When a sewage backup happens, you need immediate help from a team you can trust. First Call Restoration provides fast, professional sewage cleanup in Poughkeepsie and throughout the Hudson Valley, 24 hours a day.
Whether it's a flooded basement, a backed-up toilet, a failed septic system, or a contaminated crawl space, our IICRC-certified technicians contain the hazard, remove the waste, and sanitize your property to a clean and safe condition. We have served Hudson Valley homeowners and businesses for more than 20 years, and we work with all insurance companies to make a stressful situation easier to manage.
Financing Options Available
Explore flexible home improvement financing options through our trusted partner, Wisetack.
First Call Restoration is the sewage cleanup company Poughkeepsie homeowners call first. Raw sewage is classified as Category 3 "black water," the most contaminated category of water damage, and it has to be handled with the right protective equipment, containment procedures, and disinfection products. Our team follows IICRC standards backed by more than two decades of local experience, so you can stop worrying about what soaked into the floor.
Sewage emergencies rarely happen at convenient times. A sewer line backs up during a holiday dinner, a septic system fails during spring thaw, or heavy rain pushes wastewater into a finished basement overnight. That's why our crews answer the phone 24/7 and respond throughout Dutchess County and the greater Hudson Valley. We treat your home the way we'd treat our own; the job isn't done until the affected area is verifiably clean, dry, and safe to use again.
When a sewage backup occurs, it creates a hazardous environment within your home. Acting fast will prevent permanent property damage, the risk of disease, and many other issues.
What’s the best way to deal with sewer spills? Here are a few helpful tips:
A few more precautions make a real difference in the first hour. Shut off your HVAC system so contaminated air doesn't circulate through the house, and avoid running any water into drains connected to the affected line, including sinks, showers, and washing machines. If the backup is near electrical outlets or appliances, turn off power to that area at the breaker panel before anyone approaches. Don't use household cleaners or a shop vacuum on raw sewage; both spread contamination without disinfecting it. The safest step is always the same: keep people and pets out of the area and call our Poughkeepsie sewage cleanup team so trained technicians in protective equipment can handle the rest.
Sewage exposure is a genuine health risk, not just an unpleasant mess. Anyone with a compromised immune system should leave the building until it has been professionally cleaned and judged safe for occupancy. That includes young children, elderly family members, anyone recovering from recent surgery or chemotherapy, and anyone with a suppressed immune system.
Porous materials that absorb sewage usually can't be saved. Carpet and padding, wallboard, insulation, and affected hardwood flooring typically need to be removed and disposed of according to EPA guidelines; contamination soaks in deeper than surface cleaning can reach. Every remaining surface in the affected area is then cleaned, disinfected, and dried so bacteria and viruses have nowhere left to live.
These are some of the disease-causing organisms in sewage:
Every sewage loss is different, so our sewage cleanup process starts with understanding exactly what happened at your property. Here's what to expect when First Call Restoration responds to your emergency in Poughkeepsie or anywhere in the Hudson Valley:
1. Emergency Assessment. A technician evaluates the source of the backup, the category of contamination, and how far the sewage has traveled, including into wall cavities, subfloors, and crawl spaces where damage hides. We document everything for your insurance claim as we go.
2. Containment. We isolate the affected area to keep contamination from spreading to clean parts of your home, then shut down airflow paths that could carry airborne bacteria through the house.
3. Sewage Removal. Wearing full personal protective equipment, our crew extracts standing sewage and contaminated water with commercial-grade pumps and extractors, then removes unsalvageable porous materials like saturated carpet, padding, and drywall.
4. Disposal to EPA Standards. All contaminated waste and materials are bagged, transported, and disposed of according to EPA standards and applicable New York regulations. Nothing hazardous stays on your property.
5. Cleaning and Disinfection. Every affected surface is cleaned and treated with hospital-grade disinfectants to neutralize bacteria, viruses, and other biohazards. We also treat odors at their source rather than masking them.
6. Structural Drying and Verification. Air movers and dehumidifiers remove the moisture that sewage leaves behind, because trapped moisture leads to mold within 24 to 48 hours. We monitor moisture levels until readings confirm the structure is dry, then complete a final walkthrough with you.
Our mission is to take an overwhelming event and turn it into a positive experience with knowledge, professionalism, and compassion.
Most sewage emergencies in the Hudson Valley trace back to a handful of causes. Knowing what triggered yours matters, because the cleanup plan and the insurance conversation both depend on the source.
Whatever the cause, the response is the same: keep your family away from the contamination and call First Call Restoration for professional sewage backup cleanup. We handle sewer backup cleanup, septic overflow, and toilet overflow emergencies across the region every year, and we can be on site fast, day or night.
"First call restoration came out and evaluate the damage the same day we called. What a good group of hardworking men!"
"First Call Restoration really should be your first call! Gary and his team were top-notch. Super professional, friendly and helpful."
"They did an outstanding job and we would definitely use their services again. Highly recommended."
"Great experience so far with this company! Everyone I dealt with along the way was so friendly and helpful."
"Mike and his team were exceptional. They were very compassionate, informative and professional."
"Everyone, especially Gary went out of their way to make sure we were as pleased as possible with the work that was done."
"We had such a great experience working with First Call Restoration. Thank you for helping us navigate our stressful situation."
"They helped make a terrible water damage situation manageable for me and my family."
Sewage damage claims can be complicated. Some homeowner policies cover sewer backups only if you carry a specific rider; coverage often depends on documenting the loss quickly and correctly. First Call Restoration works with all insurance companies. From your first call, we photograph and document the damage, record what materials had to be removed and why, and communicate directly with your adjuster. That documentation protects your claim and takes one more burden off your plate during a stressful week.
If your policy doesn't cover the full cost of sewage cleanup, or you'd rather not wait on a claim, we also offer financing through our trusted partner, Wisetack. You can break the cost of cleanup and restoration into manageable monthly payments with a quick application, and checking your options has no impact on your credit score. Our team will walk you through both paths, insurance and financing, so cost never delays getting your home safe again.
For homeowners, a sewage backup usually means a basement, bathroom, or crawl space that suddenly isn't safe for your family. Our residential crews handle everything from a single overflowing toilet to whole-basement septic backups. We work with care and discretion, protect the unaffected parts of your home, and keep you informed at every step. When we leave, the space is clean, dry, and livable again.
For businesses, landlords, and property managers, sewage damage means lost revenue and liability for every hour a space stays closed. First Call Restoration responds to commercial sewage emergencies across the Hudson Valley with the equipment and crew capacity to work fast. Where possible, we contain the affected zone so the rest of your operation keeps running, and we provide the documentation your insurance carrier and health inspections require. Plumbers and realtors throughout the region refer their clients to us because we make these situations manageable.
The sewage you can see is only half the problem. The moisture it leaves behind soaks into framing, subfloors, insulation, and the back sides of walls, and mold can begin growing in that hidden moisture within 24 to 48 hours. A cleanup that removes the waste but skips professional drying trades one health hazard for another.
That's why structural drying and moisture verification are built into every First Call sewage cleanup. After removal and disinfection, we place commercial air movers and dehumidifiers and monitor moisture readings until the structure is verifiably dry, not just dry to the touch. If we find mold already growing from a backup that sat too long, our team also provides professional mold remediation, so one call covers the entire recovery instead of juggling multiple contractors.
Immediately. Raw sewage starts damaging porous materials on contact, and the bacteria and moisture it carries multiply the longer it sits. Within 24 to 48 hours, hidden moisture can also trigger mold growth. Calling First Call Restoration right away limits how much of your home is affected, reduces what has to be torn out, and usually lowers the total cost of the loss.
Yes. Our crews clean up sewage emergencies in homes, apartment buildings, offices, restaurants, and retail spaces across Poughkeepsie and the Hudson Valley. We carry the licensure, insurance, and equipment for both, and for commercial jobs we work to contain the affected area so your business can keep operating wherever possible.
Our technicians work in full personal protective equipment and follow EPA safety protocols and IICRC standards for Category 3 water. We contain the affected area before removal begins, dispose of contaminated materials according to EPA standards, disinfect every affected surface with hospital-grade products, and verify with moisture readings that the structure is dry before we call the job done.
Yes. We are a full-service restoration company, so the same team that removes the sewage can rebuild what it damaged, from drywall and insulation to flooring. Your property is returned to its pre-loss condition without hiring a second contractor, and we coordinate the repairs with your insurance claim.
Yes. Raw sewage is Category 3 black water and carries bacteria, viruses, and parasites including E. coli, Salmonella, and Hepatitis A. Even brief skin contact or breathing air near a spill can pose a risk, and children, seniors, pets, and anyone with a weakened immune system are most vulnerable. Keep everyone away from the affected area until professional cleanup is complete.
It depends on your policy. Many policies only cover sewer backups if you carry a sewer or water backup endorsement, so coverage varies house to house. We work with all insurance companies, document the entire loss for your adjuster, and give you an honest read on what we are seeing. If coverage falls short, Wisetack financing can spread the cost into manageable payments.
We don't recommend it. Household cleaners and shop vacuums spread contamination without disinfecting it, and sewage that has soaked into carpet, drywall, or subfloor can't be made safe with surface cleaning. Even a small spill from a toilet overflow can carry the same pathogens as a major backup. A professional assessment tells you exactly what's affected, and what it actually takes to make the area safe.
Keep everyone, pets included, away from the spill. Switch off the HVAC to keep contaminated air from moving through the house, and avoid running water into any drain connected to the backed-up line. If sewage is near outlets or appliances, cut power to that area at the breaker. Then leave the rest to us; our Poughkeepsie crews respond 24/7 and secure the site as soon as we arrive.
