Tetanus is a serious infection which can even be fatal. Tetanus germs (bacteria) live in the soil and dirt. The bacteria may get into your body through a cut or a wound in the skin. The bacteria make a poison (toxin) which causes the illness. Even small wounds such as a prick from a thorn can allow enough bacteria to get into the body to cause tetanus. The illness usually takes 7-8 days to develop but can vary from one day to two months. Therefore, you may have forgotten about a small cut before the illness starts.
However, if you can handle drying a basement on your own, heed the following suggestions: Pump out standing water. Use a wet/dry vacuum or submersible pump, rentable at Home Depot and other home improvement centers. At Home Depot, wet/dry vacs rent for $19 for four hours or $27 for 24 hours. A regular household vacuum won't do the trick, and using it might prove dangerous.
Instructions. Put on rubber gloves prior to handling water-damaged items, and turn off your home's power to prevent electrocution. Vacuum up the basement floor with a wet vacuum cleaner and pine-oil cleanser to remove water.Wet vacuum cleaners are intended for sucking up water, which would normally cause permanent damage to a normal vacuum cleaner. Lay down thick towels to soak up water on the floor.hick towels absorb water better than thin towels, and reduces the need to use as many towels to remove moisture. Leave the towels on the basement floor for 3 to 5 minutes, wring them out in the sink and lay them down again to pick up more water.