Slime Without Borax: An Educational Toy Good for Kids?

Q: What is Borax in Slime

Borax is a naturally occurring inorganic compound also known as sodium tetraborate (Na2B4O7·10H2O). This ingredient frequently appears in various household detergents.

As a toy for children, we undoubtedly think about whether it is safe. Slime is a sensory and educational toy. It has developed many interesting products, such as Glow in the Dark Slime.

As people became more ingredient-conscious, many customers started asking us about slime without borax. So, is borax-free slime safe and good for children?

What is Borax in Slime

Slime has become a popular toy for kids thanks to some interesting videos. According to the public recipe, we know that the main ingredients of slime are:

Glue (polyvinyl alcohol/PVA)
Borax (sodium tetraborate)
Water
Food coloring

Borax^[3] is a naturally occurring inorganic compound also known as sodium tetraborate (Na2B4O7·10H2O). This ingredient frequently appears in various household detergents. So, what prompts its inclusion in slime?

What is borax used for

Slime is a non-Newtonian fluid toy. When you hold slime in your hands, it will flow from your fingers like water, but it will not break like water. This magical phenomenon comes from the three-dimensional network structure in slime. It helps to reduce stress and prevents breakage.

This is one of the important functions of borax in slime: as a cross-linking agent. When making slime toys, the added borax mixes with the polymer particles to form a three-dimensional network structure.

When there’s too much or too little borax, it affects the thickness of slime since it causes cross-linking reactions. So, another function of borax is to control the thickness and flexibility of slime.

Borax is one of the ingredients in slime that isn’t surprising. However, is borax safe?

Is borax safe for kids

Unfortunately, borax is slightly toxic and we have used it in the past to kill agricultural pests. Some studies have shown that over exposure to borax can affect health. This makes the situation of slime toys tricky.

Usually, we consider slime safe if it meets the Toys International Safety Standards. In fact, the amount of borax in slime is tiny, which is not enough to qualify as ‘over exposure’. So it usually doesn’t cause problems^[5].

We can understand why people worry about slime. No parent wants their children to take risks.

Why is borax no longer used

As people studied borax, they realized it could be harmful to health. Currently, most countries and regions in the world have banned borax as a food additive. According to reports, Health Canada plans to restrict the use of boric acid-containing pesticides for households. They also intend to gradually remove them from the market.

In the toy market, borax-free slime is gradually becoming people’s choice. You may be wondering, what can we use to make slime instead of borax?

What is borax substitute

When making homemade slime at home, we can use contact detergents, baking soda, cornstarch, etc. instead of borax. At our R&D center, technicians use different ingredients to replace borax.

Normally, we send borax-free slime toys to a specialized agency for testing and get a third-party test report. In this report you will know if or how much boron is present in slime.

However, you won’t see ‘borax’, but another word – ‘boron’. Are they the same?

Is borax same as boron

No. Borax contains boron, but you obviously can’t equate them^[1].

*Boron in the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements*

Boron is a chemical element usually represented by the letter ‘B’. As a structural component of plant cell walls, you can find it in a variety of foods. What’s more, unlike borax, scientists believe boron is beneficial to humans^[6]. Although it is not an essential element for humans, you can find it in bones, hair, and nails.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services states that obtaining boron from food is safe and beneficial.

However, although borax, boric acid or other boron compounds as additives contain ‘boron’, eating them may cause sickness. Especially for children under 6 years old, excessive boron can even cause anemia, epilepsy, erythema, etc.

Now, many countries have set safety thresholds (300 ppm or 1200 ppm) for the boron in toys. And some even require boron-free toys.

When we read the third-party testing reports and find that the boron in slime is below the safety threshold, we consider it safe.

How much boron is in borax

Usually, the boron content in borax is about 11.36%, that is, 100 grams of borax contains 11.36 grams of boron. But there are too many borax on the market, and their boron content is not exactly 11.36%, maybe 11.32%^[2].

Borax Slime vs Borax Free Slime

Since borax-free slime uses alternative ingredients, it may affect the slime, including viscosity, price, and other factors. Next, we will discuss the differences between borax slime and borax-free slime in several aspects.

	Borax Slime	Borax-Free Slime
Ingredients	Glue, Borax, Water, Food Coloring	Glue, Fluid Starch, Water, Food Coloring
Safety	Slightly Toxic but Safe	No Borax, Non Toxic, Safe
Child Friendly	Generally Friendly	Safe and Good for Kids
Cost	Low	A Bit Higher
Viscosity	Great	Not Good As Borax Slime
Shelf Life	12-18 Months	6-12 Months

Borax-free slime is a safer option. Unfortunately, current borax substitutes don’t quite do the job that borax does. Moreover, the cost of borax-free slime is typically higher because of its complex formulation and testing.

Is Slime Toxic

Qualified slime toys contain little or no boron and are non-toxic^[4]. However, even though slime is safe for children, that doesn’t mean it’s edible. We do not allow children to put slime in their mouths, this is dangerous and may cause choking.

Parents or teachers should supervise and accompany smaller children when playing with slime.

Is borax toxic in slime

Honestly, the borax in slime is mildly toxic. However, because its content is tiny, it will not cause poisoning reactions even if swallowed. Therefore, we usually think that qualified slime is non-toxic.

After children play with slime, the surface of the toy may become dusty and dirty. Children will undoubtedly get sick if they eat the bacteria on the toys.

Is slime toxic to dogs

Yes, slime is poisonous to dogs. In fact, pets’ gastrointestinal tracts are fragile. We need to try to keep them away from children’s toys, whether it’s slime or playdough.

Read More >> Is Playdough Toxic to Dogs?

Slime Toys International Safety Standards

Nowadays, we have set toy safety standards around the world, such as ASTM F691 in the United States and EN71-3 in Europe. These standards ensure that slime toys are safe and non-toxic for children. So how do they regulate the boron content in slime?

ASTM F691: No requirement for boron

ASTM F691^[7] does not clearly limit the boron. However, our U.S. customers would like the boron content in slime toys to be below 1200 ppm.

EN71-3: Less than 300 PPM

EN71-3^[8] has requirements for boron content in toys: 0 ppm, 300 ppm and 1200 ppm. Slime toys belong to the Category II: Liquid or Sticky Toys, whose boron content must be less than 300 ppm.

Of course, if you plan to sell or wholesale borax-free slime, the boron content of the slime should be 0 in the test report.

Other Toy Safety Standard

Some areas might have their own safety standards for children’s toys. Here are some references for you. You should complete the testing and certification of slime toys according to the requirements of the target market.

International: ISO 8124
EU: EN71, EN62115
United States: ASTM F963, CPSIA
UK: BS EN71
France: NF EN71
Germany: DIN EN71
Japan: ST2002
Australia: AS/NZS ISO 8124

You can visit the website of your local Children’s Toy Association to find the relevant standard documents. And feel free to reach out to us anytime.

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Benefits of Borax-Free Slime for Children

The main benefit of borax-free slime for children is that it doesn’t contain potentially toxic boron. Beyond that, as an educational toy, you might have questions: Does it work?

How do educational toys work

From a long time ago, people have known to combine play and learning. Learning is difficult and boring, and without the right educational guidance, children will not sit there quietly.

That’s why we created educational toys – tools that help children learn and grow through play. Slime, playdough or other lightweight clay are educational toys.

So, why toys? We have to admit that children’s nature is to play more, even when we grow up. Do educational toys work? Yes, children will reach for toys rather than books. Colorful and fun toys can keep kids seated at the table all day long, which helps them develop concentration habits.

Also, young children learn about the world, such as colors, shapes, temperatures, and sensations, by observing and touching toys. During play, parents can also guide children to express and share. In fact, educational toys are more important than we think, they are a key part of children’s growth.

Sensory play in cognitive development

When children are young, they completely don’t know the world. They first learn about things, such as colors and shapes, by seeing and touching them. You will find that children like colorful things, which will arouse their curiosity.

Slime is a special fluid that can flow with the movement of your hands. Sometimes, you even think you are unfolding a piece of “water”. We can say this is the sensory play and experience that children develop when touching slime.

Stress relief and Relaxation

People enjoy soft things, such as fluffy teddy bears. They make people feel relaxed. Although slime toys are small, they are soft and easy to shape. When we hold it in our hands, the wonderful touch releases our stress.

Therefore, slime is also a popular stress-relieving toy among adults.

Creativity and Imagination

Slime comes in many different textures and we use it to create all kinds of beautiful decorations and crafts. For example, children use cloud slime and butter slime to make “delicious” cakes. And they will use transparent slime to make jelly, etc.

People possess creativity and imagination, but just thinking is not enough. Only by doing and realizing with our hands can we realize our potential.

How to Make Slime Without Borax

People love to try making all kinds of things, including slime. Luckily, the recipe is simple and you can make it using common items in your life.

All you need to do is mix the right baking soda, glue, and contact lens solution to get non-sticky borax-free slime.

How to make a slime with contact lens solution

First, we prepare some materials:

120 ml clear glue
2-3 g baking soda
20-25 ml contact lens solution

Take a large bowl, add the above ingredients in order, mix well with a spoon or your hands, and you will have a ball of slime. You can adjust the viscosity of the slime by adding a small amount of baking soda or contact lens solution. When the slime is too sticky, add baking soda, and conversely, when the slime is too hard, add contact lens solution.

Add a couple drops of food coloring to make it the color you want. Add just a little water, the slime will be softer.

Is contact lens solution safer than borax

Yes, contact lens solution is safer than borax. But remember, contact lens solution contains boric acid, which is not edible. Therefore, when children are making slime, adults should accompany and supervise them.

Borax Free Slime Recipes Without Glue

In addition to contact lens solution, you can find other alternatives to borax, such as shampoo or body wash. If you are unable to find a glue, you don’t need to use it!

Materials

1 cup body wash
1 cup cornstarch
small amount of water
Optional: food coloring

Instructions

Step 1: Pour the shower gel into a large bowl. Add a few drops of food coloring and stir to get an even color.
Step 2: Pour in cornstarch and stir evenly.
Step 3: Add a small amount of water according to the viscosity. Be careful not to add too much water or the slime will become thin.

Notes

It all looks easy. But sometimes you may find that the slime is sticky. This is because the proportions in the recipe are wrong and you need to add extra cornstarch to reduce the viscosity.

Also, keep in mind that the body wash could have ingredients that affect the outcome. Using wash products with simple ingredients is best.

Homemade slime toys are usually disposable. If kids enjoy playing with them, buying borax-free slime toys from the store is a better idea.

Conclusion

As people’s requirements for safety increase, borax-free slime has become a trend in the toy industry. Since it is non-toxic to children, parents prefer it as their first choice. And as an educational toy, children can develop sensory cognition and creativity by playing with slime.

We can use contact lens solution, cornstarch, baking soda powder, etc. instead of borax in homemade borax-free slime. They are still not edible, though, and adults need to supervise children when making and playing with them.

The EN71 Toys Safety Standard for kids requires that boron content in slime be less than 300 ppm.

When buying borax-free slime in bulk, send samples to a third-party agency for testing and certification. This ensures that the slime toys do not contain borax or excess boron.

References