I simply love the creations my little girl makes with her Play-Doh and sometimes I want to preserve them for the future. Other types of clay allow you to bake sculptures to harden them. But can you bake Play-Doh?
The answer is yes! You can bake Play-Doh. So if you want to preserve your child’s work of art, you can. Continue reading to find out everything you need to know on this topic; if it’s safe to bake Play-Doh and what the best method is. The method I show won’t cause cracks in your child’s sculptures or molds!
Is it Safe to Bake Play-Doh?
Many parents are skeptical about baking Play-Doh for the fear that it might release toxins. But you can rest assured that this type of dough is free from chemicals and is LHAMA certified so it’s 100% safe to bake. Play-Doh has a combination of salt, wheat flour and dyes that are non-toxic.
The dough is also a non-flammable product that’s safe to put in the oven. On the other hand, it’s not safe for children to bake their own Play-Doh. You should never allow your child to operate an oven. Therefore, you must bake the doughy molds and sculptures for your little one to prevent them from getting burnt by the oven.
How do You Bake Play-Doh?
What you’ll need for the baking process:
- A baking tray
- Wax or parchment paper
- Oven mitts
- Your child’s Play-Doh creation
To prevent your child’s Play-Doh sculptures from cracking follow these easy steps:
- Line your baking tray with wax or parchment paper
- Preheat your oven to 200℉
- Place the Play-Doh creations on the oven tray and pop it into the oven
- Bake for 30 minutes
- Check on them every 5-10 minutes to prevent cracking or burning
- Once they’re done baking, remove the tray from the oven
- Leave the Play-Doh creations to cool before removing them from the tray
After baking the molds or sculptures they will be hardened. You can then place the creations on your mantle or stick magnets to each one and place them on your fridge. It should be noted that the thickness of the Play-Doh may affect baking time.
If the creations are not hardened place them back in the oven for another 10 – 15 minutes.
Will the Play-Doh Crack if You Bake It?
The Play-Doh creations may crack if you put the oven on high heat. For the best results keep the oven on a low 200℉ heat and keep checking on them to prevent them from cracking or burning.
Flat and smoothed-out pieces tend to bake better without cracking. If you notice the pieces have a few uneven sections try to smooth them out before placing them in the oven so they won’t crack during the baking process.
What Are the Advantages of Baking Play-Doh?
One of the benefits of baking Play-Doh is that you get to preserve your little one’s art. You can use these hardened sculptures as ornaments around your home. Another advantage is that you can apply a coat of varnish to the sculptures to enhance their colors.
When Play-Doh is hardened you can allow your child to add other colors by painting the sculpture with acrylics. Your child can play with the sculptures afterward or store them in his or her toy box. Hardening the Play-Doh creations will make them durable so they won’t break.
If you’re looking for another type of dough that’s easier to bake you may want to try Crayola Dough instead.
Final Thoughts
Play-Doh was not designed to be fired like clay products and if you’re not careful, baking the dough in an oven can cause it to crack. On the other hand, if you follow my tips you can harden your child’s Play-Doh sculptures without them cracking.
Once you bake the Play-Doh it can’t be reused. So make sure your little one has plenty of Play-Doh left to make other creative sculptures.
