Keeping Your Sex Toys Clean 101

Cleaning your Sex Toys

Sex safe begins with being sex clean!

You should consider care and maintenance a factor in choosing a sex toy. They must be cleaned carefully after (and preferably ALSO before) each use.

Remove the batteries (if applicable) before you clean and when you store your toy, to prevent corrosion. Also, batteries can leak and ruin the internal workings). A little corrosion can be removed with a small brush (like a toothbrush or a cotton swab) and a little baking soda, then apply a VERY small amount of silicone dielectric grease, or Vaseline applied to the slightly corroded part to prevent further damage.

Vibrator exteriors can be cleaned easily by wiping them with a damp, soapy washcloth or baby wipes. Take care in doing this with the non-waterproof models. Use a SLIGHTLY damp washcloth, or wrap a towel around the base of the vibrator when cleaning. This will help prevent water from entering the internal compartment. If water does enter the internal compartment, wipe out what you can with a dry cloth and keep the base in the off position of the vibrator until it has a chance to air dry.

Some materials have specific cleaning requirements … read and follow any instructions that come with them, or follow the general advice above.

Storing your Sex Toys

Sex safe is taking care of your sex toys!

When considering a place to store toys, think carefully. Many toys are used within the body, which is not a place to be putting dirt and bacteria! Jelly toys are particularly bad for attracting dust and bits, so be sure that the location is clean. Toys should be wrapped separately in clean cloths to prevent any transfer of bacteria that may have slipped through cleaning. Washing the toy again before use is also a good habit to get into.

When To Replace Your Toys

Safe sex is knowing when to say goodbye you your sex toys!

No sex toy lasts forever, and some, depending on frequency of use, may last a very short while, so how do you know when it’s time to say good-bye?
Mechanical features slow or stop working, even after battery replacement
Cracks are visible in plastic, acrylic, or glass toys, or on the plastic pieces of other toys
Mold or mildew has formed on the material, or the material is deteriorating
Battery corrosion is seen inside the battery pack
Much like shoes, the more you use a sex toy, the quicker it will wear out, so it’s possible to go through a toy a month-or to keep one for as long as a year. Just be sure to replace your sensual friend and not try to fix it yourself!

Sex Toy Hygiene

Simply put, to be sex safe you must be sex clean!

The basic rule of thumb is that you do not want to do anything with a sex toy that you would not do with part of your body. Using a sex toy with a separate condom for each partner will help avoid spreading unwanted bacteria or viruses – just as wearing a condom will during sex. Be careful to follow the guidelines for proper condom use described on the back of the condom wrapper. You want to avoid contacting the other partner’s bodily fluids, so it might be a good idea to wash your hands each time before you open a new condom.

If neither partner is concerned about transferring or catching any diseases, then it is probably safe to use an adult toy without a condom. Obviously, the same rules apply to using adult toys as it does to having intercourse – avoid contact with semen if you are concerned about pregnancy, and don’t put your sex toy anywhere you wouldn’t put say, your tongue or your penis without protection.

Although rare, some people have an allergic reaction to latex. If you or your partner has an allergic reaction to your toy, we recommend discontinuing use of that toy. If you cover it with a condom that is not made out of latex, it might prevent such a reaction.

Also, avoid using your sex toys (or anything else for that matter) anally, and then inserting it directly from the anus into the vagina. It’s very important to avoid exposing your, or someone else’s vagina to the E. coli bacteria that resides in the anus. While not harmful to the anus, E. coli can cause urinary tract infections if it is allowed to grow in the vagina. If you want to use your sex toys in other areas after anal play, either use a condom or wash it thoroughly. In this case, it might be best to have a variety of toys, so that you don’t have to continually interrupt play to carry out cleaning.