We’ve all tried to refill a squirt gun by holding it underwater and shaking it. It just doesn’t work like it should. The same little tiny hole that lets water in has to let air out, and surface tension traps the air bubbles before they can escape. It just takes FOREVER.

Filling up guns underwater also puts everyone’s hands in the same bucket, which spreads disease. In a post-COVID world, we’re all more aware than ever of our hygiene. Think about it: would you drink the water leftover in that bucket at the end of a kid’s birthday party? It would be like licking every kid’s hands! SUPER ICKY! No way I’m doing that.

The most important thing I learned while filling and distributing over 250,000 squirt guns at public festivals in Chicagoland is this: keep your guns clean. You don’t want pinkeye. That means:

• Use a “clean bucket” for filling. Anyone who reaches in the clean bucket must have clean hands. Nobody else is allowed to reach in the bucket. This is easiest when ONLY ONE responsible adult fills up and hands out all the guns.
• Use a “dirty bucket” for empties. We put the empties in a separate bucket so they don’t contaminate the clean bucket.
• Don’t ever refill guns by dunking them in buckets of water. You wouldn’t want to drink that water after everyone’s dirty hands were in it. Also, it’s super slow! Encourage guests to discard empties and ask for a new gun instead.
• Once they’re used, dispose of squirt guns properly.

I know filling up 100 squirt guns at a time sounds like torture, but it’s much easier with the right tools. I sell kits that make it possible for one person to fill 100 guns in about 15 minutes, and I ship them anywhere in the world. It has everything you need, including a special funnel and video instructions for how to fill the guns fast. Just add water!