Need a drain cleaner? Try something safe first.
A chemical drain cleaner can be dangerous. Certain drain cleaners are made from some very dangerous chemicals like sulfuric acid and harsh lyes. They do their job by attacking and destroying the material it comes in contact with, including your skin or eyes. Some drain cleaners form toxic gases and can be very harmful if they are inhaled. Last year in the USA nearly 2000 people were admitted into hospital emergency rooms from a result of some type of exposure of a chemical drain cleaner.
Some drain cleaners that are available are not only dangerous to you, but they can also do damage to your drainage pipes and flow out into your sewer system or into the municipal sewage system which will eventually return to our rivers and streams.
In some cases water treatment facilities may not be able to completely remove these chemicals from our drinking water.
The dangers of certain chemical drain cleaners are even more concerning if you have children in your home that may be exposed to them. So please be very careful when using a chemical drain cleaner and follow the directions exactly as stated on the label of the product container.
If you have a drain that has to cleared maybe consider using a drain snake or perhaps a mild homemade drain cleaner.