Homemade slime is SO MUCH FUN. All three of my kids love it. All of their friends love it. And all of their cousins LOVE IT. And who can blame them!? Making slime is a fun little science experiment you can easily try at home. It’s super simple and sooooo much fun to play with when you’re done!
When you’re making glue-based slime, you need an activator. Your options are borax, liquid starch (which is impossible to find in Canada!), store bought slime “activator” (which seems highly over priced), saline drops or contact lens solution. Yes! Contact lens solution!
Contact lens solution makes really awesome slime. And it’s way easier than using Borax. I was at the pharmacy yesterday looking for contact lens solution and I saw options that were $4, $10 and $15… so depending on how much slime you want to make, there are plenty of affordable options!
My kids were sooooo excited to play with this slime! My 7 year old waited so patiently beside the table where we shoot our videos while we made it! So hers is the little hand you see in the photos. She LOVES slime!
Follow our step by step tutorial below for how to make slime without borax. Learn how to make perfect slime, every single time!
Check out our video for How to Make Slime Without Borax:
Want to make even more slime? Here are a few of our favourite slime recipes:
Classic Homemade Slime (With Borax)
DIY Floam Using Styrofoam Cups
How to Make Slime Without Borax
The full printable list of instructions is at the end of this post, but here’s a list of affiliate links to Amazon products showing what you’ll need:
This recipe is so simple and everything is really easy to find in stores!
Start by adding the white glue to a bowl, then sprinkle the baking soda on top. Mix with a spoon to combine.
Then add the water and food colouring.
Food colouring is completely optional… but without it, you’ll have white slime.
Just a little heads up – the food colouring made my hands just a little bit blue after kneading and stretching the slime you see in the photos. A couple of hand washes later, and my hands were back to normal. But it’s something to keep in mind if you’re making this with kids.
Mix the glue, baking soda, water and food colouring together until everything is combined and the colour and texture is consistent. (So make sure there’s no globs of white hidden on the edges of the bowl.)
Then you can pour in your contact lens solution.
I added 2 Tablespoons of contact lens solution to the glue mixture, then I stirred it with a spoon.
I kept stirring until it had a good slime consistency and it stopped sticking to the sides of the bowl.
If it gets too hard to mix with a spoon, use your hands to knead the mixture.
The slime will probably stick to your hands at this point. (If it doesn’t, then you’re done!) To make it less sticky, add a little bit more contact lens solution and knead it into the slime.
Keep adding small amounts of contact lens solution, kneading it into the slime, until you’re happy with the consistency and/or it stops sticking to your hands.
When this slime was done it was really stretchy AND it didn’t stick to my hands at all.
It’s soft and squishy and probably the best slime we’ve ever made!
What Kind of Contact Lens Solution is Best for Slime?
Make sure your contact lens solution has Boric Acid. Without Boric Acid, the slime won’t… well… it won’t turn into slime! There were lots of options on the pharmacy shelves. Check the ingredient list, and make sure Boric Acid is listed as one of the ingredients.
There are different brands you can choose, but I recommend using Renu Fresh contact lens solution by Bausch + Lomb. In the USA, this contact lens solution is called Renu Advanced Formula by Bausch + Lomb. Different brands have different amounts of Boric Acid, so if you’re using a different one, you might have to adjust the amount of contact lens solution needed to activate the slime.
What Kind of Glue is Best for Slime?
I recommend using Elmer’s School Glue. Every glue is slightly different and you may not get the exact same results with different brands. In fact, some generic brands won’t work at all!
Amazon Basics School Glue will also work, but I haven’t tried this exact recipe with it yet. You can definitely make great slime with it, but since it’s a slightly different glue, you might need to adjust the amount of water and activator you add to your slime.
Why Use Contact Lens Solution Instead of Borax?
The only reason to use contact lens solution instead of borax is that it’s easier to work with and more readily available. Laundry starch isn’t available in Canada, and Borax tends to be tricky to find here. Contact lens solution is really convenient and makes really awesome slime!
Is Contact Lens Solution Safer Than Borax?
No, sadly contact lens solution is not safer than borax. Anyone who says it’s safer hasn’t done their research. The main ingredient you need to make any glue-based slime magic happen is Boric Acid. Any guesses what that is? Borax! Borax is simply another name for Boric Acid – which is the main ingredient you need in your contact lens solution.
Sadly, I don’t know of any homemade glue-based slime recipes that don’t contain questionable ingredients. I personally still allow my kids to play with homemade slime. We don’t make it often enough for me to be worried. But it’s something you’ll have to make your own decision about.
Always make slime at your own risk. If you’re concerned about skin irritation or other effects, your child can wear rubber gloves. Always make sure your kids wash their hands thoroughly after making and playing with slime.
If you’re looking for a safe slime recipe without questionable ingredients, check out or tutorial for How To Make Metamucil Slime.
How Long Does This Slime Last?
This slime will last about 5 days if it’s stored in an airtight container. When it starts to dry out it eventually gets more rubbery and difficult to work with.
Store the airtight container of slime in the refrigerator to make it last even longer!
Troubleshooting Your Slime:
- If the slime sticks to your hands, add more contact lens solution and knead it into the slime.
- Is your slime super stiff? You probably added too much activator. Keep adding small amounts of warm water to the slime and kneading it into the slime until it gets to a good slime consistency.
- Does your slime look like thick, clumpy soup? You might have to try again. Not all glue is the same. We recommend Elmer’s School Glue, and can’t guarantee that other brands will work for slime. Also, make sure you read the contact lens solution ingredients to make sure it contains Boric Acid. Without Boric Acid, it won’t turn into slime.
- It’s also important that you add the contact lens solution AFTER you’ve mixed together all the other ingredients. If you add the activator before mixing together the other ingredients the mixture turns into a clumpy mess.
How to Make Slime Without Borax
Materials
- 1/2 cup Elmer's White School Glue (4 ounces)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/3 cup water
- 10 drops liquid food colouring (optional)
- 2-3 Tablespoons contact lens solution (Renu Fresh or Renu Advanced Formula)
Instructions
- Add the white glue to a bowl, then sprinkle the baking soda on top. Mix with a spoon to combine.
- Add the water and food colouring (about 10 drops). Mix until it's completely combined and the colour is consistent. Make sure you scrape the edges of the bowl with the spoon as you stir to get all the glue mixed in.
- Add 2 Tablespoons of contact lens solution to the glue mixture, and stir until you have a good slime consistency and it stops sticking to the sides of the bowl.
- Keep adding small amounts of contact lens solution, kneading it into the slime, until you're happy with the consistency and/or it stops sticking to your hands.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Notes
This slime recipe without borax is SO AWESOME. This recipe makes perfect slime every single time! It’s soft, super stretchy, and with only 4 ingredients, it’s really easy to make! This is such a great slime recipe and a super fun kids activity!
More of Our Favourite Slime Recipes:
Classic Homemade Slime (With Borax)
DIY Floam Using Styrofoam Cups
Source : onelittleproject.com
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