Liquid drain cleaners contain potentially poisonous acidic or basic compounds, enzymes, and bacteria that are effective in clearing clogged drains. Since many drain cleaners contain highly concentrated corrosive chemicals, they must be used with great caution. Consumption of non-enzymatic drain cleaners can result in serious burns, permanent tissue damage, and even death.
Liquid Drano Originally, it was simply a liquid lye (sodium hydroxide). In the late 1970s, the product was reformulated as a combination of liquid lye and sodium hypochlorite.
What happens if you get drain cleaner on your skin?
Drain cleaners that contain corrosive or caustic chemicals can cause pain, irritation, and burns when they come into contact with skin. In addition to spilling drain cleaner on the skin, injury can occur when a drain cleaner splashes back from the drain area. This can happen if the drain cleaner is poured from too high up, or if too much product is poured into a completely blocked drain.
What should you do if someone drinks drain cleaner, gets drain cleaner on the skin, or inhales drain cleaner fumes?
If someone drinks drain cleaner, gets drain cleaner on the skin, or inhales fumes from drain cleaner, get guidance from Poison Control immediately. Help from Poison Control is available online at www.poison.org and by phone at 1-800-222-1222. Both options are free, confidential, and available 24 hours a day.
Tammy Zhao, PharmD Certified Specialist in Poison Information
- Wear protective gear when using drain cleaners, including goggles and rubber gloves.
- Pour drain cleaners carefully and close to the drain to avoid splashing.
- Keep drain cleaner containers tightly closed, clean, and away from sight and reach of children.
Risks of Using Drano to Unclog a Drain
FAQ
What are the harmful chemicals in Drano?
Can liquid Sosa damage pipes?
What is the active ingredient in Drano?
Is Drano actually bad for your pipes?
What is Drano cleaner?
You’ll learn: What is Drano? Drano is a household cleaner that contains several harsh chemicals. These chemicals include lye and aluminum as well as salt, bleach, sodium nitrate, and salt. It comes in both liquid and crystal forms.
What is Drano made of?
What is Drano? Drano is a household drainage cleaner made from either sodium hypochlorate (bleach), sodium hydroxide (lye), sodium chloride, sodium nitrate and aluminum. How does it work?
How does liquid Drano work?
It’s designed to quickly dissolve organic material such as hair, grease, soap scum, and food particles that cause clogs in sinks, tubs, and showers. Formulation: Liquid Drano contains sodium hydroxide (lye) or potassium hydroxide as its active ingredient, along with other chemicals like sodium nitrate and aluminum.
Is Drano an acidic drain cleaner?
Drano isn’t an acidic drain cleaner since it contains lye and sodium hydroxide. It’s hard to find acidic drain cleaners that contain hydrochloric or sulfuric acid, but they’re becoming more popular. Drano uses a unique blend of sodium hydroxide, sodium metasilicate, and sodium hypochlorite to unclog the drain.