Whoa, slime with borax! Hold the phone! Is borax safe to use in slime? You can read below some more thoughts on the whole slime with borax controversy and you can find our super simple borax slime recipe too. Making homemade slime is awesome science for kids and there is almost no reason not to learn how to make slime with borax.
HOW TO MAKE SLIME WITH BORAX!
BORAX POWDER FOR SLIME
You have either come here all ready to get the recipe for borax slime or you need a little more info on why it’s safe to use borax powder to make slime.
WATCH OUR VIDEO! You can make borax slime with both white and clear glue. We like it best with clear glue and confetti because borax slime is the only truly clear slime!
IS BORAX SAFE TO USE IN SLIME?
First off, I’m not a chemist. I don’t have a definitive, professional answer but read on and decide for yourself…
There’s not a huge reason why you have to make slime with borax powder over other slime activators, but slime with borax powder also is getting a bad rap!
Yes, there are people out there who are very sensitive to this material. If you are allergic to borax powder or highly sensitive to it, this may not be the slime for you. Or if you have kids who are likely to put slime in their mouths, you will want to make a slime without borax. Borax slime is NOT edible! We have plenty of borax free slime recipes to check out if you want more options.
However, if borax is really and truly an issue for you, please keep in mind that ingredients like liquid starch and saline solution contain borax too but with different names like sodium borate or tetraborate and boric acid.
There’s a great deal of misuse of the term “borax free slime” going on out there, and I want to make it very clear that LIQUID STARCH contains sodium borate which is still borax. The same goes for most contact solutions or saline solutions, but you might also see boric acid listed. These are all part of the boron family.
These ingredients are called slime activators. Why do you add borax to slime? If you want that traditional slime consistency, neither a liquid nor a solid, you need borax to make it happen!
SLIME MAKING IS CHEMISTRY
…and with all science experiments, I highly suggest washing hands and surfaces thoroughly. Do you need to be making slime all day long, every day? No, probably not! Is it a neat demonstration to do with the kids? Yes!
Here, we have been making slime for over three years with no side effects. Your job as the adult is to asses the kids and situation and see what works best for you.
Read more about the actual science behind the slime here.
WHERE CAN I BUY BORAX FOR SLIME?
We pick up our borax powder in the grocery store! You can also find it on Amazon, Walmart, or Target. You can use borax powder to make liquid borax for slime. Check out our borax slime recipe below!
Now if you don’t want to use borax powder, you can absolutely test out one of our other basic recipes using liquid starch or saline solution. We have tested all these slime recipes with equal success!
NOTE: We have found that Elmer’s specialty glues tend to be a bit stickier than Elmer’s regular clear or white glue, and so for this type of glue we always prefer our 2 ingredients basic glitter slime recipe.
No more having to print out a WHOLE blog post for just one recipe!
Get our basic slime recipes in an easy to print format so you can knock out the activities!
—>>> FREE SLIME RECIPE CARDS
BORAX SLIME RECIPE
We have used white glue below, however you can totally make this recipe with clear glue for a super crystal clear slime like liquid glass.
SLIME INGREDIENTS:
- 1/4 tsp Borax Powder and 1/2 cup of Warm Water
- 1/2 Cup of Water
- 1/2 Cup White Washable School Glue
- Food Coloring
- Glitter and Sequins {optional}
- Bowl, Measuring Cups, Spoons
HOW TO MAKE BORAX SLIME
STEP 1. Measure a 1/2 cup of glue and pour into a bowl. Then add a 1/2 cup of warm water. Stir to combine.
STEP 2. Add food coloring, glitter, sequins, or whatever fun items you have!
Don’t be shy with the glitter! I will say that glitter looks so much better with clear slime, but there’s no reason why you can’t add glitter to white glue slime too!
STEP 3. Make up liquid borax by mixing 1/4 tsp of borax powder into 1/2 cup of hot water. Mix thoroughly but you may still see some particles still floating around the bottom and that’s fine.
TIP: I just let the water run hot. This step is best left for adults to do!
STEP 4. Slowly add the liquid borax to the glue and stir continuously.
Did you know you can also grow crystals with borax powder?
It’s all about stirring! You should need to use the whole 1/2 cup of borax water to the glue mixture. Your slime will begin to form immediately. Once you feel it’s well combined, remove the slime and discard any leftover liquid.
There’s only so long you will be able to mix with a spoon or craft stick before you just need to dig your hands into the mixture. Remember lots of kneading will help you achieve the desired {smooth} consistency quickly!
Once you get the hang of it, making your own slime is so easy. There are so many ways to dress up slime with colors, glitter, confetti, mini objects. You can make it for any season or holiday!
Check out the sweet little containers below we found at our local dollar store. Perfect for storing slime!
MORE FUN SLIME RECIPES WITH BORAX
HOW TO MAKE BORAX SLIME
Love making slime? Check out our whole collection of slime recipes or click on the photo below!
We are thinking of using this recipe for a class party. For the sake of time, do you think the borax/water solution could be mixed up ahead of time? Like the night before?
I have never tested an overnight solution. I want to say that you can, but for the sake of being prepared you might want to test it out. Have you considered using our liquid starch slime recipe. The liquid starch is in place of the borax/water mixture and comes in a container {laundry detergent aisle}. Might help with time aspect and I find it’s a nicer slime overall.
Also looking to do this for a class activity! How many “Servings” would you say it makes?
Disappointed, not stretchy. More gelatnous. Time to find another recipe…
I would definitely try the saline slime or the liquid starch slime over the borax slime. It’s not my favorite recipe but it is the classic way to make slime. Our new gold and silver slime made partially with dollar store glue was awesome and stretchy.
Does it work only on Elmer’s glue or can we use other glue too?? Like will we get the same results??
I have heard people say that sometimes dollar store glue or Target up and up brand glue will work sometimes. I can’t guarantee the same results though. I have tried the dollar store glue a couple times and have both failed and made OK slime.
Just tried this recipe, measured everything exactly. My slime turned out very stiff and “breaks” easily. Mine was not at all soft or stretchy like your pictures. Not much fun to play with. I used Elmer’s clear glue and Borax. Trying to figure out what happened. Ideas?
Hi! I’m sorry to hear that! You might try increasing the water by 1/4 cup next time. Also don’t let the slime sit in the unused liquid at all, get it to a clean dry container. I also would love to know about the effects climate/altitude have on the slime making process.
The clear glue in general is stiffer and letting the slime warm up in your hands for a bit really helps too. You also might try letting it rest over night and seeing if that helps. In general, borax isn’t my favorite recipe because it seems to be a little more challenging to get the right consistency if you aren’t making it all the time.
I love it
About 5 condiment size containers per slime recipe