I’ve Been Using DIY Slime to Clean My Kitchen — And Chore Time Has Never Been More Fun
A few weeks ago, I came across a fun recipe for DIY cleaning gel on TikTok. I made a mental note to grab supplies the next time I ran to the store. Supposedly, mixing glitter glue, baking soda, and a capful of Pine-Sol creates a sticky gel that’s perfect for picking up crumbs, dust, and other pesky debris in hard-to-reach places — and believe me, I could use a tool like that. The idea is that you can use the stuff to clean your car’s cup holder, console, kitchen crevices, and more. I’ve seen the ColorCoral dust cleaner and thought it’d be more fun to make my own and then live that crumb-free life.
First, I gathered my supplies, and then I grabbed my 5-year-old, who’s always down for an exciting science experiment. The recipe didn’t exactly come together. (Imagine grabbing a bowl full of, well, glue!) But then I remembered that Kitchn had published a slime recipe with everyday ingredients. It’s meant for children to play with, but I wondered if the three-ingredient mix could be used for cleaning, so I tried it. The recipe calls for two bottles of glue and baking soda, but instead of Pine-Sol, it uses contact solution, which was exactly the magic ingredient I needed.
Read more: How To Make 3-Ingredient Slime Without Borax
The slime is super easy to make: I poured two 4-ounce bottles of plain white glue in a bowl, followed by a teaspoon of baking soda, and a few drops of blue food coloring (because what fun is slime that’s not colored?). I left out the glitter because I didn’t have any on hand, and I also thought it might not be conducive to cleaning. Lastly, I added two tablespoons of contact solution, and the mixture immediately started to get stringy and more pliable. It actually felt like something I would be able to clean with!
After mixing a bit with a fork, I grabbed the gel with my hands and balled it up. It was the perfect texture for picking up tiny crumbs in my bamboo utensil organizer — with zero effort!
Normally, to clean it, I’d have to take everything out and shake the organizer out or use a tiny vacuum. But my new “cleaning gel” was way more convenient. This particular recipe makes a huge ball, so I pulled off a section and, sure enough, it picked up the crumbs in one touch.
Next up: My van, which hasn’t been cleaned in, um, months. Again, I broke off a chunk of my cleaning gel, then formed it to the shape of my cup holders. It totally worked! I especially loved using it on my dusty console — way more fun than bringing all-purpose spray and a microfiber cloth out there.
I continued to pick up a few more crumbs here and there in the kitchen — wherever it needed a little spot clean. But I didn’t know what to do with the debris once it became lodged in the slime, so I mixed it in. That’s the thing: There’s no way to clean the cleaning gel, once you’ve used it. After enough cleaning sessions, the gel becomes totally spent, so I had to throw it away. Still, I will definitely be making another batch for future cleaning. And I’ll probably make some extra for my 5-year-old to play with after chores are done!
Have you ever used or made your own cleaning gel? Tell us your experience in the comments below.