# Dry Ice Bubbles **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 17, 2008, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-ice-bubbles/473147 "2008-11-17T17:35:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ItsInTheCards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bb73d2/32.png) [@ItsInTheCards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ItsInTheCards)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2008, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-ice-bubbles/473147/1 "2008-11-17T17:35:16Z")
I’ve been lurking here for years and remember reading a thread earlier this year about dry ice bubbles. I’ve tried the search feature and can’t locate the original thread so I thought I would start a new one. I’d like to turn my pick-up truck into a super-duper bubble machine for my son’s birthday treasure hunt! We did a few experiments last weekend using dishsoap, about 4 lbs. of dry ice and a 5 gallon bucket, but couldn’t get the desired effect. Basically, the soap would freeze. Any ideas? ---
**Author:** ![masterofnone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@masterofnone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/masterofnone)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2008, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-ice-bubbles/473147/2 "2008-11-17T17:50:14Z")
I work in a lab and we get shipments on dry ice all the time. What you want to do is use lots of water with a little dish soap and a little dry ice at a time. You’d have to experiment with the correct proportions. Sounds like your dry ice:water:dish soap ratio was too high. The dry ice is just there to produce CO2, not to freeze the water sold. The warmer the water, the faster the CO2 will sublime. It takes very little dish soap to make bubbles - about the same proportion as you would use to wash dishes. What I’ve done in the lab is to add a quick squirt of dish soap to a liter of water and add a piece of dry ice about the size of my pinky finger. It’ll bubble for about 10 minutes. I’m not sure from your description what you intend to do, but remmeber, dry ice can cause serious burns. ---
**Author:** ![Randy\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee7513/32.png) [@Randy\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randy_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2008, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-ice-bubbles/473147/3 "2008-11-17T18:04:20Z")
> [@ItsInTheCards](#): > > I’ve been lurking here for years and remember reading a thread earlier this year about dry ice bubbles. [Here ya go](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=453566). Right proud of that one I am. ---
**Author:** ![ItsInTheCards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bb73d2/32.png) [@ItsInTheCards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ItsInTheCards)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2008, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-ice-bubbles/473147/4 "2008-11-17T18:53:47Z")
Wow! First thread I’ve posted and got the answer I was looking for in two posts. You guys are the best. ---
**Author:** ![Santo\_Rugger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Santo\_Rugger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Santo_Rugger)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2008, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-ice-bubbles/473147/5 "2008-11-17T18:56:22Z")
> [@masterofnone](#): > > I work in a lab and we get shipments on dry ice all the time. What you want to do is use lots of water with a little dish soap and a little dry ice at a time. You’d have to experiment with the correct proportions. Sounds like your dry ice:water:dish soap ratio was too high. The dry ice is just there to produce CO2, not to freeze the water sold. The warmer the water, the faster the CO2 will sublime. It takes very little dish soap to make bubbles - about the same proportion as you would use to wash dishes. What I’ve done in the lab is to add a quick squirt of dish soap to a liter of water and add a piece of dry ice about the size of my pinky finger. It’ll bubble for about 10 minutes. > > I’m not sure from your description what you intend to do, but remmeber, dry ice can cause serious burns. You get _paid_ to make dry ice bubbles? Can anybody say, “Awesome!”? ---
**Author:** ![masterofnone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@masterofnone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/masterofnone)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2008, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dry-ice-bubbles/473147/6 "2008-11-17T19:58:15Z")
> [@Santo\_Rugger](#): > > You get _paid_ to make dry ice bubbles? Can anybody say, “Awesome!”? 🆒 The pay may not be the greatest, but I do have fun!