How to make bubbles at home (with things you already have)

You don’t need anything special to make bubbles at home. Most of what you need is already in the kitchen or the recycling. Here’s how I’d set up a bubble afternoon in the garden with nothing bought in – and the one thing that makes the difference if you want really big bubbles.

Wands from things around the house

Anything with a loop or a hole will make a bubble. Try these:

• Wire coat hanger – pull it into a circle (or a heart) and wrap the wire in a strip of old fabric or wool so it holds more mixture. The bigger the loop, the bigger the bubble.
• Toilet roll or kitchen roll tube – dip one end, blow gently through the other. Brilliant for little ones.
• Plastic bottle – cut the bottom off, dip the cut end and blow through the top. A 2-litre bottle gives you a big one.
• Paper or plastic cup – poke a small hole in the bottom with a pencil, dip the rim and blow through the hole.
• Plain string – thread a loop of string through two straws (or two sticks) and you’ve got a wand you can pull a huge bubble out of. Hold a stick in each hand, dip, lift and walk slowly backwards.

The sock foam blower

This one is always the favourite. Cut the bottom off a plastic bottle, pull an old sock over the cut end and hold it on with an elastic band. Dip the sock in the mixture and blow through the top – out comes a long snake of foam. Add a drop of food colouring to the sock for coloured foam (it can stain clothes, so old T-shirts on).

A simple home mixture

Stir together gently – no froth:

• 1 litre of water (if you can, leave it to sit for an hour, or use boiled-and-cooled water)
• About 100ml of washing-up liquid (Fairy works well)
• 1 tablespoon of glycerine from the baking aisle, or a tablespoon of sugar dissolved in a little warm water

Leave it to rest for a bit if you can. Small wands and the foam blower are happy with this straight away.

Want giant bubbles? You need a polymer

Washing-up liquid and glycerine will get you lovely bubbles, but there’s a limit to how big they’ll go before they pop. For the really big ones – the sort you see at my shows that children can stand inside – the mixture needs a polymer. That’s the ingredient that lets the bubble skin stretch without breaking.

The polymer is exactly what Bubbly Heaven’s Giant Bubble Powder is. A small sachet mixes into water with ordinary washing-up liquid and turns a home bucket into a proper giant-bubble mix. It’s what I use myself.

Giant Bubble Powder Pro – Bubbly Heaven shop

A few tips

• Early morning or evening is best – still air and a bit of damp help bubbles last. Hot, dry, windy afternoons are the hardest.
• Move slowly. Big bubbles come from a slow, steady lift and a gentle walk, not a fast swish.
• Keep the mixture off the patio if you can – it gets slippery.
• A washing-up bowl or a bucket is easier for small hands than a shallow tray.

If you’d rather someone else brought the bubbles – and the giant ones – that’s what I do. Bubble shows for parties, schools and events across Gloucestershire and beyond.

Instant prices, then a real person (me!) replies in 1–2 working days.