Modelling miniatures out of polymer clay means it’s likely you’ll have lots of clay to store, as you’ll only be using a small amount at a time.
On this page, you’ll find out everything you need to know about how to store polymer clay.
The following advice relates to all brands of polymer clay.
What Can I Store Polymer Clay In?
The main issue with storying polymer clay isn’t so much that it’ll dry out, but that it’ll get dusty and dirty. Unlike air dry clay, there’s no need to store polymer clay in an air tight container. As there’s no water in it, it’s not going to dry out.
Dust, lint (short, fine fibres from cloth) and dirt are your main concerns as they can attach to the surface of your clay.
To prevent dust reaching your polymer clay, store it in a container or simply wrap it in something that isn’t going to shed lint onto it, such as a resealable plastic bag or wax paper.
It’s important to note that storing polymer clay in resealable bags over a long period of time could make the clay more brittle, so if you know you’re not using it for a while, go for storing it in a plastic box. If you do find your clay has become brittle or crumbly, just make sure you condition it really well before modelling with it. You may need to add a couple of drops of baby oil to it to soften it up too.
Some types of plastic can react to the plastic in polymer clay. There’s a handy list of plastics that are not compatible with polymer clay on the Sculpey blog.
In a nutshell, these include:
- PVC polyvinyl chloride — #3
- PS and EPS polystyrene and expanded polystyrene — #6
- Other materials that include a combination of different plastics like polycarbonate, Teflon, nylon, acrylics and others — #7
And as a general rule of thumb, store your polymer clay in polypropylene or PP plastic – plastic boxes made out of these plastics will have the recycling symbol #5 on them.
Plastic containers designed for food storage are ideal as the plastics used in these are designed to not react with anything, so they won’t be affected by polymer clay. The same applies to any plastic bags designed for storing food.
Glass containers are also a good option as polymer clay won’t react with glass (hence you can condition, model and bake polymer clay on glass!). Glass jars for miniature jams are great for storing little bits of raw clay or for storing miniature models that haven’t been baked yet.
I keep my polymer clay individually wrapped in the plastic packaging the clay came in. Some brands of clay come in resealable plastic packaging so will save you transferring them to another plastic bag or box.
I did have a few resealable bags left over from when I was breastfeeding my son and I now use these to story polymer clay! I can’t remember where I got them from, but they’re very useful as they’re the exact right size for blocks of clay and they even have a label on them!
TOP TIP: Avoid wrapping your polymer clay in plastic wrap (also known as cling film) as the chemicals in some types of plastic wrap can react with the raw clay and cause the plastic wrap to dissolve. If you want to wrap the polymer clay separately then use resealable plastic bags instead.
What Not To Store Polymer Clay In
As well as some brands of plastic wrap, you should avoid storing clay in anything that may cause chemicals in the clay to leach out. Paper, fabric and card will all cause the polymer clay to leach over time and could also stick to the clay, leaving dirt on the clay’s surface.
In general, plastic containers are fine for storing polymer clay in, provided they have the plastic recycling number 5 on them somewhere. There are exceptions though – plastic containers that are made from hard, unbendable plastic may not be suitable for storing polymer clay in as the chemicals in the clay could react with this type of plastic.
Where To Store Polymer Clay
Polymer clay should be stored away from heat and direct sunlight. Both of these can make the clay too soft and therefore too difficult to handle when modelling. If left in heat and sunlight for extended periods, polymer clay can start to harden and cure, making it unusable.
Polymer clay should be stored at room temperature but not in rooms such as garages, conservatories or lofts which can get super heated in summer!
Once you know how to store your polymer clay, the next questions is how to store it so it can be easily organised.
Some crafters swear by storing their polymer clay in tackle boxes. These are great because they allow you to store your polymer clay by brand or by colour, or even by the amount you have left. Just make sure you choose a tackle box with see-through compartments so you can clearly see your polymer clay.
A box with removable trays is useful as again, this just makes it easier to access and see your clay. Most tackle boxes also have compartments that are a suitable size for storing polymer clay tools and accessories, so you can keep everything neatly stored in the same place.
Tackle boxes not only make organising and storing your polymer clay easy, they are also safe to use with clay. Many of these boxes are made to store a type of man-made fishing lure called ‘worms’ which are actually fake rubber worms which contain the same plasticisers as polymer clay. (Source). You can buy tackle boxes for less than £20 on Amazon, which have multiple sections for storing polymer clay and tools.
Places like B&Q, Homebase and Wickes in the UK all sell toolboxes designed for storing small tools and screws etc. These are a great choice for storing polymer clay, particularly if you have a permanent place to keep your clay and don’t need to transport it, such as the crafter in this video below. She also shares a great tip for testing out whether a storage container is likely to react with different brands of clay.
Each colour of polymer clay should be wrapped or stored separately. Over a long period of time, colours stored together can start to bond and stick together. To avoid this, either wrap the different colours in separate plastic bags or wrap them in wax paper.
Just a note on wax paper – if you store clay in wax paper make sure you don’t then put it on something which could leach out moisture from the clay, such as paper or fabric. Wax paper is non-absorbent on its own, but if it’s placed on something absorbent then this could cause plasticiser to leach out of the clay.
TOP TIP: Wherever you choose to store your clay, if you take it out of the branded packet, remember to label the new container you put it in with the brand and colour of the clay. It’s also a good idea to jot the baking instructions from the packet down too, although many of these are available online.
What Temperature Should I Store Polymer Clay At?
Store clay at room temperature and avoid direct sunlight or excess heat. This might sound extreme, but if you’re shopping for clay on a hot day, take a cool bag to bring it home from the shops in and don’t leave it in a hot car as it may start to cure.
If clay is left in direct sunlight for a prolonged amount of time then it could partially cure which will make it unusable.
Can I Store Polymer Clay In The Fridge Or Freezer?
You can, but there’s not really much point as it will make the clay too hard to work with and it’ll need thawing out and drying completely before you start modelling it.
Even if you left the polymer clay in the freezer for a long period of time it would never fully harden. Storing polymer clay in the freezer is a risky strategy though, as will need to be fully defrosted before using it and the extra moisture from the thawing process could become trapped in the clay and lead to problems such as air bubbles.
The exception to storing your clay in the freezer is if you live in a very hot climate or are experiencing a heat wave. In these circumstances, you could store your polymer clay in the fridge or freezer to prevent it from becoming too hot or even curing if it’s in direct sunlight.
If you do choose to store your polymer clay in the fridge or freezer then make sure it’s clearly labelled, tightly wrapped and kept apart from food items.
If you find your polymer clay is too sticky when you’re working with it, you can actually pop it in the freezer for five minutes to harden it so it’s easier to work with.
How To Store Modelled Clay Before Baking It
As polymer clay is oil based, rather than water based, it won’t dry out or harden in the air, so in theory you can leave it to sit for as long as you need to before baking your models.
If you want to delay baking your models then your main nemesis will be dust, lint and hair sticking to your models. Your best bet is to either place the models in a sealed container or cover them with something that won’t attach to the clay, such as an overturned shoebox or plastic storage container.
Even if you left your model unbaked for years it wouldn’t cure, it would eventually start to harden though which could potentially impact on the strength of the clay once it was baked and cured.
Just make sure you don’t store your uncured player clay models alongside cured polymer clay models, as there’s a chance the plasticisers from the uncured clay could weaken the cured clay, making it brittle.
TOP TOP: Remember, you can re-bake polymer clay. If you’re part way through a model and know it’s going to be awhile before you finish it, you can bake the model as it is then add more clay to it at a later date.
How To Store Polymer Clay Canes
Polymer clay canes are long rolls of clay which have been moulded and rolled together to form a pattern down the middle – a bit like a stick of rock.
Storing them can be tricky – if they’re laid flat they can roll around and if they roll into another cane, they could stick together. Wrapping them individually is an option but you’ll need to make sure you can see the end of the cane to know which one it is. If you store them on top of each other, then the weight of the top canes could compress and distort the bottom canes.
To avoid all of the above issues it’s a good idea to store canes upright, on their ends, so you can see the pattern and this prevents them from rolling around. You can either cut the canes into shorter pieces and store them in plastic food containers, or, if you have the space, you could store them upright in a large storage box. An excellent tip from this website is to place the canes upright on a piece of glass to stop them toppling over.
As with all polymer clay models, canes can be stored indefinitely before being baked, provided they’re stored in an appropriate container.
How To Remove Dirt Dust From Raw Polymer Clay
If you find your stored clay or unbaked model is covered in dust, dirt or hair then there’s a super easy way to remove this is to clean the clay with a cotton bud or piece of paper towel dipped in rubbing alcohol.
You could also use a baby wipe, kitchen wipe or even nail varnish remover to get rid of the dirt.
How To Store Scraps Of Polymer Clay
All of the advice above can apply to storing scraps of conditioned clay, as well as raw clay straight from the packet:
- Use a container with a lid or a sealable bag
- Check the plastic you’re storing the polymer clay in is compatible with polymer clay
- Store the clay at room temperature or below
But I had to share this video of this genius idea one polymer clay crafter has had of storing scraps of cured polymer clay in a binder or old photo album! It’s easy to label, easy to see and access all of the different brands and colours of clay.
Does Polymer Clay Go Bad?
Polymer clay will not go bad or expire as it’s a plastic. In theory it could last for many, many years. However, whether it’s usable or not after a long period of time will depend a lot on how it’s stored.
Polymer clay should be stored at room temperature or lower in a sealed container. If it’s exposed to temperatures of 40°C (100°F) or more for an extended period of time then it will start to cure and will be unusable.
Although it doesn’t go off, polymer clay can dry out over time, even if it’s stored in the correct conditions. If you find clay you’ve not used in a while is too dry to work with then you can add a couple of drops of baby oil to it to restore the moisture. All you’ll need to do is work the oil into the polymer clay by thoroughly conditioning the clay.
5 Tips For Storing Polymer Clay Tools
It’s not just your polymer clay that will need a suitable home, modelling miniatures (or anything!) from clay means you’ll no doubt have a collection of tools which will need storing too.
Below are some options for storing your polymer clay tools and accessories.
- Glass jars
As well as being useful for storing polymer clay, glass jars are an attractive and super cheap way to store polymer clay tools and accessories too. They’re free, come in loads of different sizes and glass won’t react to the chemicals in polymer clay. You could even glue the jar lids to a board on the wall so you can clearly see what’s in each jar and save valuable space on your working area.
2. Empty Tetrapaks
Tetrapaks are the cardboard drinks cartons used for juice and milk. I use recycled Tetrapaks to store everything from pens and pencils to makeup and nail varnish. You can either cut the top off the carton and use it upright or cut the side off the carton and have a longer storage box. They’re coated with plastic in the inside so you can easily clean them and they’re free and easy to replace when needed.
3. Cutlery trays
These cost a few pounds from places like IKEA and are perfect for storing polymer clay tools and accessories, especially as they have different size compartments and you can easily see what’s in each space.
4. Metal baskets
Metal cutlery baskets are great for storing polymer clay tools and ones with a handle a particularly useful.
Old dishwasher baskets also work well. If you find the mesh of the basket is too large, you could cut out a piece of card to fit into the bottom of the basket to stop your tools from falling out.
5. Tin cans
It doesn’t get much easier than recycling a tin can into a useful storage container for your polymer clay bits. As well as regular tin cans, you can also recycle smaller ones such as those for kids’ spaghetti, cat food or tuna. The rectangular ones used for sardines are also useful. Just made sure there are no sharp edges around the rim!
So there you go, by following a few simple rules and tips you can easily and safely store all your polymer clay and tools.