Bubble Liquid / Fluid Refill Mix Recipe for Bubble Machines in the UK

This article provides a method to make your own bubble liquid for blowing bubbles.

Recipes for bubble liquid based on washing-up liquid (detergent) depend very highly on the brand of washing-up liquid used. American recipies typically do not work with British detergents, and rely on American ingredients such as corn syrup which are not commonly available in the UK. I spent an evening with several washing-up brands, a measuring jug and a bubble machine to discover the ideal recipe for British bubble-blowers.

This recipe will make over 1.5 litres of bubble liquid from one 500ml bottle of Fairy Original washing-up liquid. Including a small bag of sugar, the ingredients cost less than £1.50 compared to £6.99 for a litre of bubble fluid at Maplin.

This recipe is suitable for both bubble machines and small manual hoops (traditional blow-your-own bubble sticks in small pots). It has not been tried with large hoops (if you try it with a large hoop, please email me with your results).

Ingredients

To make 500ml (half a litre, just over 1 Imperial pint) of bubble liquid:

150ml Fairy Original washing-up liquid
350ml water
2 teaspoons (approx. 12ml/12g) granulated or caster sugar

Equipment:

One measuring jug, 500ml or larger
One teaspoon (British size)
One stirrer (eg. fork, spatula, wooden spoon)
Bottle to store liquid (eg. used cola bottle, rinsed out)
Funnel to transfer liquid from jug to bottle

Method

Pour 350ml water into measuring jug
Add 2 teaspoons of sugar
Mix until sugar is dissolved
Gently add 150ml Fairy Original washing-up liquid
Stir gently until completely mixed (your aim is to combine the water and liquid whilst creating the minimum amount of froth- you do not want bubbles yet)
Remove any froth from the surface (using the spoon or stirrer)
Pour liquid into bottle using funnel; tilt the bottle and funnel whilst pouring to avoid frothing (froth will result in shorter lasting bubbles)
Liquid is usable straight away, but you will get longer lasting bubbles if you leave the liquid to stand for 6-12 hours (overnight)

Results with Other Brands

I experimented using various other brands of detergent and varying amounts of water and sugar.

The following brands were unsuccessful regardless of the amount of water or sugar used. They either would not form bubbles from a bubble hoop, or the bubbles did not last more than a couple of seconds:

Tesco Value Washing Up Liquid
Sainsburys Basics Washing Up Liquid
Sainsburys Washing Up Liquid (generic own brand, not Basics)

The following brands were successful when used in the same 150ml:350ml:2tsp ratio as original Fairy Liquid:

Sainsburys Basics Baby Shampoo: Bubbles formed as good as Fairy Liquid, and with a nicer smell. I suspect, although I did not test, that this might be kinder on the eyes were a bubble to pop near them. However, bubbles popping near the eyes did not seem to be a significant problem with the Fairy recipe. Sainsburys Basics Baby Shampoo also left residue which was easier to clear up than Fairy Original.
Johnson's Baby Shampoo: Thanks to Johanna Hickey, who emailed to say "We tried your ratios with Johnson's Baby Shampoo for our toddler's bath. This seems to work pretty well and smells ok too!"
Aldi Magnum washing-up liquid: Thanks to Trish Brown, who emailed to say "I made bubble solution today with my Grandson using Aldi washing up liquid with excellent results, I would even say it worked better than the supermarket brand."
Asda Smart Price washing-up liquid: Kelly Reynolds (thanks!) said she "let it rest overnight and it worked really well with our bubble machine. My daughter loved it."

I have chosen to use Fairy Original in the main recipe as this is an extremely common brand available throughout the UK.

Please email me with results from other brands.

Public Domain - Andrew Oakley - 2008-05-12

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