DIY Water Balloon Filler Station: Easiest Way to Fill Water Balloons. Like, Ever.

Jul 8, 2014 | Baby and Kids, DIY, Lifestyle

Summer is here and that means hot weather! Enter the fun way to cool off on a hot day — water balloons! Make our easy DIY water balloon filler station and our easy way to tie balloons so the kids can fill them, themselves! #MomWin

DIY water balloon filler station, from Fun Cheap or Free

Bring on the fun summer activities! Water is always a go-to when it's hot outside, especially if you need to get some energy out of those crazy kids! Water balloons are always a win, but it's not always so fun when they're using them quicker than you can fill them. Not anymore, mama!

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Enter the gals from Find It Make It Love It to share their super cheap, easy, and clever DIY water balloon filler station idea using…wait for it…empty shampoo and soap bottles! Seriously, this will change your life this summer. You're welcome. 😉

Summer is here: Fun, busy, and HOT. One of our kids' favorite summer activities is playing with water balloons. Typically, playing with water balloons means TONS of time for mom filling and tying…then the kids show up and it's over in about three minutes flat. We had to find a better way! That's why we came up with our water balloon filler station that works like a champ.


HOW TO MAKE WATER BALLOON FILLER PUMPS

hand sanitizer bottles filling water balloons, from Fun Cheap or Free

We took empty pump dispensers, rinsed them, and filled them with water. They work perfectly as water balloon pumps! You can use anything from shampoo and conditioner bottles to hand sanitizer and bubble bath bottles. Anything works, as long as it has a pump!

The kids can easily fill the balloons themselves and they love it! Plus, when you make your own water balloon filler station, they can tie the balloons by themselves as well. Talk about a major parenting win!


HOW TO MAKE THE WATER BALLOON FILLER STATION

This is a simple project, but does require using a couple of power tools. Nothing you can't handle!

SUPPLIES NEEDED

water balloon filler station supplies, from Fun Cheap or Free
  • 2 boards (about 6″ by 12″-ours were scraps from the garage.)
  • 3/4 PVC pipe
  • Wood glue
  • Drill
  • Jigsaw
  • 2 screws
  • Paint (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

First, use a jigsaw to cut about two inches into the PVC pipe, right down the middle.

Jigsaw cutting pipe, from Fun Cheap or Free

Next, turn the pipe and cut halfway into it, just to the existing cut.

Cut pipe and jigsaw tool, from Fun Cheap or Free

Then, cut the PVC piece to about four inches long, total. It will look like this:

Finished pipe after cutting, from Fun Cheap or Free

If it's pretty rough-looking, like ours, then use some sand paper to smooth it down a bit.

Next, use a 3/4-inch drill bit to drill two holes for the PVC piece to fit in. You'll have to wiggle the drill around a little to get the hole big enough to fit the PVC.

Pipe and drill bit on top of wood, from Fun Cheap or Free
Drill bit drilling into wood, from fcf

Use wood glue to attach the PVC pieces into the holes. Then, use wood glue in addition to screws to attach the wood pieces together. (We used an extra piece of wood here to help stabilize while we drilled in the screws.)

Water balloon filler station with wood glue, from Fun Cheap or Free

The two pieces will end up like this:

Water balloon filler bottles on top of station, from Fun Cheap or Free

Last, give it a quick coat of paint (if you'd like), and let the fun begin!

Finished water balloon filler station, from Fun Cheap or Free

Now let's see how this thing works!


HOW TO USE THE WATER BALLOON FILLER STATION

First, use the water balloon filler bottles to fill the balloon.

girl filling water balloons, from Fun Cheap or Free

Second, wrap the end of the balloon around the PVC.

girl tying water balloons, from Fun Cheap or Free

Third, tuck the end under and pull through.

girl using water balloon filler station to tie balloons, from Fun Cheap or Free

Voila! Easy as pie.

girl holding water balloon, from Fun Cheap or Free

WATCH THE WATER BALLOON FILLER STATION IN ACTION

Because it can be confusing explaining this kind of thing, we made a 20-second video to demonstrate how to use the tying jig!

Mic. drop.


You're going to love how easy the water balloon filler station is to use! Gone are the days of cold, sore fingers and 3-minute water fights! We will be using this thing all summer long: at home, at a friends' house, and even camping. It's a perfect addition to a killer summer party! Make sure you share your summer water balloon fights with us on Instagram and Facebook! We love to see all the fun, family activities.

Easy water balloon filler station outside, from Fun Cheap or Free

Looking for more summer fun?

Now go show your kids who's boss in the water balloon fight! 😉

3 Comments

  1. Frenchell

    Love This!! What a great idea, my fav part is the balloon tie part. Because honestly it can be so much work when kids want to have a water balloon fight, I like that this lets them do the work instead of me.

    Reply
  2. Donna

    Just wondering how often (how many balloons) the containers need to be filled with water and are they filled with hoses kept nearby?

    Reply
  3. Laura

    Brilliant!!!

    Reply

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