Bubble Bath That Never Runs Out of Bubbles

by DIY Hacks and How Tos

20K7631

Intro: Bubble Bath That Never Runs Out of Bubbles

Everyone loves bubble baths. But sadly, they can only last for so long. Eventually the bubbles pop and you are left with just an ordinary bath with no bubbles.

So I decided to make a bubble bath setup that would continuously replenish the bubbles so that they would never run out. That way you can enjoy a bubble bath for as long as you want.

STEP 1: Materials

These are the materials that you will need to complete this project. They can all be purchased at most pet supply stores. They will be located with the aquarium supplies.

Aquarium Air Pump - Air pumps come in a variety of sizes and are usually rated based on the size of the fish tank (in gallons) that they are able to aerate. The larger the air pump, the more bubbles it will be able to create. Larger pumps tend to have multiple output nozzles where you can attach multiple air tubes and air stones.

Aquarium Air Tubing - This is standard plastic tubing and is usually clear. This is typically sold as a single long piece of tubing. You may wish to cut it to a length that is more convenient to work with.

Aquarium Air Stone - These are small artificial stones with tiny holes that disperse the air as small bubbles. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes. They are also rated based on the size of the bubbles that they make. Standard air stones will make moderate sized bubbles. Whereas "fine" and "mist" stones will make smaller bubbles. In this application, smaller bubbles will last longer, but larger bubbles will build up a larger foam. So I chose to use a standard air stone.

Bathtub of Soapy Water - Just take a bathtub and fill it with water. Pour in your favorite bubble bath soap as the water is running to get the best mixing.

STEP 2: Connect the Air Pump, Tubing and Air Stones

The first thing that you need to do is connect the air pump, air tubing and the air stones. This should be pretty straight forward. Push the end of the air tubing onto the output nozzle of the air pump. Then push the nozzle of the air stone onto the other end of the tubing. If your air pump has multiple outputs, you can repeat this to set up multiple hoses and air stones.

STEP 3: Test the Air Stones

Once all the parts are connected, you are ready to test your air stones. When you turn on the air pump, you should be able to hear air hissing out of the air stone. When you place the stone in the water, it should immediately start creating a plume of bubbles. Holding the stone deeper under the water should create slightly larger bubbles.

STEP 4: Setup All Your Air Stone in the Bathtub

Now run all the tubes into the tub. You can just set them in loosely. But if you want to hold them in place you can just set a heavy shampoo bottle on the tubes.

STEP 5: INFINITE BUBBLES!

Now all you have to do is turn on the pump and your tub will quickly fill with an endless stream of bubbles. It should only take a few minutes to completely fill the tub. You can now sit back and enjoy a nice relaxing bubble bath for as long as you want and you will never run out of bubbles.

Safety Note: The air pump should be waterproof if it is designed to be an aquarium pump. But to be extra safe, you should position the pump somewhere away from the tub where is won't get wet.

STEP 6: Bonus: for Even Better Results, Add a Small Child

Everyone loves bubble baths. But nothing compares to the joy of a toddler splashing around in a mountain of bubbles. Try it out and have fun.

29 Comments

venuschandler 3 years ago

How much does this usually cost?

terrefirma 6 years ago

I got triggered when I saw 'bath' couple with an electrical appliance, but I am just sensitive...

yoyojacky 7 years ago

haha, that's a fantastic, too many bubbles, I feel that i am sinking in bubbles...

GymnasticsGirl 7 years ago

this is a great idea! have fun with lots and lots of bubbles!!!!

CRASH MA5TER 8 years ago

The led is a 5mm I forgot to add

ambrose.clarke 7 years ago

You could try the calculators in the link below to get the correct value - as stated here, it will kind of work without the resistor (no resistor limits the lifespan of the LED) - but adding a resistor will make your AA batteries last longer as it will allow you to reduce the current taken from the batteries.

https://www.instructables.com/id/Choosing-The-Resis...

CreatedByVika8 7 years ago

Hi Jason! Decided to check this cute duck's face and turned out I would need this instructable for sure within a year or two when I have my own babies to bathe in a tub! Great tutorial! Thanks for sharing!

CRASH MA5TER 8 years ago

Okay cool thanks

CRASH MA5TER 8 years ago

I have a question that does not relate to this project at all but you mess with leds a lot and I was hoping you could answer this for me

So I have a battery pack that holds 2 aaa batteries a switch and a 3v 20ma led that is green
My question is do I need a resistor

DIY Hacks and How Tos 8 years ago

No. An LED is only needed when your power supply voltage is too high for the LEDs and needs to be dropped down to the LED's voltage.

HLightning11 8 years ago

BTW, the soap used to make bubbles 'normally' does not work after shampoo.

smartrem 8 years ago

It's because shampoo or conditionner contain silicon. It stays on the surface of the water so it's not possible to have bubbles anymore. Any kind of oil will work. I used an anti-foam in an industrial water treatment plant that looked very much like shampoo and the results were spectacular (maybe a bucket of shampoo would have been cheaper)

Yonatan24 8 years ago

How is that possible? Wouldn't the Silicon make the shampoo SUPER expensive?

Or did you mean "Silicone"?

HLightning11 8 years ago

probably did.

HLightning11 8 years ago

just relized, the shampoo i used was silicone-free... maybe it's something else doing that?

HLightning11 8 years ago

ah! thats why! good to know!

Yonatan24 8 years ago

Cool!

Will you ever be back on Make:?