When a toilet overflows, your priority is going to be to stop the leak.
This is going to involve turning off the water valve, inspecting the toilet, and making sure water doesn’t continue to pour out of the toilet.
With this in control, you will also want to consider the rest of the bathroom and possibly your house too. If water was overflowing from the toilet, it is likely on the floor and has left quite a bit of a mess to clean up.
It is also important to think about sanitization.
You will want to learn how to sanitize after the toilet overflows.
To sanitize after the toilet overflows, start by controlling the leak. Once done, mix a gallon of water with a cup of bleach. When it becomes soapy, pour this on anything that made contact with the overflowing water. This will help disinfect the area.
You will want to be careful while doing this and make sure to scrub the surface. It will yield the results you are after.
Here is a look at the main steps on how to sanitize after a toilet overflows.
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How To Sanitize After A Toilet Overflows
1. Control The Leak First
If a toilet is overflowed with poop, you are going to have a considerable amount of waste to deal with.
This is why you will have to focus on two steps.
Take your time to figure out where the leak is coming from and fix it. This includes turning off the water valve running to the toilet.
The first step is to control the overflowing toilet. If water continues to pour out, you cannot sanitize the washroom or any other part of the house effectively.
You will also want to scoop up any visible debris (i.e. waste) on the floor. This has to be disposed of separately before you begin the sanitization process in the home.
2. Mix Bleach With Warm Water
You will now begin to work on creating the mixture that will be used as a sanitization solution.
This is going to include taking a cup of bleach and mixing it with a gallon of warm water. You will want to stir this mixture until it turns into a soapy solution.
Once it is turned into a soapy mixture, you are going to have a ready-to-go cleaning solution that will work like a charm during the process.
3. Apply Mixture To All Affected Surfaces
The goal is to apply this soapy mixture to all of the affected surfaces in the bathroom.
Whether it is the tiles on the floor or the toilet itself, you will want to use this cleaning agent to help take care of the bacteria sitting on the surface.
For the walls, you will not want to use this cleaning solution. You will want to focus on using a specialized solution that will work well on drywall or the type of surface your wall is defined as.
You will also want to be patient during this process and make sure to wipe the solution in with a cloth or a mop.
4. Scrub The Surface
It is now time to begin scrubbing the surface.
This has to be done vigorously after you have allowed the mixture to settle for at least 10-15 minutes.
This will help loosen the bacteria that is settled on the surface.
When you are scrubbing, you will want to use a clean cloth that will allow you to dig in. This is going to take a bit of time and you might have to use a mop for the larger surfaces.
Adapt based on the surface you are sanitizing.
5. Rinse With Clean Water
The last step is to rinse the cleaning solution off to reveal the sanitized surface.
To do this, you are going to require clean water.
Take the clean water, apply it to the surface, and clean it with a cloth. You are going to want to work your way through the entire area that was covered with the cleaning solution.
Final Thoughts
These are the most important steps on how to sanitize after a toilet overflows.
To sanitize after a toilet overflows, begin by controlling the leak. Once done, mix a gallon of warm water with a cup of bleach. When it turns into a soapy cleaning solution, apply it to the infected surfaces. Mop the area or use a cloth to scrub the residue off. Now, clean the surface with water and let it dry.
These steps will make sure the overflowing toilet does not leave the bathroom messy.
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