Let me show you how you can easily fix your kids super dried playdough in less than a minute! Yes, no more wasting of expensive or homemade playdough. Let’s fix it!
Playdough from the store or the homemade one is always made with some water. So when it stays in contact with air, it dries! And as a mum, we know that kids never, ever:
- Tidy up the playdough
- Close the playdough jar lids – when they finally sort it out
And then, they get sad because they end up with dried-out play-doh, crumbly on top and rough. Not cool, right?
But, as a mum, I learned how to fix my dry playdough at home.
How to easily fix dried playdough?
It’s very easy to fix dry playdough. It only takes 4 simple steps.
Step 1: Which Dried Playdough Can Be Fixed
So before you start putting energy and love into this activity, remember that not all dried playdough can be fixed.
In fact, if your playdough is completely hard as a rock, there’s no way to make it soft and fun again. It’s beyond repair.
So first, make sure the playdough is still a tiny bit soft in the center, or you can still push your finger in before starting. Crumbly, rough playdough is perfect for this hack.
Step 2: Divide into Small Batches
Now, divide the dried playdough into small portions of about 60 grams. Large batches are much more difficult to knead and fix!
If you have a lot of dry playdough, you’ll have to repeat the following steps several times.
Step 3: Spray Water On The Playdough
Place the ball into a microwave-safe bowl and use a water spray bottle to spray water all around the playdough ball.
The dryer the playdough, the more water you need.
Start with 3-4 squirts of water to avoid adding too much water that would result in gooey sticky dough.
Step 4: Microwave The Dough
Now, microwave for 10 to 15 seconds to soften the dough.
Remove from the microwave and carefully transfer into a plastic bag.
Press the bag with your hands to knead the dough and bring the water in contact with all the dough. It gets softer and less sticky as you go.
When the dough is easy to hold by hand, remove it from the bag and knead again. It should be perfect now, but if too wet, keep kneading to let the dough absorb the water.
If too dry, repeat the steps above until the playdough is back to its natural softness.
Of course, depending on how the playdough was initially, you may have to add more water or microwave it a few more times.
Downsides
This playdough hack is great to quickly fix playdough for a few hours, but as the kids play with it, it loses its moisture again and dries out. Simply repeat the steps above to soften the dough.
I hope you enjoyed this simple hack that I love as a playdough lover for my kids.
Other playdough recipes
Below are some of my playdough recipes for you to try:
Carine
How To Fix Dry Playdough?
Equipment
- Microwave
- Spray bottle
Materials
- 1 batch Old Dried Playdough
- 3-4 spray Water
Instructions
- First, make sure the playdough is fixable. If the playdough is as hard as a rock, you won't be able to bring it back to its soft texture. This hack works for dry, crumbly dough that you can still squeeze in your hands but that needs some pressure to be squeezed - see my pics above.
- Place a small batch of dry playdough - about 60 grams - in a microwave-safe bowl.
- Spray some water 3-4 times onto the ball using a spray water bottle.
- Microwave for 10-15 seconds, then transfer the dough to a plastic bag - the bag prevents burning yourself as the dough is hot and sticky.
- Squeeze the bag to knead the dough with your hand for about 30-60 seconds.
- When the dough is softer, doesn't stick to the bag anymore, take it out and play with it!
- Depending on how dry your playdough was, you may have to repeat the steps above.
Downsides
- The dough will harden again after about 1 hour of play or when it cools down. Repeat this hack when needed.
Video
