How to Make Play Doh Soft Again With Ease

If you have play-doh, learn several methods to restore the elasticity of the toy by reading how to make a play-doh soft again with ease.

Play-Dohs are every child’s beloved toy. We all have great childhood memories with this versatile childhood staple molded into different fun shapes. This classic toy can be used for several activities.

The Play-doh is one of the oldest toys invented for little children, but it can get dry, hard, and flaky when it’s left out for too long. This can be pretty frustrating for the children and moms in turn because a Play-Doh that has lost its elasticity and ability to stretch is useless.

Rehydrating your Play-Doh is worth not driving to the store every time your children want their toy. These homemade tricks will come in handy and also save you money.

How to Make a Play-Doh Soft Again

1. The water method
2. The paper towel method
3. The glycerine method
4. The handsoap method
5. The no fingers method
6. The palm and squishy method

The Water Method

Play-Doh is made with the same ingredients as bread. Water is the best option to rejuvenate the starch particles in the dough.

1. One of the easiest and fastest methods to make your play-doh softer again is by running it under tap water for about 3 minutes. An alternative to this is dipping it in a bowl of room temperature water.
2. When this is done, gradually and gently knead the water into the Play-Doh like you would do while baking bread with regular dough. You have to do this for a while until the Play-Doh, and the water is completely incorporated into each other. Give or take 5 minutes.
3. Your Play-Doh should be on its way to your desired consistency, but if after this, your Play-Doh is still dry and flaky, keep adding water until it reaches the perfect consistency you would like and Voila! Your Play-Doh is as good as new.

The Paper Towel Method

This is the method for you if you have time on your hands, and the children are not screaming and requesting a perfect Play-Doh for their activities. This method requires that you leave the Play-Doh overnight.

1. To rehydrate your PlayDoh, wrap it in a wet/damp paper towel before putting it back into its original container
2. Make sure the paper towel covers the entire Play-Doh.
3. Put the Play-Doh back into its original container. Tightly replace the lid on the container and let it sit overnight or for a few days. Next time you’re ready to use it, they’ll be as good as new.

For the perfect result, we recommend the two-ply, store-bought kind of paper towel.

The Glycerine Method

Mothers swear by the efficacy of this method. Glycerine has de-crustifying properties, and this also works for Play-Doh. This method allows the Play-Doh to last longer in its stretchy state even when it’s left out for a little time.

1. Make a deep hole with your fingers in the dry Play-Doh.
2. Add two drops of glycerine and work the Play-Doh with your hands until it’s to your desired consistency.

For precision, you can use a syringe to measure the amount of glycerine you would like to add.

Your Play-Doh is ready for all the activities again.

The Handsoap Method

As it should be, most parents are wary and skeptical about this method because little children tend to put Play-Doh in their mouth and even swallow it sometimes.
But if your kids are old enough to know not to put this stretchy toy in their mouth, then this method would work for you.

1. Mix a teaspoon of your hand soap into half a cup of water until it foams.
2. In bits, add the soap mixture to the flaky Play-Doh and apply pressure to mix.
3. Store mixed the dough in an airtight container overnight or for a few hours, and it’s ready for use.

This method is sometimes preferred because it gives the dough a nice smell and fragrance.

The No Fingers Method

If you’re not in the mood to get that manicure dirty, this trick is for you.

Unlike other methods, you don’t have to apply pressure and knead with your fingers to get your Play-Doh back to its old glory.

1. Break the Play-Doh into pieces and put the dry and flaky, broken pieces into a sealable plastic bag like a Ziplock and add some water.
2. Through the plastic bag, mash your Play-Doh with water you’ve previously added and keep mixing the water with the Play-Doh until it’s perfectly moist.
3. Store the plastic bag in a dry place or the original PlayDoh storage container.
4. Remove the PlayDoh from the plastic bag to use it whenever it’s needed.

The Palm and Squishy Method

The major advantage of this method is that it requires less strength like the other methods.

Step One: Just like in the ‘no-fingers method,’ break your Play-Doh into bits and pieces. You can use your fingers or a pasta maker to break it successfully.

Step Two: Gather the pieces into your palm and run some tap water on it for about 10 seconds.

Step Three: Squish that Play-Doh in between your palms and don’t stop until it looks a little dry and less moist.

A con of this trick is that it gets messy, and your palm is stained with some of the colors from the Play-Doh.

Final thoughts

Of course, nobody likes a hard and flaky Play-Doh, but if you try all these methods and your PlayDoh doesn’t get softer, it’s probably time to give up on that dough and buy a new one from the store. Even if the Play-Doh still has its elastic properties, but it looks dirty from all the throwing and molding, it’s advisable to buy a new one because the former is already infested with bacteria and unhealthy organisms.

The most effective way to keep your Play-Doh from drying out is to store it properly. Do you know more tips on how to make a play-doh soft again? Leave a comment below to let us know!

Thank you for reading with us today! Be sure to check out other methods to involve your children more around the house like “12 Ways to Get Your Kids to Help Clean” or “5 Fun Things to do When You Are a Stay at Home Mom“.

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