Experiment: Can homemade bubbles trump our dollar store variety?
Experiment Taken From: Notebook Entry 05.29.08
Materials Needed: Please see Sparkle Power for specific directions on how to complete this experiment. I was able to find the glycerin behind the pharmacist counter at Super Target. The container of glycerin was $2.69 for four ounces. I also mixed my bubble solution up in an old milk jug (inspired by Frugal Dad’s uses for milk jugs) which made it easier to pour and store our homemade bubble solution. The bubble wands were found at the Dollar Spot at Target.
Results: Is it just me or are the dollar store bubbles horrible? My son is able to blow bubbles with these, but my daughter really got frustrated because she couldn’t seem to blow any bubbles 
before her wand would need to be dipped again.
I was really excited to try this recipe for bubbles and couldn’t wait to mix up a batch of these for the kids.
I followed Candace’s suggestions and actually mixed these up the night before so the ingredients had plenty of time to incorporate. I had some pink dish soap in my pantry so I used that- your bubbles will be whatever color of dish soap you choose.
The next night, we spent an entire evening 
blowing bubbles and everyone had to take a turn waving the wands through the air to make the giant bubbles. These bubbles were so amazing that our neighbors came over to ask where we had gotten the bubbles from. I couldn’t wait to share the recipe with them and pass it on! After seeing our bubble pictures, my mother-in-law is even going to make some of these for her own house so the kids can blow these bubbles over there too.
Conclusion: Homemade bubbles rocked the socks off of the dollar store bubbles. Thanks to Sparkle Power for such a fun recipe. I will never buy those bubbles again and I hope it is a recipe that we can pass down through generations!
Thanks, Amy!
I was just thinking I needed to find a recipe for these. We love the ‘Gazillion Bubbles’ brand at our house, but at $7+ a bottle, they’re quite pricey.
I’m thinking this will be a good sub.
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You’re so right. Not only are Dollar Store bubbles awful, their container is leaky and crappy as well.
I am SO trying this recipe.
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I can’t wait to try these. I just wanted to tell you that your notebook experiments are one of my new favorite posts you do. Thanks for all of your hard work!
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Aren’t these bubbles awesome!!! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe. The big wands are so great too because it makes it so much easier for the little ones. I actually enjoy bubble time now….probably because I don’t have to do all the blowing!
Storing them in a milk jug is really great idea. Thanks!
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Thank you, Candace! I appreciate you sharing your recipe with the internets
I am so glad you guys are enjoying this new blog feature. It is so much fun to share the things that we are doing out of the notebook entries AND it gets me in gear to do some fun projects with my family!
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Good to know! My son got some bubble guns for his birthday and we are going through some SERIOUS amounts of bubbles over here and I was entertaining the idea of making some. I have found soooo many variations of that recipe online, too.
I can’t wait to play chemist-mommy and make some now!
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Glad to see you put those old milk jugs to use! And thanks for the mention!
My kids love blowing bubbles and we’ve found the commercial stuff is usually too thin and doesn’t allow for the larger bubble wands. We’re excited to give this a try this weekend.
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I’m excited to know this – we’ve had trouble with basic inexpensive bubbles too! And, I never knew where to find the glycerin! I’d say your experiment was a huge success!
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My youngest is 11, but she loves blowing bubbles for our tiny visitors to chase, so I cannot wait to make these!
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This is great, thanks Amy!
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The glycerin at my Target was $5.29/6 oz. It rang up $8.99, but was marked the other – so they did give it to me at the lower price. I’m planning to mix these up today when we finish our gallon of milk!
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My grandma used to make home made bubbles for us. She would twist old wire coat hangers into different shapes, and we had hours of fun make giant bubbles! So, if you want to save even more money, raid the coat closet for some wire coat hangers. Have fun!
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I saw the same bubble wands at Target today so picked one up. They didn’t have any glycerin so I’ll have to get it elsewhere, but I can’t wait to try it out! We had the dollar store bubbles that were so disappointing too. They ended up getting spilled, and I wasn’t that upset over it.
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Glycerin can also be found in the cake decorating(craft) section at Wal-Mart, JoAnns, or Michaels. Use the 40% off coupon from the Sunday paper at JoAnns or Michaels.
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Thanks for sharing! I was also stuck using dollar store bubbles and could not find the right concoction to make my kiddos happy! I posted the recipe on my craft site TwoHeartsTogether. Check out where your sits has been featured here:
http://www.twoheartstogether.com/2009/03/19/homemade-bubbles/
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