Are you thinking about something amazing for your Halloween or year-end party? If you still wonder about it, you may consider homemade fog juice.
Homemade fog juice will be a reasonable and effective method to make a fantastic and fanciful space for parties. Hence, let’s follow our article to know how to make homemade fog juice.
Table of Contents
Why Should I Make Homemade Fog Juice?
People often pay attention to DIY fogging machines instead of fog juice because they assume they just need to buy fog liquid and pour it into their equipment. They also rarely think about handmade fog fluid.
However, you should try to make fog juice at home once. It is regrettable not to study this special fluid. If you create fog liquid, you will see the difference between handmade and industrial products
You can buy fog juice easily online or in local shops; however, you may spend a lot of money and have to consider how much fluid you can use.
Thus, making high-quality fog liquid at home is pretty easy. Besides, the price is also reasonable. Moreover, you always have enough fluid throughout your events because you could mix materials by yourself to create fog quickly.
When the fog machine works, the heating department heats the fluid and turns it into smoke. Next, the fan blows the mixture’s heat into the crowd.
As you can see, the fog juice recipe is simple and it does not cost so much. You just own fogging equipment and make liquid precisely, you will have wonderful effects on parties.
Make Homemade Fog Juice With Glycerin
Glycerin is a basic and common material to make homemade fog juice. All steps are also simple, so you can do it by yourself.
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Step 1: Prepare tools and materials
To make homemade fog juice, you have to buy and prepare something, including.
• Distilled water/freshwater.
• Pure glycerin.
• Fog machine.
• Container/empty bottle.
• Measuring cup.
Step 2: Making distilled water
If you have enough ability and support tools, you can make distilled water at home. If not, you can buy distilled water for this work.
We should use distilled water because small tubes and pipes in the fog machine are not allowed to contain built-up minerals and dirt accumulation to protect equipment.
If you utilize tap or mineral water, your machine will be clogged over time and reduced lifetime.
Step 3: Mixing water and glycerin
According to the fog’s thickness that you want, you may rely on the following recipes.
- Very thick smoke
Take 70 percentages of water and 30 percent of glycerin by a measuring cup, then mixing them together in a container.
- Medium-thick smoke
Take 80 percentages of water and 20 percentages of glycerin to blend.
- Thin and light smoke
The ideal ratio for this smoke type is 85 percent of water and 15 percent of glycerin.
After mixing materials, close tightly and shake your bottle well within 10 – 15 seconds. You will get a fog fluid with unclear zones while using.
Step 4: Try to use the fog juice
Pour a bit amount of fluid into your fog machine. you should try a minimum level to see how it is effective and work.
If you are satisfied with your fog’s thickness, you can continue to pour the solution into the equipment. You may wait for a few minutes when the machine warms up, the fog will be thicker.
Adding more glycerin until getting the desired fog thickness.
If the fog is the same as the smoke, don’t worry, nice dense fog will be wonderful. Unless you smell burning, you should stop and check everything.
Step 5: Store in a bottle
Keep your solution in an empty and clean bottle. Ensuring you store unuse fog juice correctly for next time.
If you pour the solution and store it in the fog machine, impurities will grow inside and ruin the interior. Hence, don’t do that.
Don’t let your fog juice expose to high temper or direct sunshine. If you want to use it again, let’s shake well your bottle.
If you use this method, your fog will rise perfectly and it may be spectacular.
Make Scented Fog
If you love the scent, you may try to make a scented fog to create a romantic space at the party.
Here is our step-by-step guide for those who like scented fogs.
Step 1: Prepare tools
To make scented fogs, you have to prepare some tools and materials.
- Distilled water.
- Pure glycerin.
- Favorite fragrance oils.
- A metal can.
- Candles.
- Hammer, funnel, nail.
Step 2: Create liquid
Blending glycerin and distilled water. Each material needs half of a cup.
Add your desired fragrance oil to the fluid. You should choose fragrance oil instead of an essential one.
The right ratio is half of a tablespoon (approximately 1 ounce) per 1 liter of fog juice. Here are some suggestions for you.
Use potting soil oil and rain oil (each oil type need a quarter of a tablespoon) with half of tablespoon campfire oil. You will get a swampy scent.
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Combine anise and cotton candy oil, the spooky circus-themed space will appear in front of you.
Mixing tall grass, cedar, and pumpkin oil (ratio 1:2:2), you can bring a haunted hayride to your party.
If you like a crypt-themed space, the suitable recipe will be amber oil, potting soil oil, and dill pickle oil with a ratio of 2:2:1.
Step 3: Making DIY fog bottle
Using a hammer and nail to poke a few holes on the can surface. Take the hammer to tap on the nail gently until the surface appears with some tiny holes. These holes will let the air enter inside to keep the flame burning continuously.
Never use plastic cans because they may be melted and release toxins while burning.
Step 4: Light candles and make fog
Take the funnel’s narrow end to put on a pie tin. Then, use household tape to stick tightly two parts. If you do not have a funnel, you can cut the 2-liter bottle’s top with a knife about 5 – 6 inches.
Put the pie tin in the center can firmly.
Use some tiny candles to create an even heat area inside the can. Remember to stick them closely; thus, you can focus the heat in the same general zone.
You may buy a multi-wick candle to get a similar effect.
Place the tin above candles, ensure the flame does not touch the plate.
Pour your fog juice into the can, you may add half to a tablespoon of fog fluid to the funnel opening. You should pour slowly instead of adding too much liquid at the same time.
Step 5: See the fog shape
While heating, the solution will turn into fog. The fog flies out the can and spread the room.
You can prepare some light tools to make a fantastic effect. You just need to shine the colored light on the fog directly as it goes out of the bottle.
Make Homemade Fog Juice Without Glycerin
If you can’t buy glycerin, you are able to find alternative methods. These methods are simple to do. You may refer to some ways that we will introduce to you.
Using dry ice
If you need the fog to fall or flow on the floor, you may use dry ice. Now, let’s prepare a few stuff.
- Distilled water o fresh water.
- Dry ice.
- Gloves.
- Empty bottle or container (metal, plastic, or styrofoam).
- Heating-water tool.
Step 1: Prepare water
Heat water up to 180 Fahrenheit degrees (about 82 Celsius degrees). You should maintain the water’s temperature about 120 – 180 Fahrenheit degrees during use.
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You have to do this because if the water is too hot, instead of fog, the vapor will appear. The too cold water can’t create a thick fog.
Step 2: Perform fog
Before touching dry ice, you should wear gloves to prevent your hands from the freeze.
Take a small fan to direct the fog fluid. You have to make sure your room is airy. Besides, don’t allow kids and pets to stay on the floor for a long time because dry ice (frozen carbon dioxide) can create a large amount of CO2 after use. CO2 may cause breathlessness so you must protect everyone.
Step 3: Clean everything
After finish all steps, you should store dry ice carefully for the following time. Continue to ventilate to let the CO2 out.
Utilize a jar
Step 1: Heat water
Take a kettle, pour water into it, and heat until it is very hot but not boiling. If you use water from the heater, it will be excellent.
The ideal temper is about 120 – 180 Fahrenheit degrees. You need to maintain this temperature during making fog.
You may prepare a kitchen thermometer to check the temper. If not, you should run your hand across and don’t touch the water to know how warm the water feels to avoid burning.
Step 2: Pour hot water into a jar
After getting hot water, pour it into a glass jar slowly. Firstly, you should add a bit of water and swirl around the jar’s bottom.
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Secondly, fill the jar and let it alone within 1 minute. Close the lid.
Don’t pour too much hot water into the tank at once. If not, the tank may be broken or cracked. Before using a jar, check if it is heat-resistant glass or not.
During waiting, take a metal strainer.
Step 3: Pour the water out of a jar
Leaving about 1 inch inside the jar after pouring out the hot water inside. Your aim is to have bottom hot water in a too hot jar.
In case you pour out too much water, let’s replace it with hot tap water or boil water and let it cold a little.
Don’t let the bare hands touch a hot jar. You should prepare a soft, wide, and thick pad to protect your hands against the heat.
Step 4: Make fog
Put a metal strainer on the jar’s top. The basket part has to be inside the jar and not be exposed to the water.
When the warm air came to the metal strainer, fill the ice into it, about 3 – 4 cubes. Additionally, you may put some ice cubes onto the jar’s lid and set it atop.
In case your strainer is tiny, you can use crushed ice.
Now, you can view the fog shape. The cold air meets suddenly the warm one in the jar which creates rapid condensation. If you want to extend this process, you may try to spray a hairspray.
You can add a bit of food coloring to hot water to make colorful fogs. When the jar cools down, the fog is going to diminish.
Using a fog machine
Step 1: Prepare supplies
You can go to the hardware shop to buy basic supplies. They are not almost expensive and reusable, including.
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A round sheet metal ductwork pipe (stovepipe): 2 feet in length, 6 inches of diameter. It contains the fog inside.
- The copper refrigerator tubing: 1 tube of 25-foot length with 0.25 inch of the diameter, 1 tube of 50-foot length with 0.375 inches of the diameter.
- A clear plastic tubing: length – 12 feet, diameter – 0.375 inch.
- A pipe to create form: length – 2 feet, diameter – 1.5 inches.
- 4 pipe clamps for the clear tube.
- 1 mini submersible pump (80 gallons per hour).
- A plastic wire tie pack.
- An ice bucket or chest.
Step 2: Make soft copper coils
You have to create 2 coils. The first coil has 1.5 inches in diameter. The second coil’s diameter is 3 inches.
Take a piece of PVC pipe and winding refrigerator tubing around it. If it is difficult, you should use the pliers to grab the tube.
The inner coil needs a 25-foot copper tube and a 2-foot pipe (diameter: 1.5 inches). The outer coil requires a 50-foot copper tube and a 2-foot pipe (diameter: 3 inches).
After creating them, slide the coils out of respective tubings.
Slide the coils out of their respective tubes once created.
Step 3: Place the smaller coil into the larger
Put the smaller coil into the bigger one by slide. Secure it in a spot with tiny wire ties. Therefore, the fog passes in and goes around the coils to cool quickly.
If you tie the smaller coil hardly, you may let the tiny coil lay against the big one’s bottom. To prevent this, you should make sure the coil fits the stove tube inside. Let’s stretch those tubes out to allow them to match the pipe’s length.
Step 4: Place 2 coils into a stove tube
Slide the bigger coil into the stove tube and hold them in a position by a tie. Make sure 2 coils areas near the larger pipe’s center as possible.
Let the fog pass in and go around by hanging both coils. Thus, the cooling is also better.
Step 5: Connect your coils
Connect both coils’ ends at the chiller’s end with a mini submersible pump by using pipe clamps and longer plastic tubes.
Coldwater comes from the pump which circulates via both coils.
Step 6: Submerge the pump in an ice bucket
Fill the chest or bucket with ice water. Then, submerge the pump entirely into the bucket. You also need to ensure the fog machine has a position next to it.
Waiting for about 30 minutes after pouring ice water into the bucket. Put the fog equipment into the ice container’s other end. Point the faucet out
Step 7: Start the pump
After about 1 minute, cold water will flow vie the copper tube. Check the tube’s temper by touching. Starting your fog machine and pour the commercial fog fluid into it. The fog will appear, thanks to the cooling mechanism, it might flow and sink on the floor.
Note For Making Fog Juice
Never touch glycol
The water’s mixture and different glycol types may create fog effects rapidly. However, glycol is a toxin, so it is not suitable for an unpoisonous choice, for example, ethylene glycol is an anti-freeze and harmful.
If you use glycol, acute poisoning occurs immediately, sometimes, after a period, symptoms will appears if you breathe glycol.
As you can see, don’t be risky with health. Never touch glycol even you want to make the best fog effect.
Pay attention to the warranty
Basically, if you make fog liquid at home and pour it into your fog machine, you can’t continue to receive the warranty policy. Hence, before adding fog fluid to equipment, you should check whether you have to fix it.
Besides, let’s contact the manufacturer and ask what happens to the guarantee in case you use fog juice for their machine. However, if you have a DIY fog machine, you will be comfortable pouring any fog mixture.
Notice for smoke detection
The fog juice often does not create smoke; however, when rising, warning detectors may identify that it is a dangerous factor.
Therefore, you should contact the alarm company or building management (if you live in an apartment), they will give you advice on how to use fog machines and how to turn off warn equipment during partying.
Additionally, you must ensure there is no fire danger while turning off detector equipment. The flammable stuff has to be safe. You should also notice the kitchen area and sockets.
You only turn off warn detectors if you are definite that the fire incidents will not happen and always prepare fire tools. You may use dry ice to reduce the fog’s density and prevent it from reaching smoke detectors.
Keep fog juice away from children
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Mixing chemicals may cause harm to children, especially, you use dry ice to make fog, so you always keep away fluid from your kids. If not, our children can drink or breathe toxic liquid or air.
Moreover, always ventilate your room after making fog because the chemical may release poison gas (CO, CO2). You should not store fog juice for too long. If it’s too little, let’s remove it. It is best to determine the amount of solution required prior to preparation to avoid excess.
Q&A
How do I distill water?
Distilled water is water without minerals and specks of dirt, and it is an essential part of fog juice, so to make it (unless you use dry ice), you have to remove them. Hence, minerals and specks of dirt can’t build up and clog in the tubes. If you have enough tools, you will be able to distill water.
Take a stainless pot and fill tap water into it (about half of the pot). Then put a glass bowl in the water. The bowl base does not touch the pot bottom. You may place a round baking rack in the pot’s bottom to do this.
Boil water in the pot to eliminate impurities. Making condensation effect by using a cold and hot barrier. Turn the pot lid upside down and fill ice. The steam meets the cold lid and brings the condensation to you.
Continue to boil water. The steam will be more and condense on the lid. It will drip into the glass bowl. You have to maintain this process until you get enough amount of distilled water.
When do we use fog liquid?
You may need fog juice for some special occasions. Here are a few ideas to help you organize a successful event.
Halloween parties
Halloween may be an occasion that needs fog juice the most because mysterious fog scent can create a fanciful and spooky space for parties. If you build a haunted house model, the fog will increase hazy for it.
The fog can also obscure something horror. It is an excellent and perfect addition for any Halloween season and other similar events. You can make a dreamy and whimsical scene easily and cover some models that you do not want people to see.
Other regular parties
At the parties, the fog machine is not a decoration. It can give people an exciting experience. You can carry it to birthday parties, house parties, or weddings. The fog equipment will help you set up a romantic and poetic space if you have special performances or want to dance with others.
Concerts
The fog juice can bring unique effects for performance stages. Theatrical fog is relatively popular in concerts ; it brings high-end frames and saves costs.
You can also add fog to DJ shows or sports festivals to make the crowd excited quickly.
Filming
The films have content related to magic, witches, devil, and fairy which need mysterious effects and the fog is a perfect option. You can create scenes like fairy tales or wonderland with fog fluid without spending much money on techniques.
Other purposes
People often use fog to detect leak risks in industrial factories. Besides, when training firefighters, the fog work as a simulated smoke in a hypothetical situation.
How to make colorful fog?
If you love colored fog, you may try to add a few coloring food drops into your mixture. Besides, you can use color lights to shine the fog to prevent strange compounds from affecting fog juice.
Can I pour low-lying fog fluid for a regular fogger?
Low-lying fog liquid is suitable for a ground fogger because this combination will bring the best result to you. However, you can add regular fog fluid to this machine type.
How long is the shelf life of mist juice?
Commercial fog fluid has an expiry of about 12 – 18 months. However, homemade fog juice’s shelf life may be shorter. You should not store it for many years.
What is the fog chiller?
A fog chiller is a tool that helps you make low-lying ground fogs. If you want this effect, you have to cool the fog juice. When the temperature is low, the liquid will be heavier and stay on the ground.
Does fog fluid leave any residue?
According to the theory, fog juice leaves residue if you buy low-quality materials to make it. When the fog fluid exposes to the ground, residue appears. However, the amount of fog liquid is not enough to cause any risk.
You have to pick the best material to make handmade fog juice to avoid stains or residue after a long time.
Conclusion
Now, I believe you can make homemade fog juice rapidly. Thus, you will be able to bring fantastic performances to special events. Besides, you also know basic rules and notes when creating fog liquid.
Although it is difficult to hold big parties because of the pandemic, we can still be creative with DJ parties on a small scale or make something amazing with mysterious fogs every day to dispel boredom.
