When summer comes along, we often look for new things to entertain ourselves, or the kids.
When the traditional forms of summer fun in the garden, such as soccer, tennis, or trampolining, are no longer exciting and parents are trying to think about how to cool the kids down by reaching for the hose pipe, we might be in trouble.
To fill a paddling pool is not going to cut it for older children, and for very young children it can dangerous, so what else do you have?
Introducing the Slip ‘n Slide!
What is a slip ‘N slide?
Robert Carrier created the original children’s toy Slip ‘N Slide in 1961.
It was produced by an enterprise called Wham-O, who are also known for creating other fun toys like Silly String, frisbees, and Bubble Thing, the first large-scale bubble wand.
The toy was simple: it was a plastic sheet sewn together in a tube shape.
The tube attached to the hose and had holes along the length that sprayed water onto the surface.
The slide becomes really slippery when saturated, which assists the user to speed over the slide.
Now, those kids can choose from a variety of Slip ‘N Slide variations, including ones that have pools at the end and ones that are made to look like a hockey pitch.
The best of all is that they don’t require the use of soap at all!
Making a Slip ‘N Slide
Slip ‘N Slides are relatively inexpensive compared to other garden toys, but you don’t have to buy a slip ‘N slide to have fun in your garden.
Making your own slip ‘N slide is completely doable and easy.
There are just three things you will need to make a homemade slip ‘N slide- a sheet of plastic, a hose, and some sort of lubricant – soap will work nicely for our purposes.
Homemade slip ‘N slides are different from the manufactured slides because they tend to require lubricant because instead of spraying water along the length of the slip ‘N slide, there is usually water spraying from only one end of the plastic.
The best soap for Slip n slide
You have a variety of different options for making your slip n slide slippery.
Most people usually end up using either soap or oils as lubricants.
Here are some options.
Baby Oil
You can use baby oil to make your slide more slippery.
While not only do you slide. Your skin is really soft at the end of the day.
There are a couple issues with baby oil though. For one, it is obviously greasey and many adults may not like the feeling of that much oil on their skin.
Also, baby oil is expensive and you will need to use a fair bit. And it probably isn’t the greatest thing for you to pour down your drains or put on your lawn.
Oh, and it will leave an oily residue on the plastic which makes it way more work to clean and store the plastic when you put it away.
Dish Soap
Dish soap is way less expensive than baby oil. And it is really slippery too!You won’t have that silky feel after, but you will be so clean!
Plus, kids will love how bubbly it gets as they slide!
Just a little reminder, it’s super cheap, but you have to remember this was made to clean greasy stuff off of dishware and dishes can be greasy! So that means using dish soap can be a bit harsh.
If you have sensitive skin, especially young children, it may dry your skin out or make it sore. And of course, if it gets in your eyes it’s really painful!
Shower gel
Another slippery option is shower gel, because shower gel is formulated for use on the body and isn’t as harsh as dish soap.
It will still wash away and create bubbles, and will smell good too!
Also, like dish soap, it won’t dry out your skin as easily (though being in a long while isn’t best!).
Shower gel is not particularly expensive, but it is more costly than dish soap and you may use more of it than you and they will use more than with dish soap.
Take note, like dish soap, it may still sting if it gets in their eyes.
Baby shampoo or soap
If you are using a slip n slide for young children, baby shampoo or baby soap for lubricant might be the best option.
Because you know it won’t harm skin, and it will not sting in the eyes. Baby shampoo or soap are also more costly!
Cooking oil
Any food lubricant such as vegetable oil and olive oil is great as a lubricant.
As oils, they will not evaporate on the slide, and they do not really create any damage to skin.
Like baby oil, these oils will stick to your skin and clothing and therefore be difficult to remove/clean off.
If you do decide to use a cooking oil, you should consider soybean oil (or flaxseed oil) because these are more resistant to heat than vegetable oil.
What not to use
Some people will tell you to use laundry detergent for slip and slide.
For most people, laundry detergent is not ever in contact with their skin.
It would be fine to wash your clothes in it, but the amount of it that will contact your skin from your clean clothes, and dry clothes, is negligible so *do not use this*!
You might also hear of people using petroleum jelly. It is very slippery, but it’s also so thick and terrible to clean off – especially from hair!
It is best to always use a lubricant that is easy to rinse. Also, petroleum jelly is toxic if ingested and can be harmful if it gets into the eyes as well.
Things to watch out for
You should always keep safety at the forefront and usually when using a slip n slide the UV index is often high.
If you are using soap (or even oil) on your slip n slide, that will also remove sunscreen.
You should always best placed your slip n slide in some shade and encourage children to protect themselves from damaging rays of the sun by wearing hats and long sleeves as a precaution!
The best soap to use for Slip n slide – Conclusion
In reviewing these various options, you have many to choose from.
If you are looking for ultimate safety and “slip”, the no-tears baby soap or baby shampoo is your best option.
This is easy on delicate skin and will not sting if it finds its way into the eyes.
Although please ensure, young children are adequately protected from the sun’s rays when using soap on a slip ‘n slide.