How to Dry Play-Doh

Play-Doh makes lifelong momentos if they are properly dried.

Play-Doh is a great tool for the young and old alike to create fabulous things like ornaments, sculptures and beads. Drying Play-Doh, however, can be a slight challenge. Left in the open air to dry, Play-Doh will crack and crumble. The colors dull and sometimes change, and the interior of your creation often remains gooey and only half-dry. By following these steps, you can have a better chance of preserving your precious Play-Doh masterpieces.

Things You'll Need

• Play-Doh sculpture
• Oven
• Aluminum foil
• Cookie sheet
• Toothpick
• Knitting needle
• Spray sealant

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 250 degrees. Line a flat cookie sheet with aluminum foil to prevent any colors from the Play-Doh from baking onto the sheet. Cut a second piece of aluminum foil large enough to loosely cover the sculpture. One single piece can be used for several small sculptures as long as it is large enough to loosely cover the pieces.

2. Hollow out a small tunnel in the sculpture using a toothpick for smaller sculptures and a knitting needle for larger sculptures. This can be done on the bottom of the piece or a side that will not be seen. The tunnel does not have to be large, only big enough to allow air to reach the inside of the piece.

3. Turn the oven off when it has finished preheating. Place the sculptures on the aluminum-covered cookie sheet spaced at least 1-inch apart. Be sure they do not touch. Loosely cover the piece with aluminum foil. Place the cookie sheet in the cooling oven for 20 minutes.

4. Remove the cookie sheet after 20 minutes and flip the sculpture, if possible. Laying the sculpture on its side at this point should not damage it. Replace the aluminum foil. Place the sculpture back in the oven for another 20 minutes.

5. Remove the cookie sheet and remove the aluminum foil. Place the sculptures right-side up and place them back into the oven for an additional 10 minutes. Remove the sculptures from the oven and allow to cool completely. If the sculptures are not completely dry and hard to the touch, repeat the cooking process until completely dry.

6. Paint and decorate the sculptures as desired and allow to dry completely. Spray the sculptures with clear spray sealant for preservation and allow to dry before handling.

Tips & Warnings

• Make your own Play-Doh at home by combining 1 cup flour, 1 cup water, ½ cup salt, 1 tbsp. cream of tartar and 1 tbsp. oil in a saucepan on low heat. Stir continuously. Remove from heat when dough forms a ball. Knead to make the dough more elastic.

• Working around the oven can be dangerous for small children.

Resources

• Tipnut: 10 Homemade Play-Doh Recipes