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Why You Should Ditch Drain Cleaners

Everyone wants to find the best solutions to their problems. Equally, everyone hopes their solutions are cost-effective, time-effective, convenient & ACTUALLY effective. It makes sense, & it’s only natural. Because of this – sites like Pinterest have become one of the top search engines for home-remedies, DIY & general self-improvement. In fact, there is a 75% chance you stumbled upon this post via a Pinterest search yourselves (ok those aren’t real statistics, but you get my point).

When it comes to the health of our bodies, most people look for home remedies on the interweb & eventually end up seeing a doctor anyway. Not much is different about how we approach our plumbing except for one thing – we don’t see our plumbing as the health of our home. We rarely take the health of our homes’ pipes seriously. Pipes are the nervous system & the digestive tract, of any house. And just like you need to make healthy choices about what you put in your body – the same goes for your homes’ pipes. The problem is, most of the products sold to homeowners to “help” clean & maintain their homes, turns out to be damaging. With so many companies out there willing to SAY ANYTHING to make a sale – how do you know what advice to take? The answer really is to take the time to do your research. Drain cleaners are simply the band-aid solution to a much larger “health” problem in your pipes. At best, they buy you a little time until you need to have a plumber do a full exam. Often though – they become the ‘coup de grace’ forcing you to make a call to an emergency plumbing company. Dramatic – maybe. But ask any real plumber & they will agree – they cause more harm than good. Now, before you start sending us links to the latest brand of eco-friendly, chemical-free cleaners; you should note – there is a reason we didn’t name this article “why you should switch to organic cleaners in 2020” – BECAUSE THEY DON’T WORK. Are they safer? YES, absolutely. But there is a reason the market isn’t flooded with these options – they just haven’t made a natural, organic, chemical-free cleaner that is effective & reliable enough to stand up next to their chemical counterparts. Here are 4 BIG reasons why you should ditch pipe & drain cleaners in 2020 – & call a plumber instead.

1. Drain Cleaners Are TOXIC

Drain cleaners are FULL of toxic chemicals. The toxicity levels in these chemical drain cleaners are very high (like off-the-charts high for some!). Especially if you buy “bargain”, off-brand or generally inexpensive cleaners. Chemical drain cleaners put off fumes that are harmful if inhaled or ingested. As per their labels – these products can burn your nose, eyes, & skin. The fumes can also hang around long after the chemical is used. These cleaners are not only harmful to those using it, but the fumes can linger & waft making it especially harmful to pets, babies, the elderly & children of all ages.

2. Drain Cleaners Damage Your Pipes

Chemical drain cleaners have to be strong enough to cut through fat & grease; to dissolve hair, paper, plastic & other blockages. This means that the chemicals in them are strong enough to harm your pipes. Drain cleaners are made up of dozens of chemicals. The #1 chemical used in these cleaners is hydrochloric acid which can damage your pipe fairly quickly while it “sits” and eats away at your blockage.  This chemical is not only known for damaging your pipes, but it’s also the culprit that damages expensive finishes on your bathroom fixtures. I mean HELLO – acid is in the name! You can’t be surprised that these cleaners will eat through pipes quickly  – especially in spots that are blockage-prone. Truth is, plumbers DO use high-grade chemical drain cleaners occasionally. HOWEVER, a good plumber will use it safely, with proper ventilation & will use safety gear. Followed up by a very thorough wash-out, being sure nothing is left to sit & damage your pipes or the health of your family.

3. Harmful to the Environment

We all should know by now that anything that spills onto the ground gets absorbed into the soil & makes its way into the water, plants & wildlife it’s around. So when you have a leak after dumping a gallon of cleaner down your pipes – those chemicals are going into your land, & into the local water. Bottles with leftover cleaners & chemicals are often poured out, “flushed” or end up in landfills where they can (again) seep into the ground – harming wildlife & contaminating water sources. More so – If you are on a septic system you could be introducing those harmful chemicals into the groundwater (source) that you rely on. Directly affecting your family!

4. Shocker: They Aren’t Guaranteed to Work

Even IF these cleaners were safe & still as powerful as they claim – there is no way for any company to guarantee they will work because they can’t see in your pipes to know what the issue truly is. At best they may have a money-back guarantee posted on the bottles in hopes you will not bother to go through the hassle of actually following through with the request. So 9 times out of 10 – if your pipe blockage something that your drain cleaner isn’t capable of fixing – then that means you will have wasted money AND have cups or even gallons of toxic chemicals sitting in your pipes. When you DO end up calling a plumber they will have to figure out a way to dispose of the chemicals which will likely cost you extra time in labor plus potential environmental fees depending on your location. So how do you know if you should try a cleaner or just call a local plumber?  Well, if you have a blockage that you can’t unblock with a plunger, baking soda & hot water – you need to call a professional.

Need professional drain or pipe clearing services? Give us a call or schedule a service online!

Blockages are serious. Not only are they messy – they can cause serious water damage to your home. Give Saint Pete Plumbing a call. We guarantee our work & our reviews speak for themselves.  Contact us today!