Silicon Moulds 101: How To Effectively Organise, Use, And Clean ...

Oh silicon moulds, how you have improved my life so ☺️ Something I have learnt in the last few years is that good tools and materials make all the difference when it comes to creating!

I’ve already shared some of my favourite tools to use when playing around with fondant, but today’s post is going to focus on one item – silicon moulds – and the best ways to utilise them in the kitchen AND the craft room 😯

I’ve only been creating seriously for a few years, but I’ve already accumulated quite a collection of silicon moulds in that time. My collection consists of ice cube moulds, chocolate moulds, fondant moulds, and more.

It doesn’t really matter what kind of moulds they’re advertised as; if they’re made of silicon, you can use them for almost anything!

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This post will feature ideas on how to best organise your collection (which can be quite difficult if they’re all different sizes, like mine), the many ways which you can use each mould, AND how to clean even the most intricate designs with all those hard-to-get places. I hope this post helps someone out there, because I know that I could have used a post like this when I first begun my silicon mould journey!

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LESSON 1: ORGANISATION

If you are a fellow collector of collections like me, you will most likely understand the pain of trying to organise something whilst also having it on display, especially when the collection’s contents are all different sizes and shapes.

This particular collection storing is made even more difficult due to the fact that you most likely intend to actually use these items, which means they need to be easily accessible, and can be removed and replaced without disrupting the organisation of the rest of the collection.

For items such as silicon moulds, this means that simply stacking them on top of each other is out of question, as removing one from the middle would cause absolutely mayhem. The solution to this dilemma? Store them sideways!

If your moulds are being kept inside a cupboard, I recommend using an item such as a file holder or wire rack. This way, you are able to sit your moulds neatly next to each other, without any of them falling over when one is moved.

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Keep in mind that I mention that those items are best for cupboard storage for a reason. If your moulds are going to be kept on an open shelf, I would instead recommend keeping them inside clear drawers or containers, so that they are visible from the outside and they will be protected from any dust particles.

Due to me not re-organising my baking shelf YET, my silicon moulds are kept out in the open so they got covered in dust often, which sticks like glue to silicon. Trust me and save yourself the headache by ensuring your moulds are kept covered away from dust!

LESSON 2: UTILISING

As I said earlier in this post, it doesn’t matter what kind of moulds you buy – ice cube, chocolate, fondant, etc – as they can all be used for a range of things. However, it is VERY important that you separate your food moulds from your craft moulds.

When you’re working with mediums such as resin and polyurethane, I think it’s better to be safe than sorry and avoid having the same moulds go anywhere near food in case they haven’t been cleaned properly.

In terms of crafts, as I said above, I have used products such as resin, polyurethane, clay, and hot glue with my silicon moulds, and they’ve all worked really well – and they were easy to clean afterwards, which is also a plus!

As for foods, the sky’s the limit! Really. As long as the moulds you’re using as made of silicon, you can use them to make cakes, hard candy, gummy candy, uniquely-shaped chocolates, homemade jello, honeycomb, and much more. If there’s a specific thing you’d like to see me make with my silicon moulds, just let me know in the comments and I’d be happy to oblige!

LESSON 3: CLEANING

Ahh, the downside to silicon moulds: their stickiness. If you followed my advice in lesson one about storing them AWAY from any dust particles, then this lesson should be a lot easier. If you, like me, didn’t realise how much dust could stick to silicon, then I truly feel for you.

All I can recommend is numerous periods of soaking in hot water, scrubbing and wiping until all the dust is gone. Someone on Instagram suggested using baby wipes to get the dust off, but I am yet to try that.

If you’re more concerned about cleaning food or craft products off your moulds, then this lesson won’t be too difficult, as not much sticks to silicon (except dust, apparently!), which is what makes them such great items to have. Just using a simple brush or sponge with some dishwashing soap usually does the trick!

You may need something stronger – such as rubbing alcohol – if you’ve just used a medium such as resin or polyurethane in the moulds, but I am yet to have a problem with those things. When it comes to your more detailed moulds that have tiny crevices, I recommend using mini dental floss sticks or tooth picks.

Toothpicks are good for getting out any left behind chunks, whereas the floss sticks are good for scrubbing those tiny spaces and ensuring that every surface has been cleaned. Such tiny items, but they’ve made such an impact when it comes to cleaning!

LESSON 4: PURCHASING

Readers of this blog come from all over the world, so the places that I personally buy my silicon moulds from might not be available where you’re from, but I know most countries have similar stores – or at least different versions – so I’m going to list them anyway.

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My favourite place to buy really fun and unique silicon moulds is from Daiso, which I’m sure will be of no surprise to anyone as I am OBSESSED with that place 🙊 They have a large selection of Disney items, so I quickly snapped up their Monsters Inc silicon mould, as well as their Toy Story cookie cutters that I used in an older recipe.

Another go-to store for my moulds – both silicon and metal – is Kmart Australia, although their selection is much more limited and doesn’t change very often, unlike Daiso. The rest of my moulds are either from eBay or thrift stores.

If you’re searching for silicon moulds in either of those places, let me again mention the importance of ensuring that it is definitely silicon that they’re made of (especially if you’re going to use them in the microwave or oven!), and also that they are able to be properly cleaned before use. I once bought a silicon mould that had 10+ layers of dust on it, I swear, and I was never able to clean it well enough to use ☹️

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Silicon moulds are just so much fun to use for creating – especially since they do most of the work for you! 😂 I still have a huge list of various designs and shapes I’d like to buy, plus I’m hoping to get some Silicon Putty so I can start making my own silicon moulds!

I have a feeling my collection is going to get a LOT bigger once I have that stuff in my hands 🙌 Tell me, fellow creators, do you use silicon moulds? If so, what do you use them for? Let me know in the comments below! ☺️

Until next time, Indya xx

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