How To: Turn Milk into Strong Natural Glue with Baking Soda and Vinegar

You can do all kinds of unexpected things with milk, like make your own pore strips and invisible ink, or even get rid of red wine stains with it. But did you know that you can also use it to make your own glue?

Emma over on Science Sparks shows us how to turn regular old milk into glue using a few basic items you have in your kitchen.

What You'll Need

1½ cups milk
3 teaspoons white vinegar
1 tablespoon baking soda
Water

The process is simple. Heat the milk in a pan until warm, then add the white vinegar. Keep heating and stirring until the milk separates into curds and whey.

How to Turn Milk into Strong Natural Glue with Baking Soda and Vinegar — *Image via science-sparks.com*

Strain the mixture, keeping the solid part. Mold what you have left into one big, slimy ball.

Now, put it back in the pan and add the baking soda and enough water to get the right consistency. Heat it up until it starts bubbling, then turn it off and let it cool. That's it!

Now that you've made your own glue, you can use it to make some DIY green slime by adding borax! Or, you know, you can just glue stuff with it, if you're the more practical type.

Check out Emma's post for more details on the process and the science behind why it works.

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26 Comments

I know what I will be trying this weekend. would this work better then the flour water and a little bit of vinegar concoction? as for sticky(tacky)-ness ? strength? and time to cure?

thanks this product is excellent

Wooow

will this really work super well ... !!!

Hello can I use this investigatory project of yours?? It's quite interesting. Can use this a reference of our Investigatory project?? If it is okay to you. Thank you!

can I ask what kind of milk did you use?? thanks in advance!! :)

what is the limitation of this product ??

who says that the milk and white vinegar can be a alternative glue?

Gabrielle, I liked the post, I though it was very interesting. Barely anyone ever thinks of combining every day items into something else, whether it be useful or not. I will have to try this now, or else it will bug me. I can't wait to use it. Also, the other applications that you can apply with milk is awesome. I never knew that milk could help get stains out of stuff. Thanks for the post, and I look forward to making this glue.

what is the milk did u use for this product

Allow me to answer some of the questions about this 'GLUE'. First of all, it is only good for paper and other very light stuff, so you're better-off just using 'Elmer's' as it is already made for you. This 'glue' is actually better if made with POWDERED MILK, because the FAT in regular milk isn't needed, and actually WEAKENS the already weak 'glue'. This is a modified version of an old home-made glue that was made with non-fat (powdered) milk curds, and SODIUM HYDROXIDE, or, 'LYE' (not baking soda). This version was much stronger, and could be used to glue wood, etc., but used the very caustic (and dangerous!) 'LYE' to make. Summing-up, just BUY some glue already made. Elmer's wood glue (for example) is similar to the 'LYE' formula of what I just described, and it's already in the bottle for you so why try to MAKE it? What I would like to know is how to make the adhesive used on envelopes (and formerly on postage stamps)? (The LICK-IT-STICK-IT kind.) I can't find a suitable formula for this type of glue.

Try this one:
http://www.scrapbook.com/tips/doc/29923/227.html

"because the FAT in regular milk isn't needed, and actually WEAKENS the already weak 'glue'."

Hi i am using this project as my IP and i want to know what are the properties of the fat in regular milk you mentioned that weakens the project. I would be glad if you respond thank you.

what milk is this?? answer me because im gonna use this in our investigatory project 5th grade...

I'd say shoot for skim milk. The fat in other milks could make the glue less binding.

what is the Socio-economic and recommendation of that and how to Elaburate with that???????

plz help Me!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I need it now....

thanks

Hello my son keep doing this but cannot work he did the right procedure and measurements. Can i ask what kind of milk is it fresh milk or the powder milk ..he dont know where is the problem coz it will not turn sticky pls reply thanks

I tried this against a normal wood glue on wood and found that it does not work well. did not hold two wood prices together very strongly. This glue though does work well on paper so I recommend it if you want to use it on paper artsand crafts :)