Monday, May 28, 2012

Homemade glue!

4856861552 6ebc85f116 Homemade Natural Glue
During their childhood, kids use a large amount of glue. Most of them are chemical mixtures with no ingredients listed on the packaging. You can only imagine what’s in there.
Preschoolers love pasting and collage, as well as tasting anything that comes close to their mouths. Besides the awful taste, shop bought glue might not be the perfect substance for their tummies. School kids have (hopefully) learned not to lick the glue, but having it on their skin and, occasionally, all over them, isn’t good either as we know that our skin absorbs anything that’s put on it. Try this old trick to prove it: rub a clove of garlic onto the soles of your feet and after a while you’ll feel the garlicky taste in your mouth!
Whether you would like to avoid a chance of your kids digesting chemical glues, make your house greener and as chemical free as possible or just want to avoid buying stuff and reducing wasteful packaging, the recipe above is a sure winner. There are many natural glue recipes around, but this one is the simplest to make with only 4 ingredients you most probably have on hand. I’ve tried it and it works, not only for paper, but also for gluing chunks of wood.

How to make non toxic homemade glue

  • For the ingredients needed, see the recipe on the photo above.
  • In a saucepan mix 1 cup of flour with 1/3 cup of sugar.
  • Add half of the water required and mix into a thick paste without clumps.
  • Pour in the rest of the water and combine till the paste is smooth.
  • Pour a teaspoon of vinegar and put on medium heat until the mixture starts to thicken.
  • Cool and transfer to jar or an airtight plastic container.
This glue will keep for a few days. Refrigerate to prolong the shelf life (the jar in my fridge is 6 months old).
Vinegar in this glue recipe acts as a mild natural preservative. You might use grapefruit seed extract or tee tree oil (5-10 drops) instead of vinegar to naturally preserve the glue. Stick with vinegar though if you have small kids – not only is this glue non toxic, but perfectly edible too!
This glue needs more time to dry, but when dried, the bond is really strong

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