Contamination Cleanup in Hull

What we clean up

• Sewage from backed-up drains and toilets.
• Flood water from outside, which in Hull is usually mixed with sewage.
• Grey water from washing machines, dishwashers and baths.
• Heating oil, where a flood has reached an oil tank or boiler. Many rural East Riding homes are off the gas network and heat with oil, and a small spill spreads a strong smell and contaminates floors and walls.

The approach

1. Assess. What the contaminant is, how far it spread and what it soaked into.
2. Protect. Protective kit for us, clear advice for the household, and the area kept separate from clean rooms.
3. Remove. Porous materials that can't be decontaminated, bagged and disposed of properly.
4. Sanitise. Hard surfaces cleaned and disinfected, including floor voids and the base of walls.
5. Dry. The structure dried with readings, so nothing grows back.

Oil spills after flooding

If flood water has reached a heating oil tank, turn off the boiler and keep ignition sources away. Oil on flood water spreads across floors and into brick and plaster. It needs specialist cleaning, and if it has reached a watercourse or drain, the Environment Agency's incident line is 0800 80 70 60. Your home insurance may cover oil loss and clean-up, so check the policy.

Why it matters

Contaminated water can carry bacteria and viruses, and oil gives off fumes. Cleaning with household products doesn't reach what's soaked into porous materials, and drying contaminated material in place spreads the smell and the risk. Removing it properly is quicker and safer in the long run.

Our water damage cost guide sets out what pumping out, stripping out and drying usually cost, and how flood and escape of water claims differ.