How to Safely Make Elephant's Toothpaste for a Fun At-Home Experiment (2020)

Have you ever tried making elephant's toothpaste? It's that oddly fun foam that can be made in a cup with just a few ingredients. Elephant's toothpaste is an entertaining experiment for kids at home - and we're all at home a lot more these days! So why not try this new activity yourself?

Not only are just a few ingredients required, but it's a really simple thing to make. We've put together a handy step-by-step guide for you, and you can follow it with ease. Chemistry doesn't have to stay in the classroom after all. Turns out, chemistry can happen right at home. So keep scrolling down, stay safe, and have fun!

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First, you’ll need some supplies.

You’ll need a clean 16-oz soda bottle, one tablespoon of dry yeast, three tablespoons of warm water, 1/2 cup of hydrogen peroxide liquid, liquid dishwashing soap, food coloring, a small cup, and safety goggles.

You might also need some measuring tools.

When doing this kind of thing, it’s important to get the measurements right! So make sure you’ve got the right measuring tools on hand.

Safety first!

Strap on your safety goggles first, and make sure there’s an adult on hand. Then, pour the hydrogen peroxide into the bottle.

It’s got to be a specific kind of hydrogen peroxide.

You’ll want to make sure you’ve got 20-volume hydrogen peroxide liquid.

Add food coloring.

You can make sure the elephant’s toothpaste comes out any color you like! Just drop some food coloring into the bottle with the hydrogen peroxide.

Now, add dish soap.

Take about one tablespoons’ worth of liquid dish soap, and add it to the bottle. Swirl the bottle around to mix the ingredients.

Grab another cup.

Combine the yeast and warm water together in the smaller cup, and mix them together.

Ready for the fun?

Pour your cup of yeast water into the bottle, and watch the elephant’s toothpaste expand!

How does it happen?

The yeast helps remove the oxygen from the hydrogen peroxide, creating lots of close-knit bubbles—and that’s the elephant’s toothpaste.

The experiment also creates heat!

If you touch the bottle, you’ll find that it got warm when the chemical reaction happened. That’s the chemicals making heat as well as bubbles!