Slime may be a hobby for others, but for our family, it’s a passion. We’ve tried over 100 slime recipes, and we’ve tried just about every variation there is, from classic borax slime to baking soda slime.

Along the way, we’ve found the tricks and tips that will work to make sure your slime comes out right every time you make it. I’ve made a free printable slime troubleshooting guide for you so that you’ll never have a slime fail again!

Does your slime always flop? Use this slime troubleshooting guide to help you make the perfect slime recipe every time and become a slime expert!

Follow along with these tips and tricks and don’t forget to download your slime troubleshooting guide that also contains our favorite slime recipe to take with you the next time you want to make slime.

We use our slime for sensory play, science projects, STEM activities, as a learning tool, and it also makes fun party favors and inexpensive gifts!

SLIME TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE: MAKE PERFECT SLIME EVERY TIME!

So, you want to make slime. So you get some glue, and you get some borax or laundry starch, you mix it up, and bam!

A gloppy mess.

What’s a person to do?

Follow along with this handy slime troubleshooting guide and you’ll never have a slime fail again.

Why You Should Make Slime

Slime has fascinated individuals for an entire generation. Today’s slime is a bit less messy than the old slime you would see on TV, but there hasn’t been a year since 1990 that slime hasn’t been popular with the kiddos.

We make slime regularly as a sensory experience for our kiddos, and also as a science lesson. Slime is a great example of polymer bonds, and almost acts as a non-Newtonian fluid with some recipes.

We like to use slime to test the scientific process, to learn about chemical bonds, and to have fun with something squishy.

Why is My Slime Not Working?

Slime can be a tricky beast before you get the hang of it. But slime usually fails for one of three reasons:

You used the wrong ingredients. We have the best luck with Elmer’s glue and Sta-flo laundry starch.
You didn’t follow the recipe. Ratios are incredibly important for slime. We usually use a 1-1-1 ratio with water, starch, and glue.
Your ingredients failed. Sometimes, a batch of glue or starch won’t be mixed right, and that can cause slime to fail.

How to Fix Slime

Here’s what to do if your slime recipes don’t seem to be working!

How to Fix Watery Slime

You probably used the wrong kind of glue or didn’t put in enough starch or borax. Add more and keep mixing.

How to Fix Fluffy Slime

You may have put in too much starch or borax. You might be able to fix this by adding more glue or water, but this is the hardest problem to fix, and you might have to throw the slime out.

How to Fix Stringy Slime

You may not have kneaded the slime enough. I’ve found that letting it rest for about 2 minutes then kneading again helps fix any stringy problems.

How to Fix Slime with too Much Borax

If your slime has too much borax, it will be brittle. The best thing to do is to add a bit more water and glue. Add just a bit at a time and let it sit with the borax slime for a few minutes.

Then, knead the slime to mix it carefully.

You can also add lotion to slime to make it less crumbly.

How to Fix Slime with too Much Shaving Cream

If you’ve put in too much shaving cream, that’s easy to fix! Simply run the slime under cold water for a few seconds to get rid of the extra shaving cream.

Then let the slime rest for 5 minutes and it should be ready to go.

How to Make Perfect Slime

We’ve made slime so many times, we’re slime experts, but you can be as well when you follow along with our handy guides. You’ll find tons of slime recipes and guides to follow to supply you with enough slime projects to last through this year and as long as you want!

Make sure to follow the tips and tricks in this guide to ensure your slime comes out right. You don’t want to waste ingredients!

Nothing is worse than realizing you mixed a recipe wrong or forgot an important ingredient. Always read your list and check it twice just like Santa would.

Scroll down to the bottom of the page to get your slime troubleshooting guide and to learn more about making slime properly. Soon, you’ll be a slime expert!