How to Soften Play Dough – Step by Step!

There are several ways to soften play dough with water, however it is always important do not abuse this liquid, since the dough could lose its color. Follow the step by step that we propose below:

1. Place the clay in a medium cup and add a few drops of water to it, as you should avoid soaking it. To do this, you must pour the water drop by drop, as this way you could wet the dough superficially but without filling it with water. If the clay in question is very large, you can do it by the spoonful.
2. Knead the plasticine little by little so that the water goes into it.
3. Finally form a ball, stretch it and join it again. If the ball of clay is still hard, you should add a few more drops of water and try again.

Similarly, you can also wrap the play dough with a wet towel and let the dough rest overnight in a hermetically sealed container so that the water in the towel does not evaporate. When you take it out, you will see that the clay is not wet but it does have a softer touch.

If for some reason neither procedure works, you can do the following:

• Break the play dough into several pieces and store them in a plastic bag that is waterproof (make sure it has a tight seal).
• Add several drops of water to it, then close the bag and begin to knead the play dough. If it does not become soft, you can put a little more water.
• Let it sit overnight so that it absorbs almost all of the water. The bag must remain closed, so that the steam will not escape.

If you wonder how to soften the clay, you should know that there is a very easy option for which you will only need one appliance: the microwave.

1. Put the piece of play dough in a glass or plastic container.
2. Put it in the microwave for 20 seconds. It is essential that you respect this time, since if the dough were to overheat, it would release sulfur vapors (very harmful to health).
3. Take the plate out of the microwave and let the clay sit at room temperature before using.

If you don’t have a microwave, you can soften the clay under sunlight for 1-2 hours or in an oven. If you use this last option, follow this step by step:

1. Place the playdough on a cookie sheet.
2. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees and insert the plasticine by a time no longer than 10 minutes.
3. Remove the dough with the necessary protection to avoid burning yourself.
4. Let it cool for 2-3 minutes, especially if it’s steaming.

Keep in mind that you choose the process you choose, you should always add a few drops of water to the dough, since otherwise it would dry out and lose its properties.

Our last suggestion is that you soften the clay with steam. To do so, follow this simple step by step:

1. Flatten all of the modeling clay along the sides of a steamer but make sure it doesn’t cover the entire space.
2. Put some water in the pot in question and turn on the fire so that the steam acts on the clay. 5 or 10 minutes will be enough.
3. Knead the clay without completely removing it from the pot, because if it is still hard, you can always repeat the process one more time.

Softening the play dough is a process that requires a bit of patience, as there are cases where if the play dough has been dry for a long time, it will not be able to soften no matter how hard you try. In case this happens, it is best to throw it away and buy a new one. If you want to create your own dough, check out this article on How to make homemade modeling clay.

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