There are many ways to make slime, but a lot of slime recipes, including laundry starch slime, Borax slime, and slime made with contact solution, all contain Boron, which is a mineral that can be irritating to the skin, throat, and lungs if a person is exposed to it on a regular basis.
If your kids love making and playing with slime a lot, it is helpful to have some Borax-free slime recipes for them to try instead. Naturally, most Borax-free slime recipes aren’t quite as stretchy as the original, but this dish soap slime is one of the stretchiest, fluffiest non-Borax slime recipes we’ve found to date. And we’ve made a LOT of slime at our house.
An issue that many families seem to have with fluffy slime is that the combination of the laundry starch or Borax and the shaving cream can make little hands itchy and red. This combination of ingredients can cause more irritation than regular slime. However, this version, using baking soda and dish soap, leaves hands feeling soft and is non-irritating to all but the most sensitive skin.
What you’ll need to make dish soap slime:
Mix 1/2 a cup of Elmer’s glue with about a tablespoon of dish soap. Add 2-3 tablespoons of water and stir. The mixture will start to foam, at which point you can add in your favorite color of food coloring.
Add one cup of baking soda to the mixture and stir. The baking soda and glue will start to react, creating a stretchy slime that is slightly heavier in texture than regular slime. How much baking soda you end up adding will depend on the humidity of the room you are currently in, but you will want to keep adding baking soda until you can handle the slime without it sticking to your fingers.
The slime won’t be quite as stretchy as borax-based slimes, but it will stretch and pull to some extent. If you add too much baking soda, however, you will transform the slime into a play dough, which although fun to play with, doesn’t quite have the same effect.
If you do end up putting too much baking soda in, you can add a little more dish soap to thin it out again.
Kids will love this fluffy version of slime. My kids loved puffing it up into a ball, then pressing their hands into it. They also had a blast stretching and pulling the slime like they do with traditional borax-based slime.
I really liked this version of slime, because once the kids were done with it, their hands were so smooth and smelled amazing!
If you make this slime, be sure to share your results with us!
Tips & FAQ:
Store your fluffy borax-free slime in an airtight container or plastic bag. It should last for 3-4 days. Because it’s not preserved with borax, it is likely to get sticky and runny after a few days.
This slime won’t have the same texture as traditional slime. In most slime recipes, the borax helps the ingredients bond, giving it a stretchy texture. This version is more like a stretchy, soft play dough, which will have some of the same sensory benefits as traditional slime but won’t act like “true” slime due to the absence of borax. It is a wonderful alternative for kids with sensitive skin to provide the sensory input without skin irritation.
Make sure when you mix the glue dish soap that it creates a foamy, airy texture. This is what will make the slime work. Some brands of dish soap work better than others. We used Gain and it worked great, but Dawn dish soap should also work.
If your slime is too runny: Add more baking soda until it thickens. Depending on the humidity in your room and how liquid your dish soap is, you may need to double or even triple the amount of baking soda.
If your slime is too solid: Add a bit more dish soap until it has a pliable texture.
This did not work AT ALL!
This took almost my whole 2 kg bix of baking soda and far to long to mix, try sticking to borax next time
My kid is enjoying mashing this around in the bowl, but it’s definitely not slime or even particulary thick. I’ve put in well over 1 cup of baking soda. Feeling disappointed. I wonder if it’s because the only glue we have is the washable kind?
That’s disappointing, Larissa. The washable kind of glue should be fine. What brand of soap did you use? We added some notes/tips at the end of the post to help.
This was fun. It I would not call it “slime”. The kids had fun making it and playing with it! I also needed way more baking soda but it turned out well. How do you store this? Thanks!
Hi Jessica, you can store it in an airtight container. It should last 3-4 days – after that, it may get sticky or runny becaues it’s not preserved with borax. I’m glad your kids had fun!
It did not work! Almost a whole box of baking soda is needed! There texture is very soft. Will try to store it and see what happens after it sits for awhile.
Bummer! I’m sorry Diane. What kind of soap did you use? We added some notes at the end of the post to help answer some of these questions.
How long can I expect this slime to last?
It should last 3-4 days – after that, it may get sticky or runny because it’s not preserved with borax.
How to store it and for how long it will last? I have the same questions as others here have.
We recommend storing in an air tight container or ziploc bag. It should last 3-4 days – after that, it may get sticky or runny because it’s not preserved with borax.
The probable reason for Slime failure is the lack of anionic surficants in the soap. Look for “laurel or Laureth Sulfates, Sulfonates, or Esters in ingredients in soaps
Thank you, Robin. This is very helpful!
Can you replace baking soda with saline solution?
Or will that not be good for your hands?
This is a great way to make slime!!!
In a container in a fridge your in a bag
To be honest this didn’t work at all for me, and I used the same dish soap as the one in the pictures
I’m sorry, Ana. That’s disappointing for you and your kids. Did you follow the tips about the humidity, etc.?
Can saving foam use for making slime? and How to store it and for how long it will last?
I love to know about this answer from you. Also, I’m making slime with dish soap.
I did this with my kids, and it worked! jus had to tweak the recipe a bit..the first time goin by recipe, and using Palmolive it was sticky slime… then I added more baking soda and it was perfect.. the kids had fun. I was also told to add shaving cream to it or even laundry detergent rather than dish soap.. IT IS SCIENCE.. nothing like a little chemistry to make or miss……
This worked ok… I had limited ingredients, so I don’t think I added enough glue. I added baking soda until it wasn’t sticky but by then it was a dough. I tried adding some more dish soap and it did thin out, but it also made It to sticky again.