How to keep Play Doh fresh and moist
Play-doh is such a fascinating toy for all kinds of craft lovers. You can use it to create different shapes and models of your choice and then reuse it again the next time. A set of good quality Play-Doh can last very long if we follow the proper precautions to ensure sustenance.
To some extent, how long a set of Play-doh lasts also depends on what kind of materials it was built from and which brand it represents.
In this article, we will talk about everything an individual needs to know as a beginner in Play-Doh. From consistency to prudent practices, keep reading to understand everything you need to know about keeping play doh set fresh and moist.
Why does play doh dry?
Originally play doh was manufactured using mostly organic products. Later, the entire manufacturing process was changed, and new chemicals were introduced to enhance the durability of these Play-Doh sets.
But even today, flour continues to be the main ingredient in Play-doh sets.
Flour and the other ingredients mixed with it form a concoction meant to dry out eventually. Over time more preservatives are used to retain the original quality of Play-Doh for a longer time.
Therefore, more expensive brands like cell play-doh are more durable than the drug store products that we are used to.
Even then, the average time for Play-doh to last normally is up to 3 months.
Play-doh hardens gradually, which means even during this period, half of these three months will be spent with you, or your children have to make do with tensile, brittle Play-Doh.
What kind of Play-Doh last the longest?
When young children are obsessed with Play-Doh toys, chances are they will keep playing with these sets almost on a day-to-day basis. The only problem with that is too much exposure to the atmosphere speeds up the drying process for Play-Doh.
Professional Play-Doh or artist playdoh lasts longer than the supermart playdough usually made for children.
Typically, Play-doh is made of salt, flour, water, and soap. Many contain a nontoxic formula which means they are not long-lasting since they do not contain chemicals.
Every Play-doh formula these days seems to include borax which prevents the formation of moles or fungus on the Play-Doh, which remains surprisingly clean for a wet flower that has been more than three months in the making.
Play-Doh formulas can last longer than the average time depending on what formula is used as a retrogradation inhibitor, surfactant, humectant, and preservative.
Is it possible to revive dry Play-Doh?
Yes, indeed, it is more than possible to revive dried-up Play-Doh. It is the best way to dispose of Play-Doh, which is no longer in its optimal stage.
Sprinkle water and knead
The easiest and greatest method of reviving hard and Play-Doh is to sprinkle it with water and knead it constantly. Since it is a dough, it responds well to the absorption of moisture it is being kneaded as bread usually would. This process might take more than just one sitting and has to continue until you can see definite results through the kneading process.
Adding glycerine
glycerine has been considered for a long time as an added moisture source. It is one of the hydrating chemicals we talked about before. Therefore, adding glycerine while trying out different methods to revise play-doh can actually work for the material. For children over a sufficient age, the presence of glycerine in everyday items is considered almost entirely harmless by health professionals.
Timing is a huge factor.
Play-doh set cannot be revived if it is completely dry. Therefore, the revival process should start when the door is starting to dry. It is true that time is a significant factor in whether or not your precious set of Play-doh can be revived.
Why should you play doh always be fresh and moist?
Easier for children to play
For obvious reasons, most children love to play with fresh and moist Play-Doh as those are easily manipulatable by even the smallest hands.
On the other hand, certain versions of the same item are much stronger and cannot be manipulated by children. Therefore, children will lose interest in the game when the play-doh gets too hard.
Better quality for artistic projects
It is a simple one. Fresh and moist Play-Doh is easily the better quality choice for artistic projects that may or may not be sold in the market. You need the best quality Play-Doh to use your artistic tools and give it detail.
That is why maintaining the stash of leftover Play-doh is so important for a good artist.
Enables the mixing and matching of hues
Only fresh and moist Play-Doh can be easily mixed with another to create a beautiful new color. The thing is, artists and creators who rely on Play-Doh for their creations do happen to use this mixing strategy quite often.
Clearly, it is important to keep the Play-Doh fresh and moist by following the proper steps.
Only good quality Play-Doh works with patients.
Play-doh is also a therapeutic toy used by patients of various backgrounds, ages, and diseases. Because they are patients who are filled with curiosity, have compromised energy banks, are hyper-fixated on texture, etc.
Working with a play that does not bring them instant gratification and intriguing results is impossible. Since many of these patients are getting used to these methods for the first time, being careful about using fresh and moist play doh is our priority.
Steps to keep Play-Doh fresh and moist
Store it in a zip locker
Zip locker provides immunity against the dryness of the outside world and, at the same time, offers Play-Doh surroundings that are made enough to make sure that some moisture is retained.
Add water to it now and then.
From what we know about the Play-doh drawing mechanism, water can cause a revival of moisture in the play-doh set. However, it is also true that you can provide your Play-doh set with some water. To ensure they are observing it.
Don’t store two different types of Play-Doh together
Soft Play-Doh will have different consistencies and variations in the chemicals used. It is easy to see that different Play-Doh brands stored with each other have greater moisture. But the opposite is true.
When different Play-doh from companies stores together, it is often seen that they speed up the drying process.
Avoid rough use
Rough use is a huge cause of many things. On the one hand, children are entitled to have fun with their toys. And will be cruel to these little imagination fairies.
However, on the other hand, the state of every material depends on how it has been used in the past. Rough use can easily speed up the drying process and improper storage.
Conclusion
Keeping your Play-Doh fresh and moist reduces the money you are paying for these sets. It also increases the quality of the fun experience children can have with these toys. Many artists also use Play-Doh as a core material in preparing sculptures, craftwork, jewelry, and much more.
Therefore, they are the one who is required to be of great quality and to remain as good as new till the project is complete.
FAQs
How long does play doh last?
Play-doh typically lasts around three months.
Can adding water make play doh moister?
Yes, Play-doh is mostly made up of flowers; adding water can make it softer.
How to make Play-Doh moist?
Adding water to the Play-Doh structure overnight or steaming it can make it moist and soft again.
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