4 Best Ways to Make Slime Less Sticky (With or without an Activator)

You whipped up some beautiful slime, but there’s one problem: it’s sticking to everything. Sticky slime is no fun, but luckily it’s an easy fix. We’ve got the best, easiest ways to make slime less sticky using things you’ve probably already got at home. Plus, we’ve included some easy slime recipes you can try that will give you stretchy, non-sticky slime every time. Let’s get mixing!

Things You Should Know

Add ½ teaspoon (2 g) of baking soda to slime to make it less sticky.
Alternatively, mix in 1 teaspoon (5 mL) of contact solution.
Adding 1 teaspoon (5 mL) of baby oil can also reduce stickiness.
Try kneading the slime more with your hands. Sometimes extra kneading is enough to make slime less sticky.

Ingredients

Fixing Sticky Slime

½ teaspoon (2 g) of baking soda
1 teaspoon (5 mL) of contact solution
1 teaspoon (5 mL) of baby oil

Shaving Cream Slime

8 tablespoons (120 mL) of white school glue
2-3 drops of food coloring (optional)
1 ½ cups (360 g) of shaving cream
2 ½ tablespoons (37 ½ mL) of contact solution

Detergent & Baking Soda Slime

8 tablespoons (120 mL) of white school glue
2 ½ tablespoons (37 ½ mL) of liquid laundry detergent
1 teaspoon (4 g) of baking soda
1 tablespoon (15 mL) of water

Baking Soda & Contact Solution Slime

8 tablespoons (120 mL) of white school glue
½ tablespoon (6 g) of baking soda
2-3 drops of food coloring (optional)
1 tablespoon (15 mL) of contact solution

Sand Slime

10 tablespoons (150 mL) of clear school glue
1 teaspoon (4 g) of baking soda
2 tablespoons (47 g) of colored craft sand
1 tablespoon (15 mL) of contact saline solution

Method 1

Method 1 of 5:

Fixing Sticky Slime

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1
Add ½ teaspoon (2 g) of baking soda. Sprinkle the baking soda over your slime and use your hands to knead it in until it’s not sticky anymore. If it still feels sticky, add ⅛ teaspoon (½ g) more and keep kneading.
- Careful not to add too much baking soda or it will make your slime less stretchy! Knead the slime thoroughly before adding more.
2
Alternatively, add 1 teaspoon (5 mL) of contact solution. Pour the contact solution over your slime, then work it in with your hands until the slime doesn’t feel sticky anymore. If that doesn’t cut it, add another ¼ teaspoon (1 ¼ mL) of contact solution.^{[1]
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- Add contact solution just a little bit at a time. Too much will make your slime rubbery.
- If your slime recipe used liquid starch as an activator instead of contact solution try adding more liquid starch instead.
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3
Try adding 1 teaspoon (5 mL) of baby oil. Baby oil is a common ingredient in shiny slime recipes, and it can also make your slime less sticky. Knead the baby oil into your slime until it’s all mixed in and the slime doesn’t feel sticky anymore.^{[2]
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- Don’t add more than 1 teaspoon (5 mL) of baby oil or your slime may become goopy and lose its stretchiness (and nobody wants that!).
If you don’t want to add anything else to your slime, keep kneading it. It helps the ingredients combine better and carry out their chemical reactions, meaning less stickiness. Press the slime with your hands and fingers, stretch it out, form it back into a ball, and press it out again. Continue doing this until your slime feels less sticky.^{[3]
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Tip: To keep slime from sticking to your hands when you knead it, apply a thick layer of hand lotion or coat your hands with a little oil, such as baby oil.

Method 2

Method 2 of 5:

Shaving Cream Slime

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Plain white school glue works best with this recipe. Don’t use clear or glittered school glue.^{[4]
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You don't have to do this, but it will make your slime more beautiful! If you skip the food coloring, your slime will come out white (white slime’s cool, too). Stir in the food coloring until there are no streaks.^{[5]
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Tip: Keep in mind that your slime will come out pastel-colored no matter how much food coloring you use.
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Add 1 ½ cups (360 g) of shaving cream. The amount doesn’t have to be exact. Make sure you’re using the basic, foaming kind of shaving cream and not the gel kind.^{[6]
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- White shaving cream is best because it won't change the color of your slime.
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Stir everything together until the ingredients are fully combined. Use a spoon or rubber spatula. As you stir, scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl so that everything gets mixed in. As the ingredients come together, you’ll end up with fluffy slime.^{[7]
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- The slime may be sticky at this point. Don't worry, you still have 1 more ingredient to add!
5
Add 2 ½ tablespoons (37 ½ mL) of contact solution. Slowly pour the contact solution into the slime while stirring. Keep stirring until the slime starts to leave the sides of the bowl. You might not actually need all of the contact solution.^{[8]
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- Use contact solution that contains boric acid. Fortunately, most contact solutions contain this ingredient!
6
Knead the slime until it’s not sticky. Pick the slime up with your hands (it will be a little sticky at this point—that’s normal!) and knead it by stretching it out, then squishing it back together. Keep doing this for a few minutes until the slime isn’t sticky.^{[9]
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- If your slime is still sticky, add ¼ teaspoon (1 ¼ mL) more of contact solution and knead it again.
Store your slime in an airtight container when you're not using it. This slime will last for about 1-2 days. After that, it will dry out.^{[10]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 5:

Detergent & Baking Soda Slime

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Avoid using clear school glue for this slime since it won’t work the same.^{[11]
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Stir in ½ teaspoon (2.5 mL) of laundry detergent at a time until slime forms. You’ll know you’ve added enough detergent when the glue starts to clump together and leave the sides of the bowl. How much you’ll need depends on the brand you’re using, but it will likely be about 7 ½ teaspoons (37 mL).^{[12]
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- Choose a laundry detergent with a color and smell that you like. Your slime will end up having a similar color and smell!
Tip: If your laundry detergent is clear and you want colorful slime, add 2-3 drops of food coloring to the mixture.
No need to be precise here. You just want a solution that looks like cloudy water. If the solution is so thick that your spoon leaves streaks in it, add more water.^{[13]
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4
Add 1 teaspoon (5 mL) of the baking soda solution to the slime at a time. Stir the slime, then add more baking soda solution until the slime is no longer sticky. You might end up not using all of the baking soda solution.^{[14]
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- If you run out of baking soda solution and still need some, go ahead and make more.
Take the slime out of the bowl, stretch it out, then squish it back together. Do this a few times. As you continue to knead the slime, you'll notice it becoming less and less sticky.
Your slime should last 2-3 days before starting to dry out. Play with it while you can, then make more!

Method 4

Method 4 of 5:

Baking Soda & Contact Solution Slime

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Make sure you use white glue and not clear glue for this slime. Clear glue won’t work!^{[15]
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Use a spoon or rubber spatula to stir it into the glue. You might notice the glue starting to thicken, which is normal.^{[16]
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While food coloring isn’t a must, it will make your slime more vibrant and colorful. Without any food coloring, your slime will be white.^{[17]
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Stir in 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of contact solution. The contact solution will cause the rest of the ingredients to come together and form a slime. Keep stirring until the ingredients leave the sides of the bowl.^{[18]
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- Make sure you use contact solution containing boric acid. Most contact solutions do.^{[19]
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Pull it apart with your hands, then clump it back together. Do this for a few minutes until it doesn’t feel sticky anymore. At that point, your slime is complete!^{[20]
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If your slime feels too sticky even after you knead it, add ¼ tablespoon (3 ¾ mL) more contact solution and then keep kneading.^{[21]
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Your slime will last 2-3 days, so enjoy it while you can!

Tip: Use a plastic container with a tight-fitting lid or a resealable plastic bag to store your slime.

Method 5

Method 5 of 5:

Sand Slime

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For this recipe, make sure you’re using clear school glue and not white glue. White glue won’t work with the other ingredients!^{[22]
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Stir with a spoon or rubber spatula until the baking soda and glue are completely mixed together.^{[23]
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Add 2 tablespoons (47 g) of colored craft sand. Colored aquarium sand works too! Stir everything together until the sand is evenly mixed in.^{[24]
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Stir 1 tablespoon (15 mL) of contact solution into the slime. Keep stirring until the slime leaves the sides of the bowl.^{[25]
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- You’ll need contact solution that contains boric acid, an ingredient that’s found in most types of contact solution.^{[26]
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Pull the slime between your fingers and then squish it back together. Do this a few more times until the slime feels less sticky. If it still feels sticky, add ½ tablespoon (7 ½ mL) more of contact solution, and knead again.^{[27]
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Repeat the steps above for each color you want to make. Then, squish them together into a big blob. The colors will create a streaked, galaxy-like effect.^{[28]
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Your slime will eventually dry out and harden. To help it last longer, store it in a sealed container when you’re not playing with it.

Ready to make another batch of slime? Try mixing up a batch of clear slime, glossy slime, or butter slime next!

Community Q&A

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Question

How do I fix slime if I don’t have baking soda or activator?

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Staff Answer
This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

wikiHow Staff Editor

Staff Answer

Try kneading the slime some more. Sometimes kneading the slime longer is enough to make it less sticky!

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How can I make slime without contact solution or borax?

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Detergent works well, preferably Tide or Gain. You could also use liquid starch.

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What should I do if I don't have any glue to make slime?

Community Answer

There's a lot of other things you can use. For example, clay + lotion makes perfect butter slime. Or you can use a face mask and activator.

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Tips

Unfortunately, baking powder won’t work in place of baking soda. Although the names are similar, they’re different products.

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Tips from our Readers

The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

When kneading sticky slime, it helps to use quicker, sharper movements to avoid getting the slime stuck on your hands.
Add the baking soda last. Easier to mix everything together first then harden it up with baking soda.

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