How to Make Slime at Home
Learn how to make smooth, stretchy slime using PVA glue, baking soda, and contact lens solution with proper activator ratios and kneading techniques.
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🧰 Required Tools & Equipment
- ✓ Medium mixing bowl
- ✓ Silicone spatula
- ✓ Measuring spoons
- ✓ Measuring cup
- ✓ Airtight container
📦 Materials & Supplies
- ✓ White PVA school glue (6 oz / 175 ml)
- ✓ Baking soda (1/2 tsp)
- ✓ Contact lens solution with boric acid (1.5 tbsp)
- ✓ Food coloring (optional, 2-3 drops)
⚠️ Safety Checkpoints & Warnings
- • Do not ingest any ingredients or finished slime; keep away from small children and pets.
- • Wash hands with soap and water before and after handling slime ingredients.
- • Check contact solution label to confirm it contains boric acid and sodium borate before starting.
📋 Step-by-Step Guide (5 Steps)
Measure and pour the glue base
Pour 6 ounces of PVA school glue into the center of the clean mixing bowl. Use a silicone spatula to scrape the inner walls of the measuring cup to transfer all liquid glue. Ensure the glue pool sits freely in the base of the bowl without splashing up the sides.
- • A smooth, glossy puddle of white glue resting in the bottom of the bowl with clean upper bowl walls.
- • Leaving significant glue residue stuck inside the measuring cup
- • Using non-PVA based glue which prevents activation
Mix in baking soda and optional color
Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda evenly across the glue surface. Add 2 to 3 drops of food coloring if desired, then stir thoroughly with the spatula for 60 seconds until completely uniform. Ensure no visible white clumps of dry baking soda remain.
- • Uniformly colored glue mixture with a smooth surface and zero dry baking soda specks.
- • Dumping baking soda in a single heap causing unmixed gritty lumps
- • Adding too much food coloring which later stains hands
Add activator in gradual increments
Measure 1.5 tablespoons of contact lens solution into a small spoon or cup. Pour approximately half of it (3/4 tbsp) into the glue mixture and stir rapidly in circular motions. The liquid will immediately begin thickening and pulling away from the sides of the bowl.
- • Mixture clumps into a stringy, cohesive ball that pulls cleanly off the bowl walls when stirred.
- • Pouring the entire amount of activator in at once, causing a rubbery, stiff failure
- • Using contact solution that lacks boric acid or sodium borate
Knead slime by hand
Lightly wet your palms with a couple of drops of contact solution to prevent sticking. Lift the slime mass out of the bowl with both hands and begin stretching, folding, and squeezing it continuously. Knead for 2 to 3 minutes until the wet, stringy texture transforms into a glossy, elastic consistency.
- • A solid, stretchy mass that releases cleanly from hands without leaving sticky residue.
- • Giving up too early while the mixture is still warm and stringy
- • Adding extra activator before completing at least two full minutes of manual kneading
Test elasticity and store
Hold the slime waist-high and allow it to slowly drape downward to test tensile strength, then press your fingers into it on a clean table to check for clean releases. Place the finished slime into an airtight plastic container or sealable bag immediately after playing. Seal tightly to prevent ambient air from drying out the polymer chains.
- • Slime slowly stretches under its own weight without snapping and fits fully sealed inside a closed container.
- • Leaving slime uncovered on porous surfaces like wood, carpet, or paper
- • Storing in an unsealed container causing a hard crust to form
Credit: inspired by an original tutorial by It’Sarah 💜 — watch the original on YouTube.
Don’t have everything?
- No Contact lens solution? Liquid laundry detergent (add 1 tsp at a time as activator)
- No Baking soda? Cornstarch (creates a thicker, denser putty base)
- No Silicone spatula? Plastic disposable spoon or wooden craft stick