How to Keep Inclusion Dice from Developing Bubbles or Cloudiness

Quick answer

Most cloudiness on inclusion dice is residue, dust, or micro-scratches sitting on the surface, and warm soapy water plus a soft cloth clears it. Bubbles and inclusions are different: bubbles are voids inside the resin, so no amount of cleaning removes them. Fix what is on the outside, store dice away from heat and sunlight, and accept interior bubbles as part of how the set was cast.

You pull your inclusion dice out of the bag for game night and something looks off. The clear resin has gone hazy, or you spot a small pocket of air frozen near the d20's edge. Before you assume the set is ruined, separate what is actually happening. Surface haze and internal voids look similar in dim light but have completely different causes and fixes.

This guide walks through the symptoms one at a time: what you are seeing, what likely caused it, what to do about it, and the point where you should stop trying and either live with the dice or choose a different set. The same logic applies whether you are doing snowman inclusion dice care after a holiday one-shot or maintaining a favorite set you have rolled for years.

Cloudiness is almost always a surface problem

When clear resin looks milky or foggy, the cause is usually on the outside. Skin oils, hand lotion, dried soda, and fine dust all sit on the surface and scatter light, which reads as cloudiness. Micro-scratches from rolling on rough surfaces do the same thing. None of that means the resin itself has degraded, and none of it requires replacing the set.

Start with the gentlest fix. Mix a drop of mild dish soap in lukewarm water, wash each die with your fingertips, rinse, and dry with a soft microfiber cloth. Avoid paper towels, which can leave lint and fine scratches. If the haze lifts, you have confirmed a surface cause and can stop there. Repeat this routine whenever the dice start looking dull.

• Use lukewarm water, never hot, since heat is the main enemy of resin dice
• Dry immediately instead of letting dice air-dry, which can leave water spots
• Keep a dedicated microfiber cloth in your dice bag for quick touch-ups

When cleaning does not clear the haze

If soap and water leave the dice just as cloudy, the problem is either deeper or environmental. Resin can develop a dull surface layer from prolonged UV exposure, and repeated contact with harsh cleaners, alcohol, or acetone-based products can etch the surface permanently. Storage matters here too. A hot car or a sunny windowsill is a common culprit, because heat can soften resin over time and sunlight degrades it.

At this stage, move the dice out of whatever environment caused the damage and store them somewhere cool and dark. A padded dice tray or a soft bag inside a closed box works well. If the surface itself is etched, polishing is possible but risky on dice with inclusions, because you can dull the sharp edges or scratch the inclusion window. For most players, the better move is to accept the character and reserve the set for casual play.

• Never clean resin dice with alcohol, acetone, or abrasive polishes
• Store dice away from direct sun and out of hot vehicles
• If the haze appeared after a specific trip or storage spot, change that first

Bubbles are internal, so cleaning will not fix them

A bubble is a void trapped inside the resin during casting. It may sit right at the surface or float near the center of the die. You cannot wash it away, and you should not try to drill or fill it, because you risk cracking the die and ruining the set. The honest answer is that interior bubbles are a casting characteristic, not a maintenance failure.

What you can do is check whether a bubble affects play. A tiny void near the surface is cosmetic. A large void that opens to the outside can collect dirt, and if it sits on a rolling face it may slightly affect how the die tumbles. If a bubble is open to the surface, clean the die gently and dry it thoroughly so moisture does not sit in the pocket. If the void is large, deep, or growing, that is a quality issue rather than a care issue, and the right move is to contact the seller rather than attempt a repair.

• Do not poke, drill, or fill bubbles in resin dice
• Dry any open surface void completely after cleaning
• A large or worsening void is a defect concern, not a maintenance task

Prevention beats correction

Resin dice maintenance is mostly about what you avoid. Roll on padded surfaces rather than bare wood, stone, or glass tables, which scuff the faces and edges over time. Keep dice out of direct sunlight between sessions, and never leave them in a hot car. Store sets separately so harder dice, especially metal ones, do not bang against resin in the bag.

If you mix materials at the table, keep them apart during transport. Metal dice are heavy and will chip or scratch softer resin if they share a pouch. A padded dice tray solves both the rolling-surface problem and the storage problem in one purchase, and it is the single most useful habit change for keeping clear resin looking clear.

• Roll on a padded tray, not directly on hard tables
• Store metal and resin dice in separate compartments
• Rotate sets so no single one takes all the wear

Symptom, cause, fix, and when to stop

• Milky or foggy surface that wipes partly clear: Likely skin oils, dust, or dried drink residue on the surface. Wash with a drop of mild dish soap in lukewarm water, rinse, and dry with a soft microfiber cloth. If the haze lifts, it was surface soil. Repeat as needed and stop here.
• Haze that returns right after cleaning or never lifts: Likely environmental damage from heat, sunlight, alcohol, or abrasive cleaners, or fine surface etching. Move the dice to cool, dark, padded storage and stop using any harsh cleaner. If the surface is etched, polishing risks the edges and inclusions. Accept the look or retire the set from high-stakes play.
• Small void visible inside the resin: A casting bubble, not dirt. Cleaning cannot remove it, and drilling or filling will likely crack the die. Cosmetic bubbles are fine to play with. If a void is large, open to the surface, or worsening, treat it as a defect and contact the seller instead of repairing it.

Sets where these care habits matter most

• Mermaid Scales 16mm Resin Poly Dice Set: FanRoll resin dice have unique inclusions that add flare to any gaming table, and each full-sized 16mm polyhedral set comes with 7 dice (d4, d6, d8, d10, d10%(00-90), d12, and d20). Inclusion sets like this are exactly the kind where surface haze hides the detail, so regular gentle cleaning keeps the inclusions readable.
• Hand Crafted Sharp Edge Dice: Pink Pyre: These handcrafted, sharp edge resin dice are hand polished to keep their sharp edges and are not tumbled, making them more precise than mass produced resin dice. Hand-polished sharp edges show scratches and residue more readily than rounded edges, so use only soft cloths and mild soap on them.
• Engraved Blue Sandstone: Full-Sized 16mm Polyhedral Dice Set: Every gemstone set comes in a resin case that separates each die for protection, and FanRoll recommends rolling stone dice on padded surfaces. If you already own a set with a divided case, copy that storage approach for your resin sets to prevent contact wear.

Treat cloudiness as a cleaning and storage problem first, and treat bubbles as a casting characteristic you cannot wash away. Gentle soap, soft cloths, padded rolling surfaces, and cool dark storage solve the vast majority of inclusion dice problems. When a void is large or a surface is truly etched, stop repairing and either enjoy the set as-is or replace it.