Bring out your inner kid and learn how to make car cleaning slime with only 3 ingredients that removes dirt and debris from those hard-to-reach places in your vehicle.
For one of my middle school science fair projects, I taught people how to make slime. Don’t ask me why, but that is what I chose. I remember explaining the chemical reaction that makes glue turn into slime and all that fun science-y stuff, but that was really the extent of my slime making days.
Fast forward to becoming a mom in the year 2025, and slime is all the rage. Personally, I find it so weird to touch, but my kids absolutely love it. However, slime can be dangerous. Okay, not really dangerous, but we’ve had a few instances of getting slime in hair and on upholstery, which means we no longer have slime in our house, at least not for play. I know that sounds harsh, but I’d much rather have my kids play with play dough than slime to reduce the anguish of combing it out of hair and scrubbing the couch for hours.
That being said, slime is a useful tool when it comes to cleaning your vehicle. It’s great at removing dirt, dust and crumbs from those nooks and crannies that are super hard to reach or just hard to clean in general. Think your car’s cup holders, the change bin, the slidey part of your seat that’s hard to get clean with a vacuum. I think you know what I’m talking about, right? Recently I’ve seen cleaning slime at retail stores and thought, “Why spend $6 for a jar when you can make it for less than $2 at home?” AND if you’ve got kids, they can help make it and get a short amount of supervised time playing with it before you head out to your car and get to cleaning.
PIN FOR LATER!
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FAQs
How do I make car cleaning slime?
There are so many ways to make car cleaning slime. Really it’s just a polymer, glue, mixed with an activator or gelling component that contains a borate. Borax is an example of a borate, as is boric acid. You can either use borax mixed with water to act as the gelling component, or something like contact solution or eye drops that contain boric acid. Borax can cause eye irritation, so using eye drops removes that small risk and doesn’t require any mixing.
When it comes to the polymer, or the glue, you can use clear glue, glitter glue or plain white glue. It doesn’t really matter the type of glue you use, as long as the glue is made of polyvinyl acetate or PVA. Most school and craft glue, like Elmer’s, is made of polyvinyl acetate, which is great because it’s easy to find and very inexpensive.
Is cleaning slime reusable?
Cleaning slime is reusable, however, once it’s full of dirt, dust, debris, etc. it will no longer be sticky and will be hard to use. The number of times it can be reused really depends on how dirty it is. On average, you should be able to get at least a handful of uses out of it.
Is it cheaper to make your own cleaning slime?
May of the car cleaning slimes or car cleaning putty on the market tend to be priced around the $6 mark. To make a batch of DIY car cleaning slime, it cost $1.88 using materials found at the Dollar Tree.
How to Make Car Cleaning Slime with Only 3 Ingredients
Tools You May Need:
- Disposable bowl or cup
- Plastic spoon
- Airtight container
Materials Needed:
- 4 oz or 1 bottle of liquid glue (like Elmer’s)
- 1/2 tsp baking Soda
- 1 tbs eye drops or contact solution (that contains boric acid)
- Food coloring (optional)
Directions
Empty the entire bottle of liquid glue into a disposable bowl.
Mix in the baking soda with a plastic spoon.
Add the eye drops to the glue mixture.
Mix until the slime starts to form.
Remove the car cleaning slime from the bowl and knead it with your hands until it is fully mixed and no longer sticky.
Use the car detailing slime to remove dust, crumbs and dirt from the many nooks and crannies in your vehicle.
Store the slime in an airtight container in between uses.
Notes
- You can use clear or white glue for this project.
- The glue used in this project must be made of polyvinyl acetate.
- You an use any contact solution or eye drops for this slime as long as they contain boric acid.
- Knead the slime to make it sticky again while using it.
Car Cleaning Slime
Bring out your inner kid and learn how to make car cleaning slime with only 3 ingredients that removes dirt and debris from those hard-to-reach places in your vehicle.
Materials
- 4 oz or 1 bottle of liquid glue (like Elmer's)
- 1/2 tsp baking Soda
- 1 tbs eye drops or contact solution (that contains boric acid)
- Food coloring (optional)
Tools
- Disposable bowl or cup
- Plastic spoon
- Airtight container
Instructions
- Empty the entire bottle of liquid glue into a disposable bowl.
- Mix in the baking soda with a plastic spoon.
- Add the eye drops to the glue mixture.
- Mix until the slime starts to form.
- Remove the car cleaning slime from the bowl and knead it with your hands until it is fully mixed and no longer sticky.
- Use the car detailing slime to remove dust, crumbs and dirt from the many nooks and crannies in your vehicle.
- Store the slime in an airtight container in between uses.
Notes
Looking for more natural cleaning solutions?
Looking for more natural cleaning solutions like this car cleaning slime made with eye drops? Check these out:
- DIY Fabric Refresher Spray
- DIY Grout Cleaner
- How to Make Room Spray with Essential Oils
- Homemade Laundry Softener and Scent Booster
Did you try making this 3 ingredient car cleaning slime? If you did, I’d really love to see it. Tag me on Instagram (@thesimplehomeplace) to show me your own recreation of this tutorial!
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