With Mod Podge being the dominant glue on the market at the time of writing and having just seeing a huge spike in its popularity, we have seen more and more questions being asked about using Mod Podge. One important question that we have seen people asking more and more in recent months is if Mod Podge is toxic or not.
Due to so many people reaching out to ask this as well as there being a decent chunk of misinformation out there we have decided to publish this dedicated article. Our hope is that we will be able to help any of our readers who do use Mod Podge for their arts and crafts better understand the potential of the glue as well as when and how they should be using it.
Please also note that the laws defining the toxicity of arts and crafts products do change by a surprising amount from country to country and sometimes even state to state. You should always look up the specific laws for what is classes as toxic in your area but for this article, we will be taking a more general approach as we have readers from all over the world.
Is Mod Podge Toxic?
The bulk of the Mod Podge formula is essentially PVA (Polyvinyl Acetate) with small amounts of sealant and other ingredients added into it. Due to Mod Podge essentially being PVA glue, many people presume that it is not toxic due to most of us either accidentally or intentionally consuming small amounts of PVA during out arts and crafts sessions as children.
That said though, just because many people have consumed PVA as a child without any issue, does not mean that it is strictly non-toxic and large amounts may cause issues. On top of this, different people have different sensitivity issues to different things with Mod Podge being included so something that may be totally fine for one person can cause problems in another.
Due to this, we would never recommend that any of our readers actively try to eat Mod Podge or have it on their skin for extended periods of time. Although the chances of you having problems are minimal, it is simply not worth the risk for something that is so easy to avoid.
Is Mod Podge Toxic To Eat?
Although we would never recommend that you intentionally eat Mod Podge, many people do, especially children either accidentally or intentionally. In the vast majority of cases, there are no problems at all but in come cases, dizziness or sickness may occur, especially in larger quantities.
Mod Podge is not listed as being food safe either so a common problem that we see is for people who use it to seal custom artwork on mugs or plates and end up accidentally consume Mod Podge. Although the formula should stay in one place once it has been left to dry on mugs or plates, the temperature of hot drinks or the friction from cutlery can cause the Mod Prodge to peel off.
If you are directly involved in the arts and crafts space and need a sealant for your custom artwork on mugs or plates, there are a number of food safe sealants that you are able to use instead. This removes all of the risk while often doing a better job art protecting your artwork on your porcelain.
Is Mod Podge Toxic To Breathe?
Although Mod Podge does not give off any volatile fumes or odours that may cause issues during use, we do still usually recommend that you use your Mod Podge in a room with plenty of ventilation. This is due to the majority of people using their Mod Podge in arts and crafts that do often involve other products that do have fumes and odours that can cause light headless.
If you are simply using your Mod Podge to glue paper, card, wood, or non-washable fabric without any other substances then you are usually able to glue away to your hearts content. If you are using other substances during your crafts session then a breathing mask or plenty of ventilation are highly recommended.
On top of this, Mod Podge also have a number of spray based aerosol products and you definitely do need to have good ventilation if using these products from their range. They have additional chemicals in them than the regular PVA glue Mod Podge and also have a number of potential issues with fumes.
Is Mod Podge Toxic To Skin?
Just like all glues, there is a decent chance that you will accidentally end up with Mod Podge on your skin during your arts and crafts sessions. This is still surprisingly likely even if you take additional steps such as wearing gloves too.
Thankfully, Mod Podge should not cause any problems when on your skin for the vast majority of people and it can usually be easily peel off or washed off with warm water. That said though, if you do have a skin condition such as eczema then additional steps should be taken to help prevent Mod Podge from getting on your skin.
This is not due to any potential risk due to a reaction to the Mod Podge formula but due to the removal process of the Mod Podge from your eczema. Even peeling the Mod Podge off may cause a flair up in your eczema as well as with a number of other common skin issues.
Is Mod Podge Toxic To Dogs?
The majority of dogs should be easy if they end up finding a little Mod Podge on your floor or end up eating some paper based artwork that has Mod Podge on it. We often see panicked dog owners reaching out due to their dog finding their way to some Mod Podge and eating it but this should not be an issue.
If your dog does find a full bottle of Mod Podge and start to chew on it, you should still do everything you can got get the bottle off your dog though. Just like with people, the more Mod Podge that your dog eats, the higher the chances of it having issues are and the larger bottles of Mod Podge contain a large amount of glue.
This is why we always recommend that our readers keep their arts and crafts supplies on a high shelf if possible if they have pets or small children. It is such an easy thing to do but totally removes the risk without causing any major issues with you or the longevity of your supplies.
Is Mod Podge Toxic To Birds?
There are a large number of tutorials on YouTube showing how you are able to make your own bird tables, bird houses, bird baths, and other bird items for your yard or garden involving Mod Podge. Due o this, we do often see people reaching out and asking about the toxicity of Mod Podge to birds.
Although any small amounts of Mod Podge that birds can find should not cause any issues with birds due to their toxicity, there may be a risk of them cloaking on it or it blocking their intestine. This does usually become more of a potential issue for smaller birds so try to pay attention to the birds in your local area that will be using the items you make for them.
Thankfully, Mod Podge is very easy to sand down or scrape off when dry if it is in excess on the item that you have made. This should allow you to quickly and easily remove any potential threads to the birds in your local area without causing any problems to the item that you are trying to make.
Is Mod Podge Toxic To Plants?
Some people do tend to use Mod Podge when making their own plant beds or when repairing broken plant pots but thankfully, there shouldn’t be any problems with the pants if there are small amounts of Mod Podge in the soil. Although most gardeners will usually take the time to do their best to remove any excess Mod Podge that may cause a potential threat, there is no real need to worry and go overboard with its removal.
Depending on what you are actually doing, there are usually better options than Mod Podge anyway. These tend to offer better protection when exposed to the elements, especially wind and rain so less and less people are using Mod Podge for gardening related tasks.
That said though, the urban jungle, indoor gardens are becoming increasingly popular with each year that passes and Mod Podge tends to be fine for this. Although some plants do require their soil to be kept moist at all times, the Mod Podge should be able to hold its own for indoor use when you control the total water supply to the planter.
Conclusion
That brings our article going over if Mod Podge is toxic in various situations to a close. The vast majority of the time you shouldn’t be having any issues with your Mod Podge anyway and it is a great product to have in your arts and crafts collection due to it being able to offer you a ton of versatility for a very low price tag.
