Q: A broken drain pipe spilled sewage into the house’s crawlspace. Plumbers replaced the piping and put down a lot of lime to fight the smell. It helped, but 10 days later the smell is still unacceptable. Should I put down more lime?
A: Lime will help, but it won’t necessarily solve the problem. Any raw sewage is a biohazard and should be removed and sanitized. Placing chemicals to mask odor is not the correct method of repair. We recommend calling a reputable professional cleanup company, such as ServPro or PuroClean, to clean up any sewage and make sure the water is all dried out. Homeowner’s insurance will probably cover this procedure.
