Basement Flooding

With all the rain in Chicago over the weekend (5.5+inch in under an hour) the sewers backed up and we got a few inch of water in the basement. The water was 99%+ clear and there wasn't really an odor. Obvisously it was sewer water, but it wasn't nearly as bad as you see on TV sometime.

The water got the bottom 1/2 inch of the couch (the fabric part). It has wooden legs and no flaps. If you flip the couch the the bottom is word and that fabric mesh. The couch was only in water for a couple of hours and I immediated had dehumidifiers/fans running to dry things out. What is the protocol on keeping the couch?

Go up to a poor college student:

1) Ask him if he'd buy it for $50

1a) If "yes", keep it.

1b) If "no", go to 2

2) Ask him if he'd take it for free

2a) If' "yes", give it to him.

2b) If "no", flood your basement with concrete and consider it the barrier between you and the unholy couch.

HTH

Growing up in the chicago burbs our basement flooded ALL the time. If it wasn't a 6-12 inch water in the basement we kept the furniture. Once the water was done we would set the furniture on it side and have a fan blow on them for a few days for a good dry out. if the couch padding/stuffing got wet then it was tossed.

I like MS's approach but I'd take the $50 and buy a new couch.

I would spend $50 on Fabreeze at least!

Depends on what it ment to you before.

• -If you hated it anyway, take it to the dump, take a dump on it, leave and replace with something worthy.
• -If It had sentiment, hire a cleaner.
• -If just a couch, toss it for the piece of mind, and replace with equal.

craigslist is awesome for unloading furniture like this...

remind me never to get furniture off craigslist

In my college days, we had a semi-finished basement. After a night of merriment, I “fell asleep” on the couch, which was not uncommon. But only a couple hours into my slumber, it was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the roommate who was yelling my name down the stairs. Then the message changed to, “Dude, get out of the basement. The sewer is backing up.”

Suddenly and completely, my eyes opened.

Sure enough, there was about four inches of sewage surrounding me like a mote.

With some diplomacy and negotiation, I talked him into walking my work boots outside and around to the basement window located above the couch. So at least I didn’t have to wade my way out.