What's the Deal: Beware of ingredients in DIY slime

If you've been around a kid lately, you've probably heard about slime.

As we first told you last month, the do-it-yourself project has caused some glue shortages, but Consumer Reports says a bigger concern is one of the key ingredients.

Do-it-yourself slime recipes on YouTube videos show all sorts of ways you can make the slippery stuff with some at-home ingredients.

Some recipes call for a combination of school glue, water, and Borax. However, Consumer Reports' Chief Scientific Officer James Dickerson says you should take some precautions when it comes to Borax.

"Borax, also known as sodium tetraborate hexahydrate, is meant to be a household cleaner or an additive for your laundry. Just because you have it around, just because it seems to be perfectly safe for those types of applications, doesn't mean it should be used in anything else, particularly household slime," said Dickerson.

One Borax product comes with a label that states "Keep out of reach of children."

"Sodium tetraborate hexahydrate or Borax is a known eye, nose and respiratory tract irritant. So we really don't want young kids, particularly young kids, to be exposed to this because it's a potential hazard," said Dickerson.

Another concern is toddlers or younger children getting a hold of the slime or its ingredients, and accidentally eating them.

For older children and adults, use common sense, avoid direct contact with your eyes and wash your hands after making and playing with the slime.

And as a reminder, it's always a good idea to store household cleaning and laundry products out of reach of children.

------

• Send a breaking news alert to Action News


• Report a correction or typo


• Learn more about the 6abc family of apps