“How do I make slime with borax?” Is this you? Maybe you have come here as slime beginner looking to make borax slime or maybe you need to troubleshoot your current borax slime recipe. Well, we have the best classic borax slime recipe around with either white or clear glue. Check out tons of fun ways to make homemade slime. Don’t miss out!

HOW TO MAKE SLIME WITH BORAX

BORAX SLIME

We have been experimenting with our borax slime recipe to double-check the measurements, ingredients, and consistency to make sure we are still enjoying this slime. You know what? We still love it and think you will too!

This borax slime recipe is really quite versatile because it allows you to really fine-tune the thickness of your slime when using white glue. However, when using clear glue we only recommend following the standard recipe.

Watch us make borax slime live in the video below!

HOW DOES BORAX SLIME WORK?

We always like to include a bit of homemade slime science around here! Slime is an excellent chemistry demonstration and kids love it too! Mixtures, substances, polymers, cross-linking, states of matter, elasticity, and viscosity are just a few of the science concepts that can be explored with homemade slime!

What’s slime science all about? The borate ions in the slime activator (sodium borate, borax powder, or boric acid) mix with the PVA (polyvinyl acetate) glue and form this cool stretchy substance. This is called cross-linking!

The glue is a polymer and is made up of long, repeating, and identical strands or molecules. These molecules flow past one another keeping the glue in a liquid state. Until…

You add the borate ions to the mixture,  and it then starts to connect these long strands together. They begin to tangle and mix until the substance is less like the liquid you started with and thicker and rubberier like slime! Slime is a polymer.

Picture the difference between wet spaghetti and leftover spaghetti the next day. As the slime forms, the tangled molecule strands are much like the clump of spaghetti!

Is slime a liquid or solid?

We call it a Non-Newtonian fluid because it’s a little bit of both! Experiment with making the slime more or less viscous with varying amounts of foam beads. Can you change the density?

Did you know that making slime aligns with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)? 

It does and you can use slime making to explore states of matter and its interactions. Find out more below…

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WHY IS MY BORAX SLIME SO THICK?

I have found that clear glue and borax powder produces a thicker slime over using white glue and borax powder. You can test out both and see which one you like better!

Because we love to showcase our seasonal confetti in very clear slime, we like to use the borax powder as a slime activator with clear glue. Check out our clear slime recipe!

The ratio of borax powder to water as mentioned below, is 1/4 tsp of borax powder to 1/2 cup of warm water! Comparing the viscosity of different slime recipes is also a neat science experiment. Check out how to turn slime into a fun slime science project!

HOW LONG DOES BORAX SLIME LAST?

Keep your slime clean and sealed when you are not playing with it! Many of our slime recipes have lasted for months or until we decided to make a new slime.

—-> Deli-style containers are our favorite, but any container with a lid will work, including mason jars in all sizes.

CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR FREE SLIME RECIPE

BORAX SLIME RECIPE 

Get your slime ingredients ready, here, I show you how to make slime with borax in these pictures using only clear glue but go ahead and add color and glitter if you wish! Also, you can use white glue instead.

Want to make slime without borax powder, you can absolutely test out one of our other basic recipes using liquid starch or saline solution. For completely borax-free slime, try our edible slime recipes!

SLIME INGREDIENTS

  • 1/4 tsp Borax Powder {found in laundry detergent aisle}
  • 1/2 cup Clear or White Washable PVA School Glue
  • 1 cup of Water divided into 1/2 cups
  • Food Coloring, Glitter, Confetti (Optional)
  • Grab your FREE Clickable slime Supplies Pack!
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HOW TO MAKE SLIME WITH BORAX

STEP 1: Dissolve 1/4 teaspoon of borax powder into 1/2 cup of warm water in one of the three bowls. Mix this thoroughly.

BORAX SLIME NOTE: We have recently tinkered with our recipe and found that for a better oozing and more stretchy slime, we prefer 1/4 tsp of borax powder (if using clear glue, always use 1/4 tsp).

If you like a firmer slime and use white glue, we experimented with 1/2 tsp and 1 tsp. 1 tsp makes a much firmer putty-like slime.

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STEP 2: In the second bowl, measure out about 1/2 cup of clear glue and mix with 1/2 cup of water until well mixed.

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STEP 3: Pour the borax/water mixture into the glue/water mixture and stir it up! You will see it come together right away. It will seem stringy and clumpy, but that’s ok! Remove from bowl.

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STEP 4: Spend a few minutes kneading the mixture together. You may have leftover borax solution.

Knead and play with your slime until smooth and stretchy! If you want the slime to look like liquid glass, find out the secret here.

SLIMY TIP: Remember, slime does not like to be pulled quickly as it will surely snap due to its chemical composition (read slime science here). Stretch your slime slowly and you will really see it’s full stretchiest potential!

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MORE SLIME RECIPES WITH BORAX

CRUNCHY SLIME

Have you heard of crunchy slime and wondered exactly what’s in it? We have been experimenting with our crunchy slime recipes and have a few variations to share with you.

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FLOWER SLIME

Make a clear slime with colorful flower confetti added in.

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HOMEMADE FIDGET PUTTY

Our DIY putty recipe is super easy and fun to make. It’s all about the slime consistency that makes this type of slime recipe AMAZING! Let us show you how to keep little fingers busy!

DIY thinking putty. Make your own homemade thinking putty recipe, copy cat version with kidsPin

BORAX BOUNCY BALLS

Make your own homemade bouncy balls with our easy recipe. A fun variation of our borax slime.

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Printable Slime Recipes Ultimate Guide

This is the ULTIMATE collection of slime recipes every kid wants to make! Explore the best recipes and find the right supplies to make slime time a breeze!

Perfect for kids of all ages, including tweens and teens! Taste-safe recipes are perfect for the youngest slime fans.

What’s Included:

  • The Ultimate Slime Guide contains all the specialty recipes you or your kids want to make! You’ll find all the best tips, tricks, hints, and slime-y info in almost 100 pages!
  • The Ultimate Slime Holiday Guide covers all the best holidays and seasons with special themes and slime-y projects!
  • The Ultimate Borax-FREE and Taste-Safe Slime Guide shows you how to make all the best borax-free, taste-safe, and non-toxic slimes kids love, such as marshmallow slime. These recipes do not use chemical activators such as saline solution, liquid starch, or borax powder, making them truly borax-free.
  • The Ultimate Slime Coloring Book is an easy-to-print coloring book kids will love! Color and design your favorite slimes!
  • The Slime Starter Guide is a fact-filled information guide with everything you need to know to make the best slime ever!
  • Slime Science Project Pack helps you turn slime-making into a science lesson!

96 Comments

  1. I am sorry you were unable to read the article properly and missed the measurements. I would refrain from calling people morons as you are the only person who has not been able to use the recipe.

  2. Terribly sorry you weren’t able to read the post correctly. Have a closer look and please don’t call people morons. You have been the only person unable to read it correctly.

  3. Yes as long as it is Elmers washable. My 4th of July slime is with Elmers white glue and clear glue.

  4. HEY GOOD SAYS, why don’t you open your eyes and SHUT your mouth before you make an idiotic comment. If you can’t appreciate the time and effort that goes into keeping up a website and giving people good ideas, then get lost and figure out how to make your own crafts!!!!!!!!!!!!! SMH RUDE IDIOT!!!

  5. Hi I live in South Africa so I can’t get elmers glue… I used pritt project glue it didn’t work 🙁 what kind of glue shold I use. Is it a kids craft glue

  6. Hmm wellElmers glue is definitely the best as I have had trouble with others too. This glue is called washable school glue so maybe you can find a bottle with that listed on it. I did try a gold slime with a generic bottle of gold sparkle glue and it worked ok. You really had to knead it and work at it though.

  7. It turned out great, but I did find that it breaks apart and can be crumbly if you try to bounce or pull it apart… is that normal?

  8. Yes we use regular glue and mix the borax in hot tap water. This works best!!

  9. i tried with clear glue and white glue. the clear one came out too chunky (it falls apart and doesn’t stretch. the white glue one came out like intestines… (i added blue coloring from a highlighter to the white one)

  10. The clear glue can be a little thicker than the white glue for slime. Have you tried the liquid starch recipe?

  11. Do you have an ideas why did my slime just last for 2-3days. It turns out runny..seems like glue has been separated from water.

  12. What brand glue did you use? It may be due to climate conditions as well. How was it stored? I have not had my slime separate before!

  13. That happened to me too!! I want to play with it and pull it apart but it breaks I” leaving it overnight in the fridge to see if it does anything.

  14. Do i really need to use up all of the glue? Or can i just use a smaller bottle of glue? Will the effect be the same?

  15. You can use a smaller amount as long as you adjust the amounts of the other ingredients accordingly. For my Easter slime I made smaller portions to give them different colors.

  16. Any school supply or big box store will have this glue. I also included links to Amazon to purchase glue there if you use Amazon.

  17. Mine last for like 6 months with this recipe but it’s fun making others too Y’all crafts

  18. What do you mean by hard? Dbl check the measurements. I have never had too hard a slime. Did it get crumbly. You can also check out our liquid starch slime recipe. That’s one of our easiest.

  19. I have a question. .. has anyone ever had to replace their borax with a new box? My daughter was the slime queen, and then one day all of sudden the slime was not turning into slime anymore. After a lot of trial and error we discovered it was the borax. We only used about a third of the box and then it “went bad”. We bought a new box, and it worked again. Has this happen to anyone else?

  20. Hi! I have not had that happen before. I have made it through a whole box using it for various experiments and had the same box for quite awhile. Glad that you were able to get back to it with a new box! I have had the opposite experience with a pack of elemers glue I had purchased. Each one refused to cooperate. I went and bought a new batch and it worked fine again. Though surprising that you were able to use some of the box.

  21. Hi! Thanks for the great recipe. I’ve used it several times with my kids (4 & 5 yrs old), mixing in different objects or glitter for different seasons/holidays. So fun!

    I think when people have trouble getting their Slime to be slimy, they’re making a mistake I made at first. They’re not fully mixing the glue & water in step 2. What I do now is put the glue & water into a container with a lid, & shake it vigorously. When I do that, no water comes out of solution in the final mix. If you end up with extra water separating out, and kind of hard Slime, you need to mix the glue & water more thoroughly.

    Hope this helps someone. Thanks again for your great crafty science resource!

  22. Oh yeah do u have to use 1 cup of hot, warm or cold water for the borax method? Because I can’t manage to make slime and I’m deverstated!!!

  23. I used Pritt white glue and it does work (it does,however, need to be PVA glue) oh and I’m also from SA! I have used Pritt, Devil glue and numerous more different types so as long as it is PVA it should work. I did also want to ask if the Borax solution needs to be warm when mixing it in to make the slime? I have never tried with it cold because I am scared I will mess it up and waste glue. And why does my slime sometimes have a liquid layer on top of my slime? It doesn’t happen all the time but it does happen ! Thanks a million!

  24. I would use warm water! I will make sure to go in and fix that. New photos will be coming soon. I am not accustomed to using any other type of glue, so the layer may be due to that or to humidity/temperature.

  25. Hi littlebins! You’re slime is a great recipe! But I have one question. How many days do I wait for the air
    Bubbles to go away? Please answer ASAP!

  26. Im confused about the 1/2 cup water added to the glue? Is it from the borax water we mixed up or plain water? That could be a lot of the reasons some of the slime others are trying isnt working

  27. You need to make the glue/ water mixture first then you add the water/borax mixture.

  28. You can mix the borax and water again and dunk your slime into it to see if that takes away the stickiness!

  29. Best and most simple recipe I’ve tried. White glue had a better texture than the clear for us. When you add the glue mixture to the borax mixture you will end up with a lot of excess water, just a reminder, move the flubber to a new bowl and discard the excess water… consistancy will improve in a few minutes with continued kneading.

  30. It’s a personal choice but we have resources showing the actual information behind borax that will help you make an informed decision.

  31. Hi
    How much exactly in one cup of water. For example when you saying mix one teaspon of borax with cup of water… how big is the cap? We trying to prepre Borax solution…
    Many thanks

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  34. If you used clear glue, try adding a bit more water next time when you mix the water and glue. You can add a little bit of the borax mixture at a time to see how that goes as well. You can’t really fix what you have though. Good luck.

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  37. my granddaughter made slime with borax but she used one of my cooking bowls to make it. Do I now have to throw the bowl away or do I throw it away? Thanks for this website. I will remember the next time.

  38. I simply run my bowls through the dishwasher with the other dishes. If you wash and set aside for only slime making or science experiments that’s an option too.

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  43. How is borax bad for you? Even in the slime recipes that use saline solution for contact lenses, that stuff has borax in it too.

  44. You are absolutely true! Did you listen to Steve Spangler talk about borax powder? I think I put a link in there. Liquid starch and saline solutions all contain borate ions from the boron family just like borax powder. I am not a chemist, but I trust what I have heard so far. We don’t use much and dilute it thoroughly. I would say however if you are sensitive to laundry detergents and cleaners that borax slime might be harsher on your skin then say saline solution. Everyone can make their own choice since we have some great slime recipes to choose from!.

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  49. Read the recipe, double check the ingredients and try again. This should not fail unless you have the incorrect glue or are not following the steps.

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  52. Can i use dish soap to make slime? I’m already tried to make dish soap slime and I did it. This slime recipe is awesome also easy process.

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  62. How much slime does this recipe make? Going to do for a summer camp where each kid makes their own. Are these the measurements that would make individual batches?

  63. HI! It really depends on how much you want each kid to have! I like this size for one kiddo but it can easily be halved. If you only want them to take a sample home, then it can be split up to 5 ways and put in small condiment containers!

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