The Pittsburgh Protocol

Posted by Michael 21 on

The Pittsburgh Protocol Remediation procedures for flood water contaminated buildings, developed, tested and proven by Pro Restore

Steps for remediation if flood water contaminated buildings.

  1. Remove and dispose of flood water saturated carpet, carpet underlay, gyprock, plaster, insulation and other highly absorbent building materials. 

  2. Rinse mud and visible soil from exposed wooden studding, joists, rafters, sub-floors, metal studs, cement block and masonry walls, cement floors or other building materials contaminated by floodwater. 

  3. Saturate the surfaces with Microban Disinfectant Spray Plus or a ready-to-use solution of Microban QGC Germicidal Cleaner Concentrate, (150ml Microban QGC Germicidal Cleaner Concentrate per 10ltrs of water or, 650ml Microban QGC per 4.75ltrs in your hydroforce injection sprayer @ 8:1 yellow tip), allow it to dwell (10 to 30 minutes). 

  4. Follow up by controlled pressure washing with a solution of Microban QGC Germicidal Cleaner Concentrate (150ml Microban QGC Germicidal Cleaner Concentrate per 10ltrs of water or, 650ml Microban QGC per 4.75ltrs in your hydroforce injection sprayer @ 8:1 yellow tip),  to cleanse and remove surface contaminates. You can use your hydroforce sprayer, truckmount chemical feed or high pressure portable to achieve this.

  5. Or you can construct a controlled pressure washing kit with a small pressure washer (1750 PSI @ 6 LPM). This kit uses as little as 1.3ltrs of ready to use solution per square meter of surface area. See Controlled Pressure Washing Kit Below. 

  6. Use soft bristle brush to scrub clean and agitate solution into cracks and crevices of cement floors and masonry walls. 

  7. Clear water rinse floors and walls. Then re-clean floors and walls with pressure washing. 

  8. After wood surfaces drip dry, use an airless paint sprayer to apply SurfaceShield (by ProRestore Products), a highly permeable antifungal protective coating. 

  9. Speed dry structure by using dehumidifiers and air movers. 

  10. Document your work, take surface swabs for microbial testing and moisture readings. You must be able to provide evidance that your job is clean and dry.

Controlled Pressure Washing Kit