Here is a cheap and safe way to open a slow drain without spending money on toxic drain openers. I read this tip a few months ago (I can't remember where...) and filed it away in my mind to try the next time we had a slow drain. I was skeptical, but friends, it worked!
Mix 1 cup of baking soda with 1 cup of salt. Remove the trap from your drain and pour the mixture into the drain opening, pushing as much as you can into the pipe with your hand. Then pour 1 kettle of boiling water into the sink. It will start to bubble and fizz. Follow with a second kettle of boiling water if the clog seems especially stubborn. Wait a few hours before using the sink.
I really did not believe that this would open the slow drain in our master bathroom but it did. Because it's a small sink I used just 1/2 cup each of the salt and baking soda. And, shhhh don't tell the professor, but I also used his needle-nose pliers to pull all manner of yucky sludge from the drain after doing the treatment!
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