My Mum would make this Homemade Glue for my Brother and I growing up…I’m happy to now share it with all our Fellow Fun Mums too! It will save you money on buying glue and you will know it’s completely safe for your children to use too.
Ingredients-
- 1 cup Cornflour or Cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon of white vinegar
- 2 teaspoons of Salt
- 4 cups of Hot Water
Method –
Place all the ingredients in a medium saucepan and mix well with a whisk (there should be no lumps). Turn the stovetop onto a high heat and bring the mixture to the boil. You will notice the mixture will start to thicken and turn translucent within minutes of boiling. Once the mixture is translucent you may take it off the heat to cool.
Once it’s cooled down enough to touch you can use it on your projects. It does make aprox 4 cups of glue which is great if you’re doing a large paper mache project.
The glue can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 months. It will turn to a solid Jelly once refrigerated – just remove the amount you need and add some Hot Water from the kettle until it resembles the thickness you need. *as pictured below.
Here are some photos of my kids using the glue to paste some fabric off-cuts and pictures cut from a Toy Brochure. You will notice we had some in a tub with a paintbrush for my 5yo and we used our DIY Sponge Pad for my 19 month old.
The glue dries clear. It won’t go mouldy either – as long as it’s fully dried.
We hope you enjoy this Homemade Recipe as much as we do. You might also like some of our other popular Homemade DIY recipes – Homemade Modeling Clay, No Cook Playdough, Cloud Dough, DIY Bath Paints, Foam Paints, Chalk Paint or Homemade Finger Paints.
Dana says
November 10, 2013 at 1:45 amIs it thick enough that you could fill up an old glue stick container and use it that way?
pagingfunmums says
November 10, 2013 at 2:34 amHi Dana,
I was thinking about that with the last batch we made – I think it would work if we added some gelatin to the mix??? I will try that next time and let you know how it goes.
Louise x
katepickle says
November 11, 2013 at 3:07 amWe use an even simpler version of this corn flour paste all the time. It’s great for finger painting with too and I recently made a really thick batch and used it for sensory play which was loads of fun!
Bek @ Just For Daisy says
November 11, 2013 at 11:58 amWe’re about due for some papier mache fun! Will give this recipe a try. I love the idea of putting it into a clag style glue pot…. I’ve also got a stack of magazines here for cutting! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Kelly says
November 11, 2013 at 5:12 pmVery handy to know.
nae peters says
November 12, 2013 at 12:52 amThis is great to know. Pinned 🙂
Looks easy & really handy with little ones craft projects seen as its 100% safe.
Im so sick of buying glue so will be trying this soon
thanks
Nathalie Brown says
November 15, 2013 at 12:05 pmCould get children involved in making the glue too and you have a great science experiment 🙂
Debs says
November 17, 2013 at 2:45 amThanks for the recipe! Pinned 😀
pagingfunmums says
November 17, 2013 at 9:59 pmAnytime Debs : ) My kids LOVE this…as do hubby & I : ) Jenni x
Pauline LLJ says
November 17, 2013 at 1:05 pmMy grandmother used to make this :). Not sure if she used vinegar though? Never wrote it down… So thank you for sharing. So helpful.
pagingfunmums says
November 17, 2013 at 9:58 pmIt’s amazing how these recipes last the years doesn’t it Pauline! : ) Jenni x
Kate @ The Craft Train says
November 18, 2013 at 1:15 amI’ve been looking for a good glue recipe for ages, this looks pefrect, thanks 🙂
Laughing Kids Learn says
November 18, 2013 at 9:55 pmWOW, I never thought to make my own glue before. That’s great so thanks for the recipe. Love it.
Shara Kelsey-Ross says
August 30, 2014 at 8:36 pmCan this glue be used in other recipes on here that require glue? Love this site!!
pagingfunmums says
August 31, 2014 at 10:33 pmHi Shara, you can use this glue for so many crafts! I have tested it to make slime like some of our other recipes but it wasn’t a success.
Louise x
ER says
September 26, 2014 at 5:57 amEven more simple glue is made with ordinary starch. dissolve a teaspoon of starch in small amount of cold water and fill the cup with near boiling water while stirring. This glue can be used for few days, but it’s so simple to make, I don’t think the best before date is any problem.
Alana says
September 26, 2014 at 4:25 pmMore than once I’ve realized we are out of glue when we are in the midst of something. I’ve tried one recipe before with flour and it was just a clumpy mess. This looks fantastic!!! Glad to have this in my back pocket!!!
pagingfunmums says
September 26, 2014 at 8:18 pmHi Alana,
So happy you found this! My Mum used to make it for my brother and I because we loved to cut and paste :). So happy to share her recipe with our Fun Mums!!
Louise x
Abbey says
September 26, 2014 at 6:04 pmHello!
This is my first time and your website, and wooooow it’s amazing!
Thanks for sharing your recipes, ideas with us!
I’ll try some of you recipes today with my children 😀
pagingfunmums says
September 26, 2014 at 8:17 pmHello Abbey,
Welcome!! We are so happy to see you here. Thank you for taking the time to say hello. We look forward to sharing more new and amazing ideas with you!
Louise x
Mary says
September 26, 2014 at 6:49 pmCould this be used on fabric? I like to mold doilies around bowls.
pagingfunmums says
September 26, 2014 at 8:15 pmHi Mary, I think it would work just fine :). We’ve used it with fabric with great results. Just be sure that it fully dries :). Louise x
Darlene says
September 28, 2014 at 1:03 amWe used this recipe for years all the time I was growing up, it was the recipe for wallpaper paste that my Grandmother passed down to my mother from her mother…works great!! :-p
pagingfunmums says
September 28, 2014 at 2:41 pmHi Darlene, My Mum passed it on to me…not sure who passed it on to her but it’s fantastic! So happy we have been able to share it with more Fun Mums :). Louise x
Amy says
September 28, 2014 at 3:36 amCan you use another starch, like tapioca or arrowroot? We don’t use cornstarch.
Betty says
September 29, 2014 at 4:04 amI use tapioca flour 🙂
Mix the flour with cold water to get a milky white solution, slowly add boiling water, stirring continuously until you get a translucent glob. Add more boiling water if you want to thin it out.
pagingfunmums says
September 29, 2014 at 3:11 pmHi Betty, this recipe sounds great! Thank you for sharing! Louise x
Bec says
October 4, 2014 at 2:15 pmPerfect! Exactly what I was looking for 🙂
A fantatic alternative for PVA glue.
Ruth Adekunle says
October 9, 2014 at 10:55 amI needed glue in a pinch. My daughter is in kindergarten and we couldn’t figure out what she had done with the glue when we needed it to do her homework. I found you by google and I made a batch of this quickly and we were able to get her homework done just in time for bedtime. Now I have a stash in the fridge for if I need it again.
pagingfunmums says
October 9, 2014 at 5:35 pmHi Ruth,
Thank you so much for this lovely comment! We are so happy to have been able to help you in your time of need :). Louise xx
Emma says
October 13, 2014 at 2:39 pmWe just made this and it was ready to use in about fifteen minutes. My boys helped me stir and then enjoyed watching the mix turn translucent. Much fun pasting was had and no need for me to stress because it’s so much cheaper than glue sticks – let’s face it, with two boys it’s always going to get messy : ) I now have a whole yoghurt container in the fridge. What a fantastic recipe. Thanks for sharing!
pagingfunmums says
October 14, 2014 at 7:12 amHello Emma, We are so happy that you enjoyed both the making process and also the creative play with your boys!! We use this all the time at home for so many different projects.
Louise xx
Emma says
April 26, 2015 at 9:33 amHi Louise,
I just wanted to let you know it’s months later – April 26 2015 – and we just took out the glue from the fridge to use. A minute in the microwave and a bit of lump squashing equals perfect glue for some collage making on a rainy day!! I can’t believe it wasn’t mouldy and that it still worked. Thanks again!
Emma
Deb says
October 14, 2014 at 10:41 pmI would like to make hand print molds with my preschool class, the 2 ingredient receipe i.e., corn starch and glue. Would this glue recipe work for that project? Have found so kany wonderful ideas on your site! Thank you so, so much!
pagingfunmums says
October 15, 2014 at 6:21 amHi Deb, we haven’t tried it with our homemade glue but I would worry that it might be hard to get the right consistency… So glad you are enjoying our site! Louise x
Mary says
October 18, 2014 at 7:48 amI cant wait to show my son. This is going to make art projects so much easier. Seems as if this is going to make glitter a whole lot easier too. I also admire you as it seems you have replied to every one of your followers who comment, well done.
Teresa says
October 18, 2014 at 4:09 pmSo thrilled to have this. I work with children at church. This is fantastic. Thrilled to find this site
Rehana Peer says
October 18, 2014 at 6:19 pmThanks for sharing . great idea!
Char says
December 3, 2014 at 2:37 pmCan this glue be used for decoupage projects?
pagingfunmums says
December 4, 2014 at 7:50 amIt sure can Char 🙂 Jen x
CrazyTourists says
December 19, 2014 at 8:07 amI wanted to make some glue for my 20 month old daughter and I found your post. You gave me a great idea!! Thanks!
you just pure some glue over the sponge or you soak it in it and squizze out the excess?
Antonia
pagingfunmums says
December 21, 2014 at 7:48 pmHi Antonia, No need to squeeze off the excess – it will just help as they ‘stick’ their cuttings in before pasting :). Enjoy! Louise x
Irene says
December 22, 2014 at 10:15 pmWhat is the necessity of refrigeration? Can this be used and stored at room temperature? I don’t want to utilize my space in the frig for glue and have someone not pay attention to the label of glue and eat it. What are some other options for storage at room temperature. Thanks, I really like your advice.
Irene
pagingfunmums says
December 22, 2014 at 10:33 pmHi Irene, because it has no added preservatives it will grow mould if left at room temp. I would recommend storing it in a child-proof jar. However it should do no harm if ingested (without the mould). Louise x
zoe greece says
April 6, 2015 at 5:55 pmthis glue is amazing!!!! thank you for recipe I read at the comments can be used for decoupage!!! you save my money from expensive decoupage glue!!! I am a mum but my children grown up (about 30 y old now!!!) but very usefull for me!!!! thank you so much is very helpful your site for all not only for kids but also for us the grown up older kids hohoho!!!!
pagingfunmums says
April 7, 2015 at 6:35 amHi Zoe! So happy to read this :). Glad you enjoyed the recipe as much as we do! Louise x
darla arnold says
April 24, 2015 at 1:10 amwow i go thur so much makeing cards to mail i going try this for sure ty, i love saving money so i can buy others thing i cant made to craft with, ty ty so much,
Frankie says
April 24, 2015 at 6:27 amThis is waht we used to use for wallpaper in the “olden days”. does anyone else remember that far back?
josephine says
May 12, 2015 at 12:41 pmsay what now
josephine says
May 12, 2015 at 12:41 pmcool bro
Cathy says
June 24, 2015 at 4:39 pmI love this glue recipe and will use it with my grandson when we do our projects!
pagingfunmums says
July 4, 2015 at 8:11 amHi Cathy, that’s great news :). Louise x
A says
June 29, 2015 at 1:24 amHi there,
Do you think that this could be used to glue layers of cardboard? I want to DIY a layers cardboard ball, cardboard scratch tower, and possibly a cardboard cube (inside cut out) lounger for my cats? The ones that you can purchase in store say “non-toxic starch adhesive.”
pagingfunmums says
July 4, 2015 at 8:07 amHi there, I don’t think this glue would be strong enough to support the weight. Louise
Xinle says
August 28, 2015 at 11:57 pmCan use another vinegar or must use white vinegar?
pagingfunmums says
August 31, 2015 at 11:57 amYou could use another – it might effect the colour but will protect against mould. Louise
N Rush says
December 15, 2015 at 9:27 pmHas anyone attempted to put it into glue sticks yet? Any results to share?
Trash into Treasures says
December 16, 2015 at 1:46 amThank you so much for sharing this. We just made it this afternoon and used it for cardmaking and paper mache repairs and really like the result. No wobbely paper and no sign of glue anywhere and it sticks like it should, no pealing off after it dries. And we love that it is edible so could even be used for food creations 😀
For those wanting to use grams instead of cups, 1 cup of cornstarch is 125 grams.
We made a quarter of the recipy to start with.
pagingfunmums says
December 16, 2015 at 10:23 amSo pleased that you found our recipe so useful and thank you for sharing the gram measurements too!
Lou xx
Theresa says
March 10, 2016 at 8:15 amCould I use Argo starch instead of the cornstarch?
Maretta Troxel says
June 3, 2016 at 3:02 pmYes, Argo cornstarch can be used. My mother was one of those women who used the recipe minus the vinegar and salt. She used it as wallpaper paste, starch for clothes ( not as thick, experience teaches one as to how thick etc. ).
My parents had a grocery store when I was growing up. As a teenager working in the store, a woman who inquired about cornstarch for clothes, I suggested what my Mom used. I recall her saying, “Are you sure?”
She didn’t put much truth in what I said and bought the laundry starch made for laundry.
After marrying my husband in 1950, we lived in a second story cold water flat. One had to pass through the kitchen of our landlord to reach the laundry. My landlord noticed my box of Argo sitting on my laundry and she inquired if I knew I did not have the correct starch. I told he it was what Mom used. After I had ironed the starch items, she was surprised that it worked.
Samantha Nguyen says
November 15, 2016 at 4:38 pmCan you use this glue to make slime?
Falicia says
May 24, 2017 at 7:29 amThanks for the info! Will this glue peel off the palm of my hand? Been wanting to try something fun for my kids. Trying not to use animal products. Thanks in advance.
Riyane says
July 6, 2017 at 1:22 amCan i use this glue for tissue decoupage