How To Make Slime Less Sticky

Help! My slime is TOO STICKY!! If you are wondering what to add to slime to make it less sticky, you’ve come to the right place. Find out how to fix slime that is too runny, how to make your slime less sticky and even how to make slime stretchy again. Homemade slime is a lot like baking cookies in that it’s a recipe and sometimes recipes don’t come out as you planned. Here’s what you can do!

HOW TO MAKE SLIME LESS STICKY AND GOOEY

HOW TO FIX YOUR SLIME

How do you fix a not so great chocolate chip cookie when it’s already baked? You can put frosting on it, but you can’t actually change the not so great cookie. You can only make it even better next time! So read on to find out the basic slime recipes we always recommend and tips for how to avoid slime fails.

To learn how to fix slime, you need to start by finding really good slime recipes you don’t have to fix! You need an awesome homemade slime recipe in order to have a good batch!

Likewise, to make awesome cookies your cookie recipe has to be amazing too! However, there are always variables that go along with a recipe, slime or cookies! No two batches are always alike. We can help with that too!

Also find out how to get slime out of clothes and hair!

Slime making, just like baking, is a science. It’s chemistry! When you combine your slime ingredients and mix them together, you are creating a new substance that you can’t undo. A chemical change has taken place. Read SLIME SCIENCE here.

Here are the biggest reasons people ask me how to fix slime because they are having slime failures!

Below we will dig a little deeper and talk about each of our basic slime recipes we use for all our themes. Plus we will talk a little bit about stretchy slime versus sticky slime!

CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR FREE SLIME RECIPE CARDS

HOW TO MAKE SLIME LESS STICKY

1. READ THE RECIPE FIRST

To learn how to make slime, it’s really important to read through your recipe first. I have actually gotten comments that have said I should have read through the recipe first!

Look for notes and tips specific to that type of recipe. Check the measurements and read about the supplies used. Our 5 BASIC SLIME RECIPES come with step by step pictures, directions, supplies, and even videos.

• Fluffy Slime: Slime with glue and shaving foam!
• Saline Solution Slime: a great easy and safe slime for kids!
• Liquid Starch Slime: a simple slime you can make with 2 ingredients!
• Borax Slime: a great slime for science experiments!
• Elmer’s Glitter Glue Slime: a recipe just for glitter glue.

2. START WITH THE RIGHT SLIME INGREDIENTS

Understanding slime activators is key to making great slime. Commonly used slime activators are saline solution (not necessarily contact solution), liquid starch, and borax powder. It’s these slime activators that when mixed with the PVA glue react to form slime.

Additionally, the right glue is key too! You need a Washable PVA School Glue (polyvinyl-acetate). Not all glue is the same! Look for the big gallons to really save some money! The science behind the slime goes into more detail.

CLEAR GLUE VS WHITE GLUE

What type of glue are you using? The majority of the issues with making slime seem to arise with clear glue. I am not a chemist, but there’s a notable difference between white and clear glue.

Both make a fun slime but I do try to gear my recipes towards using clear glue. White glue will simply be slimier while clear glue will be just right.

What to add to slime to make it less sticky? The point of this is that you may need to add less slime activator with clear glue and the same or even just a little bit more slime activator with white glue.

We list all our recommended slime supplies here.

3. MEASURE YOUR SLIME INGREDIENTS ACCURATELY

Just like baking, eyeballing doesn’t always work so well especially if you are after a specific desired outcome. In this case, how to make slime stretchy and not sticky! Make sure to grab those measuring cups before you get started.

4. KNEAD YOUR SLIME WELL

You have to knead your slime well (especially saline solution slime) to make your slime less sticky. Instead of adding more activator if your slime seems too sticky, first make sure you have taken some time to knead the slime first. You can even let it rest a few minutes and then knead again! I will talk more about this below.

Also, keep in mind that slime gets colder as the reaction finalizes. This is an endothermic reaction. A cold slime is more likely to snap or break like a cold rubber band will. This is called shear stress. Warm your slime in your hands and stretch gently, don’t just pull quickly!

SLIME IS A SCIENCE EXPERIMENT

Remember your homemade slime is all about science and fun, and it can behave much differently than factory-produced slime that also has lots of added ingredients.

Also, keep in mind the cool photos you see on the internet are probably captured at just the right moment! Enjoy making slime for the process and the experience as much as the outcome.

TIPS FOR MAKING NO FAIL SLIME

Below you can read through each of our basic slime recipes. I do consider fluffy slime to be a basic recipe but it also uses the saline solution slime recipe as a base. As long as you are adding foam shaving cream, you can read through the tips for saline slime for troubleshooting.

SALINE SOLUTION SLIME

Saline solution slime is one of the most popular slime recipes right now! Your saline solution needs to contain boric acid and sodium borate. These are the main ingredients that form the slime. They are borate ions just like borax powder. This is why you can not make your own saline at home for making slime!

• I don’t recommend using more than 1 tbsp of saline solution initially. You can always add more but you cannot take away! You can also use as little as 1/2 tbsp, but the slime will be stickier!
• Also, make sure to give your slime a good mix after adding the solution. It does not come together immediately, but it will! Look for it to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
• Note, if you are using a saline solution or eye drops that only contain boric acid, you may need to double the amount!

HOW TO FIX WET SLIME

Slime too runny? Want to know how to make slime less runny without borax? Well, you can add a small amount of baking soda to the slime to thicken the slime in addition to the slime activator, saline solution.

You can use as minimal amount as 1/4 tsp with clear glue and 1/2 tsp with white glue. Or you could see what happens when you make saline solution slime without baking soda for a fun slime experiment.

HOW TO MAKE SLIME LESS STICKY

If your slime seems too sticky, you have a few choices. You can knead your slime longer. The chemical reaction is still taking place! Kneading the slime allows the reaction to fully take place.

Your slime still feels sticky? Then add a drop or two at a time of saline solution to the slime to make it less sticky.

You can even squirt a few drops on your hands before kneading the slime. Doing this will add just a tiny bit more activator to your slime and it will coat your hands for handling the slime.

Remember though, if you just start adding more and more activator, your slime will become rubbery and breakable.

BORAX SLIME

For our borax slime recipe, the best ratio of borax powder to warm water is 1/4 tsp of powder to 1/2 cup of warm water.

This makes for a stretchy and gooey slime that’s not too sticky in both white and clear glue. You need to mix this slime well once you pour in the borax solution. There really shouldn’t be any solution left in the bowl after mixing.

• If you are adding more borax powder then we do, you will find liquid left over and you will have a stiffer slime that’s more putty like. Not a problem but also not very stretchy. Varying the amount of borax powder also makes for a good slime science experiment!
• Warm water will help the borax powder dissolve better and make a more saturated solution so that you don’t see powder still floating around. Encourage kids to mix the borax and warm water for 30 seconds if you can!
• Knead your slime in the bowl if you like. You can even let it chill for a few minutes and then knead it a bit. Borax slime does not need the amount of kneading that the saline solution slime does.

LIQUID STARCH SLIME

Liquid starch slime was the first-ever slime recipe that we really enjoyed making, and it’s really a very simple recipe with little room for error.

What do I run across from readers regarding liquid starch slime? Usually, they can’t find liquid starch or they live in a country where liquid starch is not available.

It’s also important to know that you can not make your own liquid starch. Liquid starch is not a slurry of cornstarch. You also can not use spray starch.

However, you will find bottles of liquid starch in the laundry detergent aisle of your average grocery or big box store and it can be ordered online. Popular brands include Lin- It and Sta-Flo.

You will notice that the liquid starch slime comes together right away but looks rather stringy. Let this slime rest for about 5 minutes in a clean container, and the stringiness will have disappeared. You will have lovely smooth slime!

If you have a classroom full of early elementary age kids, liquid starch is probably the best slime recipe for ease of use! The measurements are simpler. There are no small measurements or solutions to mix. The success rate will be much higher and hopefully less messy!

LOOKING FOR A SLIME RESOURCE JUST FOR TEACHERS?

CLICK HERE FOR A QUICK AND EASY WAY TO INCLUDE SLIME IN THE CLASSROOM!

HOW TO MAKE SLIME MORE STRETCHY

I am often asked if there’s something you can add to slime to make it stretchy again especially after a couple of days or a week later. The topics of adding lotion, baby oil or warm water seem to come up a lot!

Making slime with lotion during the mixing process might be a help. However, we have tested out a few slime variations and found that replacing the water with lotion during the actual mixing process of the saline solution recipe was our number one preference. Simply adding a tablespoon of lotion didn’t really do all that much.

A warm water bath is also a common method for possibly fixing a slime that is no longer stretchy. Mainly this is used with a clear glue slime where adding lotion would not work due to the transparency of the slime.

You can definitely try a warm water bath by filling a bowl with warm water and allowing your slime to hang out in for 30 seconds. The water won’t fix the batch of slime but it can loosen up the slime because the more warm a slime is, the more it will stretch.

HOW TO FIX HARD SLIME

If you have a rubbery or hard slime a few days later, adding lotion also didn’t seem to make any remarkable changes that we noted, but it did not do any harm either. We simply used dollar store lotion.

Neither lotion or warm water in our opinion will completely change the consistency of your slime and your best bet is to simply make your slime again!

Check out my FAVORITE SLIME RECIPE of all!

HOW LONG DOES SLIME LAST?

Slime lasts quite a while! I get a lot of questions regarding how I store my slime. We use reusable containers in either plastic or glass. Make sure to keep your slime clean and it will last for several weeks.

If you want to send kids home with a bit of slime from a camp, party, or classroom project, I would suggest packages of reusable containers from the dollar store or grocery store or even Amazon. For large groups, we have used condiment containers and labels as seen here.

HOW TO MAKE SLIME LESS STICKY AND MORE!

Did you know we also have fun with science activities too? Click on the picture below for tons of amazing slime recipes to try, including fluffy slime, butter slime, glitter slime and more!