How to make bubble mixture
Learn how to make your own homemade bubble mixture for a simple way to keep the kids busy in the holidays, and find ideas for making your own bubble wands.
If you’ve run out of store-bought bubble mixture or need a quick entertainment idea for the kids, it’s easy to make your own bubbles from washing-up liquid and water.
But what’s the perfect ratio, and what can you use if you don’t have a bubble wand? We tried and tested different bubble mixtures and have come up with the best recipe for you to try with the kids at home.
For more hands-on crafts, see how to make slime, salt dough, oobleck and moon sand with affordable ingredients and easy steps.
Keep the little ones entertained at home with our summer activities for kids, sensory play ideas, fun yoga for kids and birthday ideas for kids at home.
See our new Kid's Kitchen series for essential cookery skills, plus easy recipes kids can make and kids summer baking projects.
Browse our family & kids hub for plenty of inspiration.
Bubble mixture
Makes 350ml
Prep 5 minutes
- 50ml washing-up liquid (one part)
- 300ml water (six parts)
1. Measure the washing-up liquid into a container, such as a jam jar or glass bottle.
2. Slowly add in the water, being careful not to create too many bubbles at this stage. Gently stir the mixture together to combine – a chopstick is perfect for this.
3. If you can, let the bubble mixture rest before using it, as it will make your bubbles even better.
4. When you’re ready, dip your bubble wand into the mixture and start blowing bubbles!
Homemade bubble wands
If you don’t have a wand from a store-bought pot of bubbles, don’t despair! You can have fun by looking for different items around the house that can be used to make bubbles. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Paperclips – bend them into wands or use as they are
- Straws
- Biscuit cutters
- Pipe cleaners
- Fly swatters
Top tips
Glycerine can be found in the baking section of most major supermarkets and can be added to the bubble mixture to make it more stable. We found that adding 1 tbsp glycerine to the recipe above made our bubbles last much longer.
Letting it rest overnight, or as long as you can bear to wait, does allow the mixture to settle and combine, which will improve your bubbles.
Think big – if you want to scale up the recipe, you just need one part washing-up liquid to six parts water. Try making a big bubble mixture in a washing-up bowl – then you can use bigger items, like colanders and slotted spoons, to make bubbles in the garden.
Like this? Try our other fun projects for kids…
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Have you tried making bubbles with your kids? Let us know in the comments below…
Comments, questions and tips
