How To Make Cloud Slime

You might have heard of cloud slime on the grapevine, and if you are fortunate enough to have seen it in action, then you will know what a strange, entertaining substance it can be.

Branded, prepackaged cloud slime is a popular children’s toy, but with the cost of living increasing, and prices skyrocketing everywhere, is there any way to create your own cheaper cloud slime at home?

Table of Contents

What Is Cloud Slime?

In simplistic terms, cloud slime is a unique type of slime that has a somewhat fluffy texture (see also ‘How to Make Play-Doh Slime‘).

This means that it behaves differently to regular slime-style toys, holding a more rigid form once molded – thanks to its lightweight and slightly more solid components.

How To Make Cloud Slime At Home

While the product itself is a more complex combination of chemical elements, homemade cloud slime couldn’t be simpler to produce – and can be done safely with just a few non-toxic household products.

Ingredients

To make your own homemade cloud slime, you will need a few simple ingredients. This include:

School glue
Liquid starch
Instant snow
Shaving foam

Making Basic Cloud Slime

To make the basic cloud slime, there are a few simple steps that need to be followed.

Step One

First, take the school glue. These generally come in 120ml (4 ounces) bottles, and for this recipe you will need to take a bowl and pour half of the bottle of glue into it.

Most slime recipes tell you to add water at this point, but for this recipe it is not required.

Be sure to use white school glue instead of clear, as this will create a more visually attractive appearance.

You can also add a couple of drops of a food coloring of your choice if you want some cloud slime with a vibrant color scheme.

Step Two

Next you need to get your liquid starch. These generally come in 59ml bottles, and for the purpose of this recipe you need to add ¼ of the bottle into the bowl with the glue.

The starch is the activating ingredient that will help the glue develop the slime-like state that you are aiming for.

There are other activating ingredients you can use, including borax water and saline solution. Both of these are fairly cheap and easy to come by in your local grocery store.

For borax water, you will need to mix ¼ teaspoon of borax powder into ½ cup of warm water.

Alternatively, for saline solution, you will need to make sure that it contains boric acid, sodium borate, and that the glue has ¼ teaspoon of baking soda mixed in with it beforehand.

Step Three

Stir your activating ingredient into the slime, and be sure to add more if the substance feels too sticky for use. On the flip side, if the slime feels too watery and oozing, then you will need to add more starch.

It is important to remember not to add more than ¼ cup of liquid starch, as this will turn the slime rubbery and hard.

Likewise, if the slime feels too stringy, then give it 3-5 minutes, allowing the ingredients to do their thing and to bond more strongly.

Step Four

Next it is time to add the instant snow. This does not mean the aerosol kind, this means the powder/crystals kind.

These can be found around the Christmas period in craft stores, although depending on where you live you may be able to find them year round.

Prepare ½ cup of the instant snow, being sure to follow the instructions.

If you cannot find any instant snow, or if you are simply preparing it in another time of the year when it is not available, you can also crush up styrofoam into individual beads, and these can then be added instead.

If you are really desperate – and happen to have young children – you could pour some water onto a diaper, wait for it to swell to its maximum size, and then slice it open for the absorbent substance inside.

Step Five

Now it’s time to knead the snow into the slime mixture. You can do this like you would with dough, starting with a little of the snow at first, and then adding more as the substances combine.

Remember, the more snow you add to the mixture, the more firm the final product will be.

If you have done this, and your slime still feels too gooey for use, then you can add a little more liquid starch to thicken it up some more.

If you have any leftover snow, then don’t simply throw it away. This can be reused, but just make sure you allow it to dry out before adding it back into the can and sealing it tightly.

Step Six

The best way to ensure longevity from your homemade cloud slime is to store it correctly when not in use. This means finding a plastic tub that you can seal tightly – such as tupperware or similar products.