Learn How to Make Slime with Borax for a very simple DIY. It’s great for beginners and only requires a few simple ingredients.
Borax slime is so easy but tons of fun! You are going to have a blast making this. It is absolutely one of the easiest slime recipes.
If you are looking for a very basic slime recipe, this new slime recipe is a great one to try. Feel free to jazz it up a little with food coloring but that is totally optional.
You might want to check out the Best Slime Supplies and Best Slime Activator for more ideas. The kids also love to make Kinetic Sand Slime.
For an edible slime, try Marshmallow Slime.
Table of contents
Why We Love This
Kids love to make slime, and I prefer to keep things really simple. I’m all for a good DIY with the kids but it needs to be easy and not expensive.
Borax slime is cheap to make and easy peasy. It is the perfect activity for young children. You can also use this DIY to teach about chemistry and polymers.
Ingredients
- ½ cup of white Elmer’s glue
- ½ tsp of Borax
- ½ cup of water (warm)
- Food Coloring (Optional)
Step By Step Instructions
Step 1. Put the glue in a large mixing bowl. If you are using food coloring, add the drops of food coloring into the glue solution.
Step 2. Next pour the borax into the ½ cup of warm water and stir. We used warm water, so the borax solution dissolves.
Step 3. Then slowly mix the borax mixture into the glue mixture. We mixed in 1 tablespoon of this solution at a time until the slime is the consistency that you would like.
Step 4. As the slime starts to activate, add less of the borax mixture.
Step 5. When the glue is no longer sticking to the sides of the bowl and is sticking to the spoon, remove from the bowl.
Step 6. Knead with your hands until it is the slime consistency that you would like.
Pro Tips and Tricks
- Reduce stickiness. If the slime is too sticky, add more of the borax/water solution.
- Increase stretchiness. If the slime is not stretchy enough, add hand lotion to improve the stretchiness of the slime. The lotion will not mix easily but continue to mix with your hands until it makes the slime the correct texture.
- Keep kneading. You will need to just keep working with the slime until it becomes the desired consistency.
- Work Surface Mat. Place an art mat or piece of cardboard on your work surface to make clean up easy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Contact solution can be used in place of borax. Learn how to make slime with contact solution. Note that saline solution is not the same as contact solution for purposed of making slime.
Also, you need to make sure to use Contact Lens Solution that contains boric acid and sodium borate. This is important too!
You can also use liquid laundry detergent instead of borax. However, this often still contains borax in it, so it is not truly borax free.
It is fine to use in slime, but it should not ever be ingested.
I like to store the slime in a mason jar or ziplock bag to keep it fresh. You can use whatever you prefer.
Try These Other Easy Slime Recipes
- How to make Fluffy Slime
- How to make color changing slime
- How to make Glitter Slime in minutes
- DIY Chalkboard Slime
- How to Make Clear Slime Recipe
- DIY Crunchy Slime
Give this easy borax slime a try. It’s one of the best recipes. Leave a comment after you make a batch and tell us how it turned out.
How to Make Slime with Borax
Materials
- 1/2 cup white glue
- 1/2 tsp Borax
- 1/2 cup warm water
- Food Coloring Optional
Instructions
- Put the glue in a large mixing bowl.
- Add Food Coloring if desired at this time.
- Next mix the borax into the cup of the water. We used warm water so the borax dissolves.
- Then slowly mix the borax mixture into the glue/water mixture. We mixed in 1 tablespoon of this solution at a time until the slime is the consistency that you would like. As the slime starts to activate, add less of the borax mixture.
- When the glue is no longer sticking to the sides of the bowl and is sticking to the spoon, remove from the bowl.
- Knead with your hands until the slime is the consistency that you would like.
How much water do we add to the glue ? It doesn’t say. It said 1/2 water – to mix with borax.
But it says add borax and water to water / glue mixture
1/2 cup water