r/sciences • u/TheMuseumOfScience • 11d ago

Resources DIY Slime to Clean Your Car

Did you know slime can be a helpful cleaning tool? 🫟

Greg Wolf tweaks the classic glue and borax recipe to make slime tacky enough to grab dirt but clean enough to pull away. The chemistry: borate ions cross-link glue's long polymer chains, turning runny glue into slime. Less activator makes it stretchy like the toy, while just enough makes it a surprisingly satisfying debris grabber.

253 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

15 comments sorted by

5

u/gligster71 11d ago

How do you clean it?

16

u/Crying_Reaper 11d ago

You don't. It is cheap enough to toss and make more as needed. I just put together a list on Amazon and it is around $24 for a gallon of white glue and 65oz of Borax. Water can come from a tap or garden hose.

4

u/crecentfresh 11d ago

Is it biodegradable?

11

u/Crying_Reaper 11d ago

As far as I am aware most types of regular white glue like Elmer's is yes. It is such a cheaply made adhesive that it lacks the stuff in higher quality adhesives that last longer. Regular school/craft white or clear glue is water soluble so it desolves quickly too. It won't degrade in a backyard compost pile but in a landfill it will eventually break down.

3

u/brunogadaleta 11d ago

I'm doing a five litters bucket on sunday.

2

u/Razzeus 11d ago

Am I missing the obvious here? What kind of glue?

1

u/Miffedy 11d ago

PVA, I believe

2

u/tendingthemild 8d ago

What is PVA glue?

Edit: answered my own question: polyvinyl acetate!

3

u/Ok-Lingonberry1515 10d ago

Or you could use a wet rag

1

u/Magski 11d ago

With the slime...

1

u/HolieMacaroni 11d ago

This is really cool cleaning slime process. I am going to try this when i get home.

1

u/Turbulent-Repair-489 11d ago

You can also make it with contact lens solution. From Family Handyman magazine ( which is no longer an actual magazine, now digital only!):

https://www.familyhandyman.com/project/car-cleaning-gel/

1

u/Earthwarm_Revolt 10d ago

Whats the recipi ratio? my video player stops half way through the video. 

1

u/ReasonableObjection 10d ago

Cross post this to the auto detailing sub and grab some popcorn!

1

u/MammothRock7836 9d ago

Borax? Like the substance i have to declare to my government when I buy it cause its cancerous, if i get to buy it since trading with it was prohibited for end consumers?! ah yeah, cleaning goo, sure i got some borax spare lying around. xD