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Really, really cheap homemade bubbles

My girls are big bubble-blowing fans.

And normally, we have a pretty decent stash of clearance-purchased bubbles around here. But the other day when they wanted to blow bubbles, we discovered we were running a bit low.

So, I did a little googling, and found that to make homemade bubbles, most people recommend getting some glycerin to mix in with the soap and water.

But I had no glycerin.

Fortunately, I came across one recipe that didn’t call for glycerin, so I gave it a whirl.

All you need is a cup of water and two tablespoons of dish soap (I used dish soap from Aldi, since that’s what I had on hand.)

Fill the measuring cup with water first, and then gently add the dish soap, stirring gently so that you don’t make piles of suds.

The recipe said that these work best if you let them sit for 24 hours, but of course, we wanted to use them right away.

The verdict: They work surprisingly well, even without a waiting period!

I’d say they’re maybe a little less stretchy and durable than commercial bubbles (the glycerin would fix that), but the girls had no trouble blowing bubbles with them, using a wand or a straw.

Now, if you stick a straw into the bubbles and blow for a while, as Sonia did, you will have some sudsing problems. 😉

I probably still will poke around online to see if I can order some glycerin, but I’m pleased to know I can so easily make bubbles even without the glycerin.

This is especially wonderful news if any of your children are still in the bubble-spilling stage. If they spill these bubbles, it’s no problem to just mix up more.

(the suds are from Sonia blowing through the straw. As long as you don’t do that, suds aren’t an issue!)

Now, if only I’d figured this out and posted it in peak bubble-blowing season.

Ah well. I’ll remind you guys about it when spring rolls around!
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Do you have any tips for making homemade bubbles? And do you know of a great online place to buy glycerin?

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Joshua’s 365 post: Fallen

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Maiya

Tuesday 3rd of March 2015

you could always get them at a local grocery store (the vegetable glycerin) of you could go to a drug store and there's another glycerin to help with moistureization.

Heather Moore

Monday 6th of January 2014

I had heard if you blow bubbles in below freezing temps, the bubbles become "ice." I didn't have any Bubbles, (no kids) so I searched homemade Bubbles. Your link came up, and it worked! So, post season or not, still very valid! If you happen to be affected by the Jan 5-6 winter storm with sub-zero temps as I am in NE Indiana, try this! It's so cool!

Rose Dunnigan

Thursday 29th of August 2013

Buy glycerine at any drug store

MikeRosera

Wednesday 5th of June 2013

Yes, high quality glycerin can be purchased at www.cheapglycerin.com the site currently shows 55gallon drums, but call/email customer service fir packaging sizes as small as 1 gallon.

Linda

Thursday 4th of April 2013

I heard instead of Glycerin you could use light Karo syrup!? Didn't try it yet but cost might be better...worth a try anyway!

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