Christmas
Foolproof Slime Recipe (Works Every Time!)
This is the best foolproof slime recipe ever.
And I can say that with confidence because it worked flawlessly for all 150 kids who came through our science-themed Vacation Bible School classroom.
All those sweet, grubby, little hands. All those silly ways of mixing. And it still worked! I was very skeptical about being able to find an easy slime recipe that would work without fail for each kid.
But this one did the trick. (And when you’re done you can check out my list of more things to do with kids at home)
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This slime recipe doesn’t use laundry detergent or Borax as an activator (not to be confused with boric acid, which, although safe, may cause eye irritations.)
A slime activated with Borax will last longer but this recipe’s a bit simpler.
I added the Borax recipes at the end of this post too so you can experiment with all kinds of different slimes.
When the steps were followed, this basic slime worked every time. We used little cups with all the ingredients pre-measured.
All the kids had to do is follow the recipe. Simple and super fun! From 1st to 6th grade, none of the kids had trouble.
And no slime activator recipe to make ahead of time! This was the easiest and most foolproof slime recipe I’ve ever tried.
How to Make Basic Slime
- 2oz of clear glue
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp saline solution (We used the one from Walmart)
- 2 to 3 drops of Food coloring (We used gel food coloring)
- Add food coloring or glitter to glue and mix with a spoon
- Add baking soda and mix well
- Add saline solution and stir slowly until set
- Remove slime from the cup and play with it
You could replace the food coloring with 1tsp of glitter. But we really didn’t want to vacuum glitter out of the carpet for days, so we skipped that.
Store it in a baggie or closed container so it lasts longer.
Foolproof Slime Recipe Video
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Foolproof Slime Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 oz clear glue About 1/4 cup
- 2-3 drops food coloring OR 1 tsp glitter
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp saline solution
Instructions
-
Add food coloring or glitter to glue and mix with spoon
-
Add baking soda and mix well
-
Add saline solution and stir slowly until set
-
Remove slime from the cup and play with it
Slime Smoothie
To make a slime smoothie, just combine several colored slimes and mix.
Once we had played with our slime smoothie it turned out a gorgeous purple and made one giant slime ball!
How to Fix Rubbery Slime
I just showed you how to make slime without borax. But making slime using saline or contact lens solution instead of borax will make the slime rubbery with time. It’s easy to fix, just dunk it in hot water and work the water in. The slime will get back to its stretchy state in no time. It may feel weird at first, but keep working it and it will get better. For slime that doesn’t get rubbery as fast try the Borax recipes below.
How to Make Slime Unsticky
If you follow the slime recipe, you won’t have this problem. However, if you’re experimenting, the way to un-sickify your slime is to add more activator, in this case, saline solution. That’s also the way to thicken slime that’s gotten too liquidy.
How to Make Slime with Borax – and how to make Fluffy Slime
Aaahh! Now that I’ve shown you how to make a basic slime, there are many more ways to experiment at home for fun.
A slime made with a Borax activating solution instead of a saline solution will last longer and will not become rubbery as fast.
My daughter makes her own slime activator by dissolving 1 cup of warm water and 1 tsp of Borax. She’s never had any skin irritations.
Once you’ve got the Borax solution down there’s no more measuring! Use the following ingredients to make all these cool different kinds of slime adding the Borax solution a few drops at a time while stirring:
- 1 part Glue + 1 part (or more) shaving foam + food coloring or glitter + Borax solution (a few drops at a time) + play with it = Very Fluffy Slime
- 1 part Glue + 1 part foaming hand wash + food coloring or glitter + Borax solution (a few drops at a time) + play with it = Very Fluffy Slime
- Glue + a few squirts liquid soap or body wash + food coloring or glitter + Borax solution (a few drops at a time) + play with it = Soft Slime and kinda Fluffy
- Glue + a few squirts of conditioner + food coloring or glitter + Borax solution (a few drops at a time) + play with it = Shiny Slime (makes cool sounds)
- Glue + a few squirts of lotion + food coloring or glitter + Borax solution (a few drops at a time) + play with it = Soft Slime
Go ahead and experiment with mixing these ingredients. It’s hours worth of fun for sure! If you’re looking for more fun things to do at home with the kids check out these popular posts:
More Fun DIY Projects
Looking for more creative and engaging activities? Check out these related posts for inspiration.
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- DIY Stomp Rockets & Stomp Rocket Launcher
- 25 Cool Rainbow Crafts for Kids and Easy Art Ideas
Don’t forget to pin this foolproof slime recipe:
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What concentration of saline solution?
Contact solution seems to work best. I’m not sure what the concentration is.
It’s awesome. The only thing is that you should make a double batch because the regular batch is pretty small. Also, don’t get the baking soda and saline measurements mixed-up (I did, lol). But all I had to do to fix it is add more saline and it was much better!
Also, at the bottom were the tips where you should try putting your slime in hot water for a few minutes. It works! This is probably the best slime recipe I have ever tried!
Thank you so much for your kind words! I’m so glad this slime recipe worked great for you.
Has anyone tried this with PVA white glue, will it still work? Xx
Yes Rachel, white glue will work just fine. Clear glue is just prettier.
Did not work for me. Another slime Fail
Update: I switched my contact solution to one that contained a higher amount of saline and it worked 🙂
Fantastic. I wasn’t even aware there was such thing as different saline solutions. Good to know.
I’m sorry Eva. I’d be very curious to know what ingredients you’re using. This recipe has worked every time we’ve tried it. We did use Elmers clear glue but generic saline solution. Maybe a different brand wouldn’t work. But the slimes we made in the video we only had to make once. This recipe works.
The little girls are going to love making slime with me on the next rainy day! Thanks for the recipe!
They’ll spend hours playing with it. I don’t know what it is about slime kids love so much….
150 kids?! That’s amazing! Definitely would trust this recipe if it withstood that test!
Kids love slime and this one is so pretty! Thank you for sharing the recipe friend!
I have had many a slime failure so I’m anxious to try this one. Sounds like a great recipe and it takes things I already have on hand which is super nice!
Even my daughter who’s a slime expert was surprised how well it worked.
What a fun craft!! Maybe even for adults too! 😉 thanks for sharing the fun recipe!!
This is such a fun craft! I think I’ve tried making slime only once with the kids and it was a fail 😂 I need to try this recipe for sure !
Try it! This is a no fail.
I bet the kids had a blast making this! Slime is always a big hit with the little ones.
It’s so popular right now still!
Such a great craft for kids! This is all the rage right now. My daughter would love this so much!
Try all the recipe at the bottom too. My daughter’s favorite is the fluffy slime!
This is a great summer craft project to keep kids busy!