How to Care for Your Handmade Cake Topper (Storage & Cleaning Tips)

Why Foam Clay Needs a Little Extra Care

Foam clay is what gives our toppers their soft, sculpted look, lightweight, a little bit matte, and easy to shape into fine details like petals or lettering. But that same lightness means it isn't as tough as plastic or resin, so a few simple habits go a long way in keeping your topper looking its best for years to come.

Treat it more like a keepsake ornament than a kitchen tool, and it'll hold up beautifully. Most of the care below takes just a few extra seconds, and it's the difference between a topper that lasts through one birthday and one that gets pulled out every year, or even passed down for a milestone anniversary.

We get asked often whether foam clay is the same as fondant or gum paste. It isn't, it's a craft material, not food, so it should never touch the cake's actual eating surface directly. A quick wipe of the stake before inserting it into the frosting is enough to keep things tidy.

Before the Cake: Handling and Placement

When your topper arrives, unwrap it gently over a soft surface. Foam clay pieces can have thin extensions, a raised arm, a flower stem, a trailing vine, that are more delicate than the main body, so hold the topper by its base rather than by any narrow or extended part.

When you're ready to place it on the cake, insert the built-in stake straight down rather than at an angle, and avoid pressing it into very soft or melting frosting, which can pull the piece off balance or leave it leaning. If your cake has been sitting out in a warm room, give the frosting a few minutes to firm up before adding the topper.

Cleaning: Less Is More

Foam clay is not dishwasher safe, and it shouldn't be submerged in water or rinsed under a faucet. If frosting or food coloring gets on the surface, wait until it dries completely, then gently brush it off with a soft, dry makeup brush or a barely damp cotton swab.

Avoid alcohol-based wipes, hand sanitizer, or harsh household cleaners, they can dull the paint finish or soften the clay itself. A little patience goes further than any cleaning product here, most residue lifts off easily once it's fully dry.

Storing Between Uses

If you're keeping your topper as a keepsake, or reusing it for future years, birthday numbers are a favorite for this, store it upright in a box with some tissue paper support, away from direct sunlight, which can fade hand-painted color over time.

A shoebox lined with soft paper works just as well as anything fancy. The goal is simply to keep it from getting jostled or squished in a drawer alongside heavier items. If you have multiple toppers from different celebrations, storing each one in its own small box keeps delicate pieces from bumping into each other.

Temperature matters too. Avoid attics, garages, or car trunks where it can get very hot, foam clay can soften slightly in extreme heat and lose some of its crisp shape. A closet shelf at normal room temperature is about as far as you need to think about it.

What to Do If Something Breaks

Even with care, thin details can occasionally snap during shipping or storage. If that happens, a small dot of clear-drying craft glue usually repairs it invisibly, foam clay bonds well to itself, and the repair is rarely noticeable once it's dry.

If a piece arrives damaged straight out of the box, though, reach out to us directly rather than trying to fix it yourself. We'd rather send a replacement than have you stuck gluing something that shouldn't have broken in the first place, and we stand behind every piece we make.