If you are a beginner in the slime world and want to learn everything about how to make slime, dos and don’ts., recipes, and other information, you are reading the right post.
Slimes have been in the market for about 50 years, a unique, joyful, and relaxing activity, gaining massive popularity in the last few years. The visual appeal of the slimes, primarily because of the numerous varieties available, has made them exceptionally popular and generated a lot of curiosity too. This fascinating toy has benefits as it’s known to develop kids’ motor skills and cognitive abilities. It creates a sensory experience, keeping the kids engaged. It provides a complete experience while helping to relieve stress and promote satisfaction.
Since its popularity, there are many kinds of slime available that you can easily buy from any store. However, slimes are not so far behind in the current DIY trend. Many people prefer making slime at home, as it is economical and one can be as creative with it as desired. With numerous DIY slime recipes available, we have a few recipes and videos that you can follow and take inspiration from to create a unique and delightful experience for yourself or the kids.
What Is Slime, And How Does It Work?
Slime is a type of a non-Newtonian fluid that is neither a solid nor a liquid but has characteristics of both the states of matter. While it takes the shape of any container you put it in and oozes like a liquid when stretched, it can be held like a solid as well. It is made using a polymer, which is a long chain of molecules that are cross-linked to make a super stretchy slime. The cross-linking is done using the help of a slime activator which changes how the polymer flows and ends up turning into slime.
The ingredients used for making slime are based on this basic chemistry. A polymer and slime activator is the main ingredient you need for making a slime which is usually complemented with other elements to modify the texture and visual look of the slime. Glue or shampoos are the most popular polymers used in DIY recipes, while contact solution, liquid starch, and baking soda are commonly used as slime activators.
How To Make Slime
1. Basic Slime Recipe Using Borax
The most simple and commercially used slime recipe is to use borax powder as the slime activator.
Ingredients
- PVA Glue
- Borax Powder
- Water
- Food Coloring
Recipe
In a bowl, mix about 4 tablespoons of borax powder with a cup of warm water. In a separate bowl, mix 1 cup of PVA glue with ½ a cup of water. Add some food coloring to this mixture if you’d like to give a color to the slime. Mix the two bowls and stir for a while. Once it starts bonding together, take it out and knead.
Precaution
Borax powder is not a safe ingredient, especially for children, as inhaling or ingesting it can cause nausea, indigestion, vomiting, etc. It can also be toxic if taken in large quantities. Hence, this is not a recommended recipe.
2. Slime Using Liquid Starch
Ingredients
- PVA Glue
- Liquid Starch
- Water
- Food coloring
Recipe
Take equal parts of glue and water in a bowl and mix it well. You can add the food coloring of your choice to the slime. Take ¼ quantity of liquid starch in proportion to the glue and water used combined. Keep stirring the mixture until it starts getting a slimy texture. Knead well before using it. Try adding liquid starch slowly and keep on stirring instead of pouring everything together.
3. Slime Using Baking Soda
Ingredients
- PVA Glue
- Baking Soda
- Water
- Food coloring
Recipe
Take about 1 cup of PVA/Elmer’s glue in a bowl. In a separate bowl, mix ¼ cup of baking soda with 2 cups of water. Add it with glue and some food coloring. Stir it to form a slimy texture.
This may not give you as traditional-looking slime and might not be as stretchy, but this is suitable for sensitive skin and contains no traces of boric solution.
4. Slime using Saline Solution
Ingredients
- Elmer’s PVA Glue
- Baking Soda
- Saline Solution
- Water
- Food Coloring
Recipe
Take ½ a cup each of glue and water and mix them together. Add about ½ a teaspoon of baking soda and 1 tablespoon of saline solution to the bowl. Mix and knead well. If you find the slime to be sticky, add a few more drops of the saline solution. You can even add any food coloring to give a personalized touch to the slime.
5. Slime Using Shaving Cream
Ingredients
- Elmer’s white glue
- Baking Soda
- Contact solutions
- Foaming shaving cream
- Water
- Food Coloring
Recipe
In a bowl, take about ½ a cup of glue and add ¼ cup of water with ½ a teaspoon of baking soda. Mix all the ingredients and add 2-3 cups of foaming shaving cream with ½ tablespoon of contact lens solution. Keep on stirring and then knead. This slime has a fluffy texture because of foaming shaving cream, making it even more fun.
6. Slime With Shampoo
Ingredients
- Shampoo
- Corn starch
- Water
- Food Colouring (as desired)
Recipe
Ensure that you use a thick and moisturizing shampoo for making the slime and not one that has a liquidy texture. In a bowl, take 1/2 a cup of shampoo and 1/4 cup of corn starch. Add food coloring of your choice and stir it well. Add a few tablespoons of water and keep stirring. This will start forming a bond and then knead to make the slime.
Creative Slime Recipes With Videos
1. Cloud Slime
Soft, fluffy, and airy, cloud slime is fun to play with. It also looks like snow and has a nice, dewy smooth texture. Follow this video to make cloud slime at home.
2. Crunchy Slime
For a unique sensory experience, you can try making crunchy slime using foam beads. Follow this tutorial to see how you can add foam beads to different slime recipes.
3. Jiggly Slime
This wiggly slime has a jelly-like texture. You can place it on an even surface and play with it as it wiggles on the slightest touch. Follow this video to easily make jiggly slime at home.
4. Glitter Slime
Add some sparkle and shine to the slime using this glitter slime recipe. You can directly use glitter glue or add more glitter if you require more sparkle! You can play with different shapes of glitters, such as stars for a galaxy theme.
5. Edible Slime
If you are skeptical that your kids might put slime in their mouths while playing, then it is useful to try this edible slime recipe. These won’t harm if tasted but still should not be eaten as candy. Here are some tutorials for making edible slime using gummy bears. You may also use other ingredients such as marshmallows for making edible slime.
6. Butter Slime with Video
This video shows how you can make a spreadable slime just like butter that is not runny like the other ones. It has a fluffy and soft texture and is a satisfying DIY recipe for slime.
7. Mud Slime
Kids usually get their hands dirty playing with mud or just being fascinated by the insects. This can be unsafe for the kids and hence you can try to create a similar essence using a mud slime. Made using coffee grounds, this is a safe to play with recipe to make a squishy mud slime.
8. Gold Slime
With a metallic texture and the shiny sparkle of gold, this video shows how you can make gold slime and play using gold coins with it. It is great for themed parties. Have a look here.
9. Glow In The Dark Slime
Get the curious minds running with this glow in the dark slime video that you can DIY at home, using glow in the dark paint colors. It is an intriguing and exciting experience for playing with slime and completely different from the usual slimes that you find.
10. Rainbow Slime
Why use just one color for making the slime when you can combine multiple slimes for one rainbow slime. It encourages sensory play and may help in developing the cognitive skills.
11. Chocolate Slime
Kids love chocolate and what’s better than combining their two favorite things together. Keeping them engaged, intrigued and playful, this slime looks just like chocolate. Although, ensure the kids are old enough not to put this in their mouth mistakenly as chocolates.
12. Sand Slime
Improve the experience of sand boxes with this sand slime that has a similar texture and look of a sand. Place in a bag with other little sea toys for making a fun and complete sensory experience for the kids. You can easily carry them too as they are travel friendly. Just make sure the bags are not easy to open.
How To Store Slime
The best way to store slime is in an airtight container or a zip-lock bag away from any heat sources. You can keep it at room temperature but store it in a refrigerator if you live in areas with high temperatures.
Homemade slime usually lasts for about a week if stored in proper conditions. You can make it last a little longer, although it depends on what kind of ingredients were used, how it was used, and if it was correctly stored. You can still try the following tips and tricks to ensure that your slime lasts longer than usual.
- Take the slime out every other day and knead it well so that it does not lose the chemical bonds and separate.
- Wash your hands before playing with it.
- Avoid playing with slime on dirty surfaces.
- Check for mold or a distinct odor to know if it has turned bad, and toss it off if you feel anything weird.
- Use a few drops of water or a moisturizing lotion and knead it to keep the slime soft. You can do this everytime you feel that the slime is getting hard.
For more details on how to take care of slime, you can follow this article.
How To Fix Slime
DIY recipes can quickly go wrong, and you may not exactly end up with the desired consistency or texture of the slime you need. Storing it for longer times can also affect the way the slime feels and works. Here are a few ways you can fix slime.
1. Hard Slime
Slimes are supposed to be soft and stretchy, but you can follow this article if it turns hard and rubbery. It has different ways to fix hard slime with simple ingredients readily available at home.
2. Rubbery Slime
Rubbery slimes won’t stretch as other slimes and will feel a little stiff on the hands. But the good news is that you can easily fix this issue at home without using complex ingredients. Follow this link to find different techniques for fixing stiff or rubbery slime.
3. Liquid Slime
If you end up with a liquid slime that drips or is not easy to hold, then there is probably not enough activator or thickening agent in the slime. It may look like a soup or just watery and sticky. To fix this, try adding slime activators or follow this article for more detailed information.
4. Slime That Breaks Apart
There is quite a possibility that the slime might break apart after some time, or do not form a bond initially. To fix this, you can try different hacks and tricks that help make the slime stretchy again and fun to play with.
5. Clumpy Slime
Clumpy slimes are usually a result of the wrong shampoo or glue being used in the how to make slimes recipe. To fix clumpy slime that does not have a smooth texture and has lumps in it; you can try this trick. Find more information about it in this article.
6. Overactivated Slime
It is common to make mistakes during DIY recipes. If you accidently added too much of activator in the recipe and do not want to waste the whole batch then you can try out this tutorial to fix overactivated slime.
How To Remove Slime From Different Surfaces?
Slime stains can be difficult to get rid of as it does not come off easily when they get stuck to any surface. Playing with slime might be fun but removing it from clothes and other different surfaces is a tiring job. Here are a few tips and tricks that you can try to remove slime.
1. Clothes
Slime can be hard and tricky to remove from clothes due to their sticky texture. You can use ice and other basic ingredients such as vinegar and dish soap to remove slime from the clothes. Read this article for steps on how to remove stains from clothes.
2. Carpet
If your kids are playing with slime indoors, it is likely that they may stain the carpet. Dry cleaning carpets can be expensive and it is important to remove the slime without affecting the color and texture of the carpet. Try the following steps to get rid of the slime stain from carpets.
3. Car Seats
Keeping the kids engaged and distracted with slime can sometimes become a nuisance as slime can leave stains and is not easy to get rid of. If you gave slime to your kids to avoid disturbance during driving and they spill the seats with slime stain, your best resort is here.
4. Blankets
If you have slime stuck in the blanket and it is not coming off just by scraping it, then you can use some home-based ingredients. Learn how to remove slime from blanket by following these steps.
5. Wood
Cleaning wood surfaces should be done with precaution as it is easy to spoil the texture and polish of the wood if you use the wrong ingredients. If you have slime stuck on the wood surface, scraping it off can damage the furniture. Try these simple tricks to clean it from wood. Try doing a patch test before to avoid any damage to the furniture.
