We recently put up a post about the caution you need to take around this time of year about what goes down your garbage disposal. November and December are months when more cooking takes place than usual, not only for Thanksgiving feasts but also for parties and to feed visiting relatives. The drains in your home will undergo increased stress during the end of the year. It seems like the right time to remind our customers and readers that the “quick n’ easy” solution to drains that clog up during the busy kitchen season—using liquid drain cleaners—is actually one of the worst things you can do to your drains!
What’s so bad about liquid drain cleaners?
Many things, actually. Let’s start with a simple one: they are highly toxic. You just don’t want these chemical stored in your house, and you don’t want their fumes floating through in the air. Not only are these chemicals toxic if swallowed, they are also acidic and can harm skin and eyes with just a single splash.
Beyond this danger, the chemical cleaners are harmful to plumbing as well. The caustic lye and other acids in these solutions eat away at the interior of pipes, especially in the p-trap (the curved section under the sink) where they will often stagnate for long periods.
Finally, these “cleaners” simply don’t do what they say they do. You might be able to break through a clog with a full bottle of chemicals, but the chemicals don’t effectively clean away all the debris. At best, they’re only a temporary solution. Material like hair clots and fats and oils will still remain on the pipe walls, and the clogging issues will soon return.
What you should use instead of chemical drain cleaners
The phone! If you can’t unclog a drain with a basic plunger, use the phone to call professional plumbers. Our plumbers are experienced with using advanced drain cleaning equipment that removes clogs and sees that your drains and completely clean so you experience few troubles in the future.
Lifeline Plumbing, Heating & Cooling offers drain cleaning services in Dundee, IL.