How to Make Slime With Baking Soda and Contact Solution
This ooey gooey stuff is so easy to make — and so fun to play with!
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Making homemade slime is all the rage right now, and it's easy to see why: This goo is way too much fun to poke, pull, and pop.
The best part about this whole craze, though, is just how darn simple it is to make slime. Follow the six steps we've listed below to whip up a batch of the sparkly, stretchy stuff in a few minutes flat. Your kids will be nominating you for a Mom of the Year award in no time.
WATCH: How to Make the Ultimate Metallic Blue Slime
What you'll need:
- Large mixing bowl ($12, amazon.com)
- Plastic spoon ($11, amazon.com)
- 3 bottles Elmer's Washable Clear School Glue ($12, amazon.com)
- Food coloring ($6, amazon.com)
- Fine glitter ($7, amazon.com)
- Contact lens solution ($12, amazon.com)
- Baking soda ($5, amazon.com)
Choose Your Base
Most slimes start with a base of standard liquid glue, but for a translucent slime that will really let the glitter shine through, you'll want to use 3 bottles of Elmer's Washable Clear School Glue. Start by emptying these bottles into a large mixing bowl.
Customize With Color
All your slime needs to take on a beautiful, vibrant hue is 2 to 3 drops of your favorite shade of food coloring. Pro tip: The key to keeping your slime from becoming too opaque is to mix the food coloring into your glue super slowly.
Make It Sparkle
Now it's time to add in your metallic pigment! Karina Garcia's Slime Kit ($20, target.com) comes with a pack of the sparkly stuff, but if you're DIYing your own batch, you can find similar extra-fine glitter at any craft store.
Add an Activator
To transform your bowl of glue into an awesome, stretchy slime, you'll need to add some sort of "activating" ingredient. Just add 4 pinches of baking soda and 3 tablespoons of a contact lens solution that contains borate as one of the main ingredients (Garcia recommends using Equate).
Mix It Up
Continue to combine all of your ingredients until the slime is no longer runny (if needed, add more baking soda and contact solution as you go). As the mixture thickens, you might need to set aside your mixing utensil and use your hands to knead it.
Start Playing
You'll know your slime is ready to go when it no longer sticks to the sides of the mixing bowl. And once it's done ... feel free to squish and stretch away!
More Easy Crafts to Make:
• How to Make the Stretchiest, Gooiest Snow Slime
Heather Finn is the content strategy editor at Good Housekeeping, where she heads up the brand's social media strategy and covers entertainment news on everything from ABC's 'The Good Doctor' to Netflix's latest true crime documentaries.
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