Foolproof Slime Recipe (Works Every Time!) (2024)

This is the best 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

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.

Here’s the video and the recipe card:

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:

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• 17 Fun Board Games for Family Game Night that Adults will Also Enjoy

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