Many households will often attempt to use store-bought chemical cleaners to get their drains flowing. This is not recommended, because it is considered a harmful and short-term fix for your pipes. Chemical cleaners are rough, corrosive and may harm your plumbing. As such, by using these types of products it may adversely create the need for more maintenance than you were originally hoping for. Besides being harmful to your pipes, chemical cleaners do very little to relieve clogs. Chemical cleaners tend to push the clog further down the drain. This only results in a relocation of the blockage and the pipes will still need to be professionally snaked.