Polymer Clay Safety

Polymer clay is considered non-toxic, but there are a few simple safety rules that better be followed:

Rule Number One – do not eat it and do not let your kids or pets eat it. Technically speaking, even our table salt can be poisonous if you manage to swallow enough of it (if I remember correctly, the lethal doze for it is close to a bucket, but the point is – nothing is 100% safe, so use your common sense).

Rule Number Two – handle hot objects with caution. Since baking is involved, your polymer clay creations will be hot at least at some point during the creation process. Please resist an urge to grab them with your bare hands. All other precautions are the same as if you were using your oven to bake some macaroni and cheese, or a pie, or whatever it is you like to bake.

This leads us to Rule Number Three – do not use the same things for food and polymer clay. I mean, things like pasta machine (if anybody in this country is still making their own pasta from a scratch), or (more realistically) knives, cheese shredders, cookie cutters, cutting boards, rollers, and other kitchen utensils. Some people use food processors to condition their clay – do not use those for food either if you decided you need one in your studio. The reason is that some of these things are really difficult to clean thoroughly, and I do not know about your spouse, but I would not want my husband to smell any clay in his food. Seriously, it is not that expensive to have designated tools for your clay, even if they were kitchen utensils in their former lives. Another thing that may be used both for clay and for food is your kitchen oven. I discuss it in detail on the page about baking polymer clay.

Rule Number Four – be careful with sharp objects. Knives, scalpels, and blades used for slicing, cutting, and carving polymer clay are required to be sharp, so handle them with due respect. Blades are especially sneaky, since it is difficult sometimes to tell their sharp and dull sides apart. Mark the safe side of your blades with some fingernail polish. Also, if you ever use wire in your polymer clay work, be advised that tiny pieces of wire may jump amazing distances when you cut them, so point your wire away from anything alive around you.

And the last one, Rule Number Five – make a habit of always working on a sheet of glass or ceramic tile. This rule is for the safety of your furniture. Dyes and plasticizers from raw clay may stain your furniture. Permanently.


	Home Shop Gallery Tutorials Classes FAQ Artist Contact Publications Videos Blog Links Site Map	Polymer Clay Safety Polymer clay is considered non-toxic, but there are a few simple safety rules that better be followed: Rule Number One – do not eat it and do not let your kids or pets eat it. Technically speaking, even our table salt can be poisonous if you manage to swallow enough of it (if I remember correctly, the lethal doze for it is close to a bucket, but the point is – nothing is 100% safe, so use your common sense). Rule Number Two – handle hot objects with caution. Since baking is involved, your polymer clay creations will be hot at least at some point during the creation process. Please resist an urge to grab them with your bare hands. All other precautions are the same as if you were using your oven to bake some macaroni and cheese, or a pie, or whatever it is you like to bake. This leads us to Rule Number Three – do not use the same things for food and polymer clay. I mean, things like pasta machine (if anybody in this country is still making their own pasta from a scratch), or (more realistically) knives, cheese shredders, cookie cutters, cutting boards, rollers, and other kitchen utensils. Some people use food processors to condition their clay – do not use those for food either if you decided you need one in your studio. The reason is that some of these things are really difficult to clean thoroughly, and I do not know about your spouse, but I would not want my husband to smell any clay in his food. Seriously, it is not that expensive to have designated tools for your clay, even if they were kitchen utensils in their former lives. Another thing that may be used both for clay and for food is your kitchen oven. I discuss it in detail on the page about baking polymer clay. Rule Number Four – be careful with sharp objects. Knives, scalpels, and blades used for slicing, cutting, and carving polymer clay are required to be sharp, so handle them with due respect. Blades are especially sneaky, since it is difficult sometimes to tell their sharp and dull sides apart. Mark the safe side of your blades with some fingernail polish. Also, if you ever use wire in your polymer clay work, be advised that tiny pieces of wire may jump amazing distances when you cut them, so point your wire away from anything alive around you. And the last one, Rule Number Five – make a habit of always working on a sheet of glass or ceramic tile. This rule is for the safety of your furniture. Dyes and plasticizers from raw clay may stain your furniture. Permanently. More Tutorials Up \| Down \| Top \| Bottom

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