Is Playdough Flammable? Exploring the Safety of Ingredients

Responsibly speaking, playdough is not flammable and it is a safe teaching toy for children.

Flammables pose risks such as explosions and fires, so we need to be extra cautious when storing and transporting them. Next, we’ll tell you why playdough is non-flammable and safe by discussing its ingredients.

Introduction: What Is Playdough

Playdough entered the toy market in the mid-1950s after a demonstration at an educational conference[1]. Since it is soft and easy to shape, children use it to create crafts.

Now, half a century later, play dough has developed many colors, molds and tools. With the help of the toy set, children can easily make shapes, including noodles, ice cream, pizza and more.

However, as one of the popular toys for kids all over the world, the ingredients of play dough are simple.

What are the Ingredients in Play dough

Only 3 main ingredients are in playdough: flour, water and salt, so many people make it at home too. Commercial playdough may contain other auxiliary ingredients, such as spices for flavor, food coloring, and preservatives to prevent mold.

• Flour

Flour is the most important ingredient in playdough. Maybe you know, flour is a flammable and explosive substance. Its fine dust particles are easily dispersed in the air and will quickly burn or explode once they encounter a fire source.

But playdough is non-flammable because in addition to flour, it has another important ingredient.

• Water

Playdough contains water, which prevents it from becoming flammable.

On the one hand, water allows flour particles to gather instead of flying in the air, which reduces the contact with oxygen. Water, on the other hand, has an endothermic effect and will lower the temperature of the flour in the playdough, thus preventing burning.

Therefore, thanks to water, the playdough is not flammable.

• Salt

You may be wondering, why is there salt in playdough? In fact, salt has many benefits.

Ensure hardness and viscosity: Salt will absorb water, which can effectively control the water content in the playdough so that it has the right hardness and viscosity.

Inhibits microbes: The starch in flour attracts bacteria and microorganisms, but they don’t like salt. Therefore, the salt prevents playdough from molding and extends its shelf life.

Improve texture: The fine grains of salt make playdough smoother and more comfortable to the touch.

Additionally, salt is nonflammable. However, salt will make your pet sick, so don’t let your cat or dog eat the playdough.

Commercial vs Homemade Playdough

Commercial playdough contains more ingredients than homemade dough. This is because the dough in stores needs to meet higher safety and shelf life requirements. Typically, commercial playdough contains preservatives to ensure a long enough shelf life.

In addition, commercial playdough may also contain borax and mineral oil, but these ingredients will not exceed 20% of the total. They are mainly used to add texture to the playdough, making it more delicate and comfortable to the touch.

Since these ingredients are not commonly found in your daily life, you may be concerned about their safety. According to the CPSC, all toys intended for children aged 12 and under must undergo third-party testing and obtain relevant certifications[2].

So, when you purchase playdough toys, ask for a children’s product certificate that complies with the federal toy safety standards promulgated by Congress and other applicable requirements. This ensures the ingredients in playdough are safe for children and non-toxic.

Homemade playdough usually has no added preservatives, so don’t play with it for more than a week. Moreover, when storing, seal it with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator, which can reduce mold. When you find that the playdough has become moldy, throw it away.

Is Playdough Flammable

No, playdough is not flammable, whether commercial or homemade. While its ingredients contain flour, which is flammable, it also contains water and salt that stop burning. Thus, play dough is not flammable based on the ingredients analysis.

In fact, some products made from flour are also non-flammable, such as bread and steamed buns.

Is Playdough Explosive

No, playdough is not explosive, it is safe, even though playdough’s ingredient list contains flour — a flammable and explosive powder. Water in playdough gathers flour particles and lowers the surface exposed to air, minimizing the risk of an explosion.

Playdough does not need a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) because it is not flammable or explosive. If you have any questions about this, CONTACT US.

Play Dough Safety Concerns for Children

Although playdough is non-flammable and complies with international children’s product safety requirements, as parents and teachers, we should pay attention to avoid possible risks when playing.

Is Playdough Poisonous or Nontoxic

Playdough is nontoxic, but in some cases, it can be poisonous.

Food Allergies

Let’s make it clear: Playdough is Not Food! Please Don’t Eat It!

However, young kids love to put whatever into their mouths, and playdough is no exception. When a child eats a small amount of dough, let him/her drink more water to make it pass out of the body.

For children with celiac disease, regular dough can be poisonous. Please buy gluten-free playdough. And while this won’t prevent your child from eating it, at least it won’t cause a more serious allergic reaction.

Choking Hazards

Not just play dough, any toy that a child eats may cause choking. When a child chokes, pat his/her back 5 times to encourage him/her to cough up the obstruction.

If the condition is serious, please go to the hospital or call the emergency hotline as soon as possible.

Supervision and Usage Guidelines

We need supervision from teachers and parents. To prevent children from accidentally eating playdough, adults should stay with them, especially infants or babies.

In addition, pets at home may eat dough. Please avoid playing with dough with them. At the same time, adults should let children know that playdough is not food. Not only should they not eat it, but they should also not feed it to pets.

How to Store Play Dough

The storing place of the play dough needs to be cool and dry. If you purchase a large number of toys, place them on a ventilated shelf.

• Ventilation

The flowing air can take away heat and water, reducing the temperature and humidity of the playdough. High temperature and humidity can easily breed bacteria and microorganisms, causing mold.

Although playdough is not flammable, the outer packaging of toys is usually paper or plastic, which is not heat-resistant. Therefore, when storing, be careful to keep it away from heat sources.

• Seal

Play dough absorbs moisture when exposed to air, causing it to melt and mold. Therefore, we use sealed plastic bags or boxes when storing.

• Isolation

Do not put different colored playdough toys together. The best way to isolate them is using plastic bags or boxes. When you put two colors of playdough together, they will mix. After a while, they will blend into each other and change into other colors.

Conclusion

playdough is neither flammable nor explosive, therefore, it does not require an MSDS. Its main ingredients are flour, water and salt, as well as a small amount of preservatives, spices, pigments and other ingredients.

Although flour is flammable and explosive, because of the water it contains, it is not flammable when it is made into playdough.

References

1、Play-Doh – Wikipedia

2、Toy Safety Business Guidance & Small Entity Compliance Guide