Drain uncloggers are a caustic. Meaning they are a strong base that eats stuff away. They are generally safe to use except for two very specific circumstances.

1. you really don’t want to use them if you’re on a septic system. It will kill the good bacteria that eats your poop. It’s not a deal breaker, your system will repopulate eventually. But it could lead to a backup. In my opinion - just don’t use that stuff with septic tanks ever.

2. if your pipes are old af and on their last legs. Or some of your joints are shoddy. Draino might eat through that last little bit of metal and cause a leak. But to be fair, a snake could bust something open too. This isn’t a problem with modern plumbing. Nothing you can do about it except watch for leaks no matter what you do (or replace that old plumbing).

I’ll offer some advice. For like $35 bucks you can buy a real honest to goodness plumbing snake that’s hand operated. Mine has a little orange saucer thingy the snake coils up into. You pull out some of the snake, and stick it in the drain. You push with one hand, and you use the other to twist the snake via the big hand crank knob thingy. You push a foot or so of the snake down the drain, then pull out a bit more of the snake from the saucer, and then push that bit down the drain (always hand crank spinning). It’s SUPER easy to do.

The one I have is like 25 feet long, and I have cleared some of the nastiest clogs with that thing. I’m talking 5 foot long clogs of my wife’s hair/grease/soap grossness. Draino would never clear that - but the snake makes short work of it in less than 10 minutes. I spend a few bucks on some rubber gloves instead of hundreds on plumbers and expensive Draino.

TLDR: get a hand snake. They work amazing, are super easy to use, and are less money than Draino (and plumbers)

Edit/update: I’ve got one like this: https://www.homedepot.com/p/RIDGID-EZ-SPIN-Drain-Cleaning-Snake-Auger-80168/332294628

As a rule of thumb, don't trust the packaging when it's going out of its way to assure you it won't cause some negative side effect. They have a massive conflict of interest because they want you to buy it, and more importantly they legally don't have to actually prove it's factual, the burden is on you the consumer to sue them and prove they're lying in court if you think that's the case, and they're well aware the vast majority of people don't have the time or resources to do that.

If an online source is telling you it will cause that side effect, I'd be inclined trust that more (assuming the site is reputable and they're not trying to promote a different product).

do you rent or own?

hehehhehe

Careful. I used drano for a clog in my bathtub and it eroded the pipes and I had to replace them. I’ll add that the clog was complete so the drano stayed in the pipes longer than its intended use. It’s better to just use a snake if you can.

Don't believe copywriting.

It is legal for non-flushable wipes to say "flushable" for some reason.

Does your local government publish advice? Some have a contact who can tell you what is safe to use in their infrastructure.

I'm not sure what you're trying to do. Do you have slow or clogged drains that you're trying to fix? Or are you just trying to dispose of them?

If you have a drain problem, I think drain cleaner is supposed to be safe for modern pipes. But if you have old cast iron drains, it can eat through them.

If you're trying to dispose of them, look up how your town wants you to dispose of hazardous waste. Some places will have a specific place and time you can drop off hazardous chemicals like drain cleaner.

(If you're trying to dispose of it and don't have access to hazardous waste removal, it is possible to neutralize the drain cleaner and safely dispose of it. But if you're asking these sorts of questions, you aren't qualified to do that. For anyone who might be qualified, don't forget your PPE 😅)

If you have a mild clog it's probably worth trying it according to the directions. If it's severe, just call a plumber. If you don't have a clog, then just keep it under a sink or something.

If you are feeling adventurous, get some aluminum foil.

Make pretzels.

I've used them multiple times before without issues and even overnight sometimes. Waste pipes are PVC and heavy flush of hot water after.

I've seen draino turn pipes into a mushy gel.

Was it "Dirty Harry, Magnum Force " that introduced us to interesting ways to use draino?