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How To Make a Homemade Bubbles Solution

By
Sherri Osborn
Sherri Osborn
Sherri Osborn is a crafting expert and writer with over 15 years of experience designing crafts for families and kids. She was a contributing author for two books, "Fuzzy Fun: Fabulous Pipe Cleaner Projects" and "Year-Round Crafts for Kids." Sherri also edited the "Crafters' Internet Handbook." 
Learn more about The Spruce Crafts' Editorial Process
Updated on 07/17/24
Homemade bubble mixture creating bubbles from blue bubble wand

The Spruce / Anastasiia Tretiak

Project Overview
  • Total Time: 15 mins
  • Skill Level: Kid-friendly

Blowing bubbles is a fantastic game for young children. The downside is that they can often go through a whole bottle in one game, which can get a little costly. But there's no reason to pay for what's essentially soapy water. With this easy recipe, you can make your DIY bubble solution whenever you want.

You can even give the kids a science lesson by teaching them how to measure and mix the ingredients themselves. Then, they can create bubbles anytime while you relax!

0:54

The Best Way to Make DIY Bubbles

What You'll Need

Equipment / Tools

  • 1 Large cup
  • 1 Spoon
  • Bubble wands
  • 1 Container with lid (optional)

Materials

  • 1/2 cup dish soap
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 2 teaspoons sugar

Instructions

Materials and tools to create homemade bubble mixture

The Spruce / Anastasiia Tretiak

  1. Pour 1/2 cup of dish soap into a large cup.

    Blue dish soap poured into glass measuring cup next to bubble wands

    The Spruce / Anastasiia Tretiak

  2. Add 1-1/2 cups of water to the dish soap in the cup.

    Water poured into measuring cup with dish soap

    The Spruce / Anastasiia Tretiak

  3. Measure 2 teaspoons of sugar and add it to the water/soap mixture.

    Teaspoons of sugar added to dish soap and water mixture in measuring cup

    The Spruce / Anastasiia Tretiak

  4. Gently stir your mixture.

    Dish soap, water and sugar mixed in measuring cup

    The Spruce / Anastasiia Tretiak

  5. Go outside and have fun blowing bubbles. If you don't use all of the solution, pour it into a tightly sealed container to use later.

    Purple bubble wand placed in blue container with bubble solution

    The Spruce / Anastasiia Tretiak

Tips

  • Don't shake or stir your bubbles too much.
  • Experiment with blowing bubbles using different items!
  • You can recycle an old bubble jar by refilling it with your homemade bubble mix.

Playing With Bubbles

The simple act of blowing bubbles is enough fun on its own for most children. But, you can vary the experience—and make it educational—by switching up how you make the bubbles and what you use for bubble wands. Have kids compare the bubbles' shapes, sizes, and longevities depending on the bubble wand. They can use almost anything that forms a plastic hole, like the top of a soda bottle or a plastic six-pack ring, to blow bubbles as long as the item can get wet. Paper and cardboard products don't usually make good bubble wands.

Looking for a fun bubble game to play? Here are two popular options:

  • The most popular game with bubbles has to be the old bubble-blowing competition. Seeing who can blow the largest bubble is always fun. You can also see who can blow the most bubbles at once or whose bubble lasts the longest before popping. 
  • A bubble race is a simple, more active bubble game race. First, have the children stand in a race line. Choose a finishing point. Have each child blow a bubble and then try to blow that bubble over the finish line. The first child whose bubble goes over the line wins. Try not to make the finishing line too far away, as bubbles are pretty unstable and you don't want an unbeatable game. Consider the children's ages when deciding the distance to the finish line.