It's no secret that slimes are one of our favorite sensory materials here at Fun at Home with Kids.  During the Slime Week we ran on our Facebook page, I learned that liquid starch is not available in the UK and parts of Canada (and probably some other places as well!).  At the time, I didn't know of an alternative to borax or an alternative to liquid starch for making slime, but it motivated me to do some research and see if I could come up with a different non-toxic ingredient that would make slime.  S was soooo thrilled to learn UK folks can now make slime (she was crushed to learn that you couldn't) that she named this slime "England Slime".  (UPDATE:  Here is a link to a second recipe for UK readers that uses Kershaw's Laundry Starch)

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I minored in chemistry back in college - many years ago (and before a lot of sleep deprivation, hahaha) - but I knew the answer would be in the reaction between glue and liquid starch or borax.

After doing a bit of research, I discovered that anything containing a borate ion would react with the polyvinyl alcohol in washable school glue.  A little more research, and I'd found out that borax and boric acid both produce the borate ion when added to water.

So I needed to see if there was a source of borate ion (either borax or boric acid) that was readily available in the UK.

I knew that borax is traditionally used in laundry detergents, so I started there.  It isn't as easy as one would hope, however, to find the ingredients in laundry detergents.  Because they aren't food, the manufacturers aren't required to disclose the ingredients on the labels.  So I looked up the MSDS sheets (these are available on brand websites) for several brands of laundry detergent that were widely available.  I also only looked at brands that were classified as non-toxic.

UPDATE 11/19/15 - Though this has worked for over a year, I'm suddenly getting several reports that the 7th Generation is no longer working.  The website hasn't updated the ingredient list since May of this year, at which point the ingredients were still the same.  Update 11/22/15 - I was able to find a bottle of the new 7th Generation Free and Clear and the bottle no longer lists boric acid - the needed ingredient.  :(  Older versions of 7th Generation should still work, but the new formula won't work.

Eventually I hit gold with a few different brands, but most of the laundry detergents were scented and/or strongly colored, making them poor candidates for slime-making (pheeeew the smell was pretty overpowering with some of them).  At last I found the perfect laundry detergent (links for several International listings are at the bottom of the post).  Now mind you, you need to use this EXACT laundry detergent to make slime (not a different type of Tide).  Please keep in mind that not any laundry detergent will work, and not even every type of laundry detergent from this very brand will work.  Please also keep in mind that if you or your child regularly react to laundry detergents and have very sensitive skin, that creating a laundry detergent slime may irritate your skin.

To make your slime, you will need a PVA-based glue.  In the US and Canada this is a washable school glue like Elmer's.  If you live outside the US, please read the safety warnings on the glue you choose.  There are several PVA-based glues that are commercial grade and are not meant to be handled.  I recommend selecting a non-toxic school glue for children.  You can use either clear or white glue.  We like using clear.  Add two bottles of glue (about 10 oz total, but this is very flexible) to a container and slowly add Liquid Tide Free and Gentle about a Tablespoon at a time, stirring each time.  Depending on the concentration (2x, 4x, and 8x concentration), you'll need to add anywhere from a few tablespoons to 1/4 cup or possibly slightly more.  Once your slime is no longer sticking to the sides of the container and is holding together in a big clump, you're done!  To see photos of what the process looks like, you can check out our How to Fix Slime That Didn't Work Out post - the process looks the same when you use the laundry detergent.  If your slime is at all sticky, add a teeny bit more laundry detergent and knead it in.  Though the ingredients are non-toxic, I only recommend this slime recipe for kids who aren't going to try tasting it.  We have edible slime recipes here if your child is still likely to taste.

Here are links to the correct laundry detergent for various countries:

US
Amazon US

UK

UPDATE:  I am getting lots of feedback that Almat is no longer working so I have removed that info from this post -- I believe that the ingredients have changed -- you may want to try this new recipe we created using Kershaw's Laundry Starch)

In light of the possible change in Almat ingredients, Sharon Pereira tried both Formil Bio and Non-Bio.  She reports that both work, but the Formil Non-Bio is a bit stickier.  So she recommends just using Formil Biological  (photo courtesy of Sharon Pereira).   Follow the same directions as listed above to make your slime.

Thank you to lovely Lucy for doing the legwork to find a CLEAR PVA glue for UK folks.  She confirms that this brand works with Aldi to make clear slime!!  So rad - thank you, Lucy!!!
Pritt PVA Clear Craft Glue


Canada

Amazon.ca (Canada)


Australia
I have not yet been able to locate an online store that carries Liquid Tide Free and Gentle, but I suspect there is one.  If you find one please let me know!  :)
And Aussies, Irresistible Ideas for Play Based Learning found an Aussie brand of liquid starch that works in this post.

South Africa
According to my online research, Ultra Ariel Liquid Detergent has the correct ingredient.

Malta
According to my online research, Liquid Universal Dixan, Blue Dixan Power Gel, and Multicolored Liquid Dixan all contain the correct ingredient.  I now have photo confirmation from a reader that Multicolored Liquid Dixan works to make slime!  Hooray!

To make the slime you see pictured, we threw in a TON of extra ingredients - turquoise, silver, and green liquid watercolors and about seven different colors and shapes of glitter (about 3/4 of a cup of glitter in all, as we are very serious about our glitter).  If you don't have liquid watercolors, food coloring works as a substitute.  The slime will keep in an airtight container (tupperware or ziploc bag) for several weeks.  Oh and in case you wondered, yes, we actually are weird enough to have a slime photoshoot in our driveway.  :)

Brazil
Thank you to Zoe for trying out Ariel Liquid Detergent for us!  It works!!!!  :)

Other International Locations
I am happy to research whether your country has a laundry detergent that will work.  If you'd like me to look into it, please email me a list of the brand names of liquid laundry detergents commonly found in your stores at funathomewithkids@gmail.com.  Finding out what brands are readily available in some international locations is almost impossible for me, so sending me a list of names helps tremendously!  :)

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All activities here are activities I feel are safe for my own children.  As your child's parents/guardians, you will need to decide what you feel is safe for your family.  I always encourage contacting your child's pediatrician for guidance if you are not sure about the safety/age appropriateness of an activity. All activities on this blog are intended to be performed with adult supervision.  Appropriate and reasonable caution should be used when activities call for the use of materials that could potentially be harmful, such as scissors, or items that could present a choking risk (small items), or a drowning risk (water activities), and with introducing a new food/ingredient to a child (allergies).  Observe caution and safety at all times.  The author and blog disclaim liability for any damage, mishap, or injury that may occur from engaging in any of these activities on this blog.