Utah County in 2026, based on typical Wasatch Front pricing. The emergency-stage price is explained and approved before work starts. Clearing or repairing the sewer line is billed by the plumber.
Sewage rises through a basement floor drain in an older Murray home
What homeowners notice
During a load of laundry, sewage bubbles up through the basement floor drain of a mid-century Murray house and spreads across the laundry room and onto the carpet of the rec room beside it. Tree roots have partly blocked the older sewer line running out to the street.
What we do
Everyone stays out of the basement while a plumber clears the root-blocked line. Working in protective gear, the crew treats the loss as Category 3: it removes the affected carpet, pad and the bottom of the drywall, then cleans and disinfects the concrete and framing before drying the area with air movers and dehumidifiers.
What to expect
The basement is cleaned and dried behind containment, and the homeowner asks the insurer whether the policy carries a water-backup endorsement, since standard policies often leave sewer backups out.
4–5 hours typical visit
Options
Types and options for sewage cleanup
Sewer lateral blockage
The most common cause. Roots, grease, wipes or a sagging pipe block the line between the house and the main, and every drain in the house backs up toward the lowest one. A camera inspection by a plumber shows what caused it and whether the pipe needs repair.
Toilet overflow with feces
A clogged toilet that overflows with waste is Category 3, even in an upstairs bathroom, and it often leaks through the floor into the ceiling below. A toilet that overflows with clean tank water, or urine only, is a lower category and is handled differently.
Main line or storm-related backups
A blockage in the public main, or heavy storms and high groundwater pushing extra water into older sewer lines, can back sewage into several homes at once. If neighbors have the same problem, call your city or sewer district right away.
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A small toilet overflow on tile, cleaned right away with gloves and a disinfectant, is usually manageable. A backup that reached carpet, drywall or a finished basement is a different job: sewage carries bacteria, viruses and parasites, and porous materials it soaked must be removed. The EPA also recommends professional help for sewage-related mold.
If you clean even a small spill, wear waterproof gloves, boots and eye protection, keep the area ventilated and wash up thoroughly afterward. Do not mix bleach with ammonia or other cleaners, which releases harmful fumes. Anything soft that sewage soaked, including rugs, pillows and cardboard boxes, is usually safest thrown away.
Does homeowners insurance cover a sewer backup in Utah?
Usually not on a standard policy. Sewer and drain backup is typically excluded unless you added a water-backup endorsement, which many insurers sell as an add-on with its own dollar limit. Coverage is decided by your insurer under your policy, so check your declarations page or ask your agent before you need it.
If you do have the endorsement, check its dollar limit, because a finished basement backup can exceed a low cap. Keep photos, the plumber's report on what caused the blockage and the crew's removal list and moisture readings. The Utah Insurance Department can help if you have questions about how a claim was handled. The Utah homeowners insurance guide explains how a backup endorsement differs from flood coverage.
Who is responsible for the sewer line: me or the city?
In many cities, the homeowner is responsible for the sewer lateral running from the house to the public main, sometimes including the stretch under the street, while the city or sewer district maintains the main itself. Rules vary by provider, so check with yours, especially if neighbors are backing up too.
If your house is the only one affected, call a plumber to clear and camera-inspect your lateral. If several homes on the street back up at the same time, the problem is more likely in the main, and your city or sewer district needs to know immediately.
How can I keep sewage from backing up again?
Have a plumber camera-inspect the lateral to find roots, sags or breaks, and fix what it shows. Ask about a backwater valve, which lets sewage flow out but closes to keep it from flowing back in. Keep grease, wipes and paper towels out of drains, and know where your cleanout is.
Backwater valves are installed by licensed plumbers and need occasional checks. In older neighborhoods, regular root clearing may be needed until a damaged lateral is replaced.
Camera inspection of the sewer lateral
Backwater valve on the main line, installed by a licensed plumber
No wipes, grease or paper towels down any drain
Know where the cleanout is so a plumber can reach the line quickly
Our process
How our sewage cleanup visit works
Stop the inflow
Water use in the house stops, and a plumber or sewer contractor clears the blockage. The crew can begin removing standing sewage while the line is being opened, so the damage does not keep spreading.
Contain and protect
Technicians wear protective suits, gloves, boots and respirators. Plastic barriers and air filtration keep the contaminated area separate from the rest of the house, and the damage is photographed before removal.
Remove contaminated materials
Sewage and solids are extracted, then carpet, pad, drywall above the wet line, insulation and particleboard it touched are cut out and bagged. These materials cannot be reliably disinfected, so they are not dried and kept.
Clean and disinfect
The slab, framing and any hard surfaces that stay are scrubbed, rinsed and treated with a disinfectant or antimicrobial. Floor drains and the area around them get extra attention.
Dry, verify and rebuild
Dehumidifiers and air movers dry the structure, and readings confirm when it is ready. Drywall, flooring and trim are replaced afterward under a separate quote.
Salt Lake County
Why sewage cleanup is different in Salt Lake and Utah counties
Older valley neighborhoods see the most root-related backups. Mid-century homes in Midvale, Murray, Millcreek, Taylorsville and Kearns often have older sewer laterals that roots from mature trees have found their way into. Many of those homes were built before the 1980s, so ask about an asbestos check with guidance from the Utah Division of Air Quality before old drywall, joint compound or flooring is cut out.
In Bluffdale, Riverton and Daybreak, the pipes are newer, and backups tend to trace to grease, flushed wipes or a problem in the main. The stakes are higher in these homes, though, because the floor drain usually sits in a finished basement with carpeted bedrooms, a family room and a laundry area close by. A sewer backup there can easily reach several rooms.
Storms and runoff season matter too. Heavy monsoon storms in July and August and high groundwater in May and June can push extra water into older sewer lines, and a line that was already partly blocked is the first to back up. For crawl spaces under older homes, see crawl space water damage, where sewage leaks can go unnoticed.
Water removal and drying for finished basements in Bluffdale: carpet, pad, drywall, window wells and the bedrooms below grade.
See details
FAQ
Sewage Cleanup FAQs
Can my carpet be cleaned after a sewage backup?
No. Carpet and pad soaked by sewage are removed and discarded, because the contamination goes deep into the fibers and backing where cleaning cannot reliably reach it. Hard flooring such as tile and sealed concrete can usually be cleaned and disinfected.
What about clothes, toys and stored items?
Hard, non-porous items like plastic toys, metal and glass can usually be cleaned and disinfected. Clothing and washable fabrics can sometimes be laundered in hot water, but mattresses, upholstered furniture, cardboard and paper that sewage soaked are usually discarded. Photograph everything first for your insurer.
Should I call the city or a plumber first?
If neighbors are also backing up, call your city or sewer district first, because the main is likely blocked. If it is only your house, call a plumber to clear the lateral. Either way, call the restoration crew at the same time so cleanup can start.
Will the smell go away?
Yes, once every contaminated material has been removed and the area is cleaned, disinfected and dried. A lingering smell usually means something was missed, such as wet tack strip, base trim or the bottom of a wall, and the crew will track it down.
Is every toilet overflow a sewage job?
No. Clean water from the tank or bowl is a lower category, and a urine-only overflow is Category 2. Overflow with feces, or water coming up from the drain line, is Category 3 and gets full sewage cleanup.
How long before the basement is usable again?
Removal and disinfection usually take a day or two, and drying takes several more. The rebuild starts once readings confirm the structure is dry and the area has been cleaned, which can mean a few weeks for a fully finished basement.
