As I was saying, my four year-old daughter loves bugs. This evening, she was playing with a banana slug, carrying it all around the back yard. After gently depositing it on a leaf, she went in to wash up. Ten minutes later, I heard a bewildered cry from the bathroom. Prolonged scrubbing with soap had no effect on the slug slime on her hands. No kidding — the stuff was stuck tight.
I had to go in there with a dry washcloth, physically pick it off her skin, then scrub around each finger and nail with witch hazel/tea tree oil cleansing pads, then go at her with a nail brush. Fifteen minutes later, it was mostly gone. She was fine, mildly curious, even, but I could barely contain my willies.
This was too fascinating/disgusting not to Google, and a quick search turned up this account by zgirll of her own slug slime encounter. She found out all sorts of interesting facts about slime, including that it’s one of the best natural glues, and researchers are looking into whether it would be a good adhesive for surgical implants. Huh.
Tip: next time you or yours get slug slime on your hands, wipe it off with a dry cloth before washing with soap and water.
Asha Dornfest is a guest GeekMom and the publisher of Parent Hacks.
