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    Home » DIY Projects

    How to Make Crystals at Home

    by Patti Estep · May 24, 2023

    Jump to How-to Card
    Purple pipe cleaner borax crystal in a pot with an aloe vera plant.

    Learn how to make borax crystals with just a few simple supplies in the comfort of your own home.

    Three crystals made from Borax, pipe cleaners and craft puff balls.

    I'm caring for my daughter's plants while she moves to her new home.

    Real purple crystal in a pot with a succulent plant.

    I noticed that she has a lot of crystals and rocks in her pots. Some are purely decorative and some she says help to balance some plants that are tipping over until she can repot them.

    I've seen posts, mostly as a fun science experiment for kids, where they make crystals from Borax, and thought this might make a nice pot decoration and a fun craft.

    Supplies including mason jars, pipe cleaners, pom poms, food coloring, Borax powder, pencils, thread and scissors.

    How to Make Crystals at Home

    What You'll Need

    • scissors
    • plastic tub
    • tea kettle or pot
    • pipe cleaners, pom poms or both
    • Borax (in grocery stores with laundry detergent)
    • string or thread or fishing line
    • pencils
    • pint sized mason jars (one for each crystal)
    • food coloring optional
    • tape

    You need something fuzzy for the crystals to build upon. Many people use pipe cleaners and make different shapes with them. So I made one with purple pipe cleaners. I also tried fuzzy pom poms. One I left white and the other was colored with blue food coloring.

    pipe cleaners and pom poms tied with thread.

    Start by tying a piece of thread or string around the object. This needs to be long enough to hold the item mid-way in the jar. If you are making a large crystal you might want to use fishing line to accommodate the weight.

    Old plastic soup container with a wooden spoon stirring water and Borax.

    Create your crystal forming mixture by adding 1/2 cup of Borax with 2 cups of boiling hot water. I used an old soup container to mix it in. Keep stirring until all of the Borax is dissolved creating a saturated solution.

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    Purple pipe cleaner shape in the middle of a mason jar filled with crystal solution hanging from a pencil with thread.

    Pour the solution into your mason jar. Then tie the other end of the string onto a pencil to set on the jar to suspend the pipe cleaners or pom poms.

    Note: Once the object is in the jar you can roll the pencil, shortening the string, and then use a bit of tape to secure it in place.

    A white pom pom floating to the top of the borax and water solution in a mason jar tied with thread to a pencil.

    The pipe cleaner form worked great. However, the pom poms wanted to float to the top. To fix this dunk the pom pom into the solution for a minute.

    Two pom poms. One blue and one white drying on parchment paper tied to pencil with thread.

    Then remove it to some parchment paper or paper towels to dry and harden a bit. After about an hour I found that they would now sink in the jar.

    Three pint mason jars with pipe cleaners or pom poms suspended in borax and water solution by thread and pencil. One jar also has blue food coloring.

    Let the jars set for 24 hours.

    A pipe cleaner shape covered with borax crystals being lifted out of a mason jar.

    Pretty cool, huh? The Borax solution formed crystals around the pipe cleaners.

    Three homemade borax crystals drying on paper towels.

    Remove your crystals and let them dry off a bit. Then cut off the string and use it as you wish.

    Purple pipe cleaner covered in borax crystals set in a pot with aloe vera growing.

    This one looks pretty cute in my aloe plant right?

    Wouldn't they be a nice addition to a plant gift?

    Patti signature

    More Garden Crafting Ideas

    • Garden Charms
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    Three homemade borax crystals. One purple, one white and one blue.
    Three homemade borax crystals.
    Print

    How to Make Crystals at Home

    Here's a fun tutorial that requires only a few supplies and some patience to grow your own beautiful Borax crystals to enjoy at home or gift to someone special.
    Active Time30 minutes mins
    1 day d
    Total Time1 day d 30 minutes mins
    Yield: 3
    Cost: $10

    Equipment

    • 1 pair of scissors
    • plastic tub
    • tea kettle or pot
    • measuring cup

    Materials

    • pipe cleaners, pom poms or both
    • Borax (sodium borate)
    • string or thread or fishing line
    • pencils or a popsicle stick
    • pint sized mason jars One for each crystal
    • food coloring optional
    • tape

    Instructions

    • Make a form with pipe cleaners wrapping them around each other.
    • Tie a piece thread or string around the pipe cleaner form and pom poms.
    • Tie a pencil to the other end of the string
    • Boil water in a tea kettle or pot
    • Use an old recycled plastic tub to stir together 1/2 cup of Borax powder to 2 cups of boiling water.
    • Once dissolved pour the solution into one of the mason jars.
    • If desired add a good amount of food coloring to the Borax solution to color the white pom pom.
    • Place the pipe cleaner form or pom pom in the mason jar.
    • Use a piece of tape to hold the string on the pencil so that the item is held in the middle of the jar and solution.
    • Allow the items to sit for 24 hours.
    • Lift out the pipe cleaner form and pom poms onto some paper towels to drain.
    • Once dry place your crystals in a planter or anywhere you like.

    Notes

    If the crystals are continually wet they may break down. Make sure you remove them when you water your plants.
    If you develop a coating of crystals in the bottom or sides of the jars you can add boiling water to help break it down. Discard the crystals and run the jar through the dishwasher.
    You might want to wear gloves for this project as the Borax is rough on your skin.
    Also, if you decide to try this with kids or grandchildren use caution.  Don't inhale or ingest the borax powder and make sure it doesn't get into anyone's eyes. More details can be found on the Borax box.
    Tried this project?Tag @hearthnvine on Instagram
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    About Patti Estep

    Patti is the creator of Hearth and Vine, a home and garden blog filled with projects to inspire your creative side. She loves crafting, gardening, decorating and entertaining at her home in Pennsylvania. When she is not working on a project at home or searching for treasures at nurseries and thrift stores with her girlfriends, you’ll probably find her with family and friends, at a restaurant, or home party enjoying new and different food adventures.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Zuzanna

      May 24, 2023 at 12:57 pm

      This is a bring back memory project! One question though: will the crystals cause problems with the plants?

      Reply
      • Patti Estep

        May 24, 2023 at 1:19 pm

        I don't think so but I do remove them before watering the plants. You probably don't want any of the borax to leach too much into the soil.
        However, I have heard that some people actually put some in their soil mix so maybe it's not an issue at all.

        Reply

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