How to Soften Dry Play Dough

Dry play dough is often hard, fragmented and difficult to knead. The ingredients for making play dough are very simple, just water, salt and flour. To soften the dry play dough, you need to add water to the dough. Try the following proven methods to deal with dry play dough.

Table of Contents

Add water to the dough

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More water. Put the play dough in a cup or small bowl, and then add a drop of water to it. Do not pour a lot of water into the dough at once. Slowly add one drop at a time so you don’t add too much water. Pour water into the cracks. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Add more than a drop of water if you need to handle large amounts of play dough. You can add a teaspoon of water.

Knead the dough. Use your hands to knead the dough to absorb the water. Roll the dough into balls, stretch, break and collect the dough. If the dough is still firm after 15-20 seconds of handling, add a drop of water and continue kneading.

Patient. Continue adding water and knead the dough until soft. Don’t worry if the dough gets wet and sticky – just keep kneading. ^{[2] X Research Source} After a few minutes, the play dough will be soft and pliable like new.

Wrap the play dough with a wet tissue

Use a wet paper towel to wrap the play dough. You can also use toilet paper, paper towels, napkins, or any other paper that is both soft and absorbent. Fill the paper towel with water until it is completely wet, then use the wet paper towel to wrap the play dough.

This is the second most effective method after you have tried kneading the dough with water. While the kneading method is both easy and doesn’t take much time, it’s not always effective.
Make sure the dough is compacted relatively tightly. You should roll the dough into balls or cubes. That way, wrapping paper will be easier.

Place the dough into a container with a tight-fitting lid. Use a Play-Doh plastic container if you have one available, or use a small plastic container. Make sure the container has a tight-fitting lid so the moisture in the paper towels doesn’t evaporate.

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Wrap the play dough with a wet paper towel overnight. Wait about a day before you remove the play dough from the container. Peel off the dried paper towel. Check the texture of the play dough by squeezing and pulling. Try to feel if the dough is soft enough.

If the dough is still not soft, add water and knead the dough. Play dough mixes usually have water, salt, and flour, so you can restore balance by providing enough water for the dough. ^{[3] X Research Sources}
If the play dough still doesn’t soften after you’ve tried it many times, it might be time to throw it out. Buy or make new play dough.

Put water in the bag

Break dry play dough into small pieces. You need to break the dough into small pieces so that the dough absorbs water faster. This step will be a bit difficult when the dough is hard. If the dough is too dry, you should be careful so that it doesn’t crumble!

Put the play dough pieces in a plastic bag. Make sure it’s a sealable and waterproof bag. It’s best to use a zippered plastic bag, but you can still use a regular plastic bag as long as the top is tightly tied.

Add water to the dough. Close the bag tightly, then knead the dough with water. It’s better to add just a few drops of water at first, then keep adding water while kneading the dough. Don’t add too much water or the color will drift and the bag will become soggy. Do it slowly and carefully. Continue kneading until you feel the dough is soft. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

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Keep the play dough and water in the bag throughout the night. You need to give the dry play dough time to absorb the water. Make sure the bag is tightly closed so moisture doesn’t escape! After a few hours, the dough will be soft, pliable and look like new! The exact wait time will depend on the amount of play dough and water you have used.

Do not remove the play dough from the bag until it looks relatively dry. If the play dough is still wet, the color of the play dough will stick to your hands.

Advice

Add cream to make the dough soft and pliable. However, do not add too much or the dough will be very sticky.
Just add a little water to the play dough and place in the pressure cooker for about 5 minutes. The dough will be as soft as new.
Continue adding water if the dough is still hard.
If the above methods don’t work, just dip the play dough into water for about 15 minutes. The play dough will soften after absorbing the water during this time. ^{[5] X Research Source} Note, your hands may get colored from the play dough!
Throw away the play dough that cannot be softened. If the dough isn’t soft, it’s time to buy or make a new one.

Warning

This is a type of craft suitable for children. However, children need to be supervised by a responsible person.
Note that mold and bacteria can grow in the play dough. Check for light or dark spots that form around the driest areas of the play dough and smell to make sure it’s still good. The play dough is still good and will not be sticky or have an unpleasant smell. You need to throw away the discolored dough balls and any powder that has stuck to them. Remember to wash your hands before making and handling additional play dough.
Although play dough isn’t toxic, it’s not as safe to eat as many people think. Ingestion of even a little play dough can cause abdominal pain, nausea, discomfort, fever, bloating, constipation/diarrhea, vomiting (usually requiring force to vomit) and obstruction.
If you add too much water, the dough will become soft. Continue kneading until the dough returns to its normal texture. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

Things you need

Water
Flour
Play-Doh . bowl or container
Spoon to add water

Steps