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Since polymer clay is non-toxic, you don't have to fret too much about safety issues. Although it's a very new art medium compared to, say, oil painting, polymer clay has been around for decades and has been thoroughly tested by the Arts & Crafts Materials Institute. The standards polymer clay has to meet are set not just by manufacturers, but by health professionals as well.

While it's perfectly safe to handle polymer clay your bare hands, there are still some safety steps you should follow:

1. Don't eat polymer clay. Just because it's non-toxic doesn't mean you should eat it. It probably doesn't taste very good anyway. With that in mind, don't let small children play with it unsupervised.

2. Always bake polymer clay according to the directions. Don't increase the temperature to speed up baking. Not only could you end up scorching your work, the overheated clay will send out noxious fumes. Because each oven is different, it's a good idea to invest in an oven thermometer to verify the exact temperature. Ovens can be "off" by as much as 50 degrees.

3. Don't put polymer clay in the microwave! Although people have done successfully experimented with hardening polymer clay in microwaves, it involves a lot of water and guesswork. Odds are, you'll end up with badly burned polymer clay and irritating fumes wafting through the house. The manufacturers even tell you not to bake it in a microwave. Stick with the conventional oven.

4. Only use clay-dedicated tools. A kitchen tool can always be a polymer clay tool, but never vice versa. Once you use a rolling pin, knife, dish, or cheese shredder for polymer clay art, it is no longer a kitchen tool. It will be difficult if not downright impossible in some cases to completely clean off your tool. Don't return it to the kitchen.

5. Always wash your hands after you finish working with polymer clay, especially before preparing food. Soap and water alone won't always do the job, so you can try rubbing a little oil on your hands if the polymer residue stubbornly sticks to your palms.

6. Don't eat with polymer clay plates, utensils, or vessels. Baked polymer clay is a porous plastic, and you won't be able to clean it well enough to prevent harmful bacteria from growing and contaminating food.

7. Protect your furniture: Use a glass or ceramic tile as your work surface. Polymer clay can permanently stain wood finishes.

Learn more about this author, Victoria Neely.
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