Sex Toy Care - caring for your sex toys properly

Ever wonder if you can get STDs or infections from sex toys? You sure can if you share your sex toys and you can even infect yourself if you don't properly clean them after use. Proper sex toy care is very important.

Sex toys should always be used with a separate condom for each partner, this will help avoid spreading unwanted bacteria or viruses.

Caring for most sex toys isn't that hard. Just wet a clean towel in warm soapy water and wipe them off – making sure not to get the control area or battery compartment wet. You can also use a sex toy cleaner such as 'Mighty Tidy Toy Cleaner' or Before and after toy cleaner. Proper sex toy care is extremely important if you use your sex toy anally. Be sure to clean it thoroughly using anti-bacterial soap or rubbing alcohol as soon as possible after each use. Be sure to clean your sex toys soon after use never putting off cleaning until the next day.

When it comes to avoiding bacterial infection or transmission of STDs, proper sex toy care is very important and the cleaning of your sex toys is essential. While some STDs die once the fluid they live in dries, others such as hepatitis and scabies can live for weeks or months outside of the body. It is also important to remove sperm that may be on the sex toy before using it near or in the vagina. Always use a separate condom on your sex toy when going from anus to vagina. Never go directly from the anus to the vagina without changing the condom if one was used, or a cleaning the toy very well with soap and water and a sex toy cleaner. Otherwise bacteria can be carried from one canal to the other causing a sever infection.

Proper sex toy care of your sex toys will ensure not only good hygiene and sexual health, it will help to ensure that you and your sex toys enjoy a very long pleasurable relationship together.

Before the fun begins, there's some important sex toy care that you should do with every new sex toy before you use it. Be sure to perform a very thorough visual inspection, checking dildos for any imperfections such as seams and rough edges which should be filed down so that they don't scratch or cut your skin.

After taking your sex toy out of the box, let it air out since it can sometimes have a lacquer- factory smell. You should also give it an initial cleaning with a damp soft cloth. Remember - different materials require different care. You should make sure the cleaner you will be using will not irritate your skin. A quick easy test is to spray or rub a little of the cleanser on the inside of your wrist. If it burns or itches after a couple of minutes, you should try a different cleaner.

If your toy requires batteries, insert new batteries and familiarize yourself with the settings and perform a general cleaning on all of your new sex toys before they are used for the first time.

To assist in caring for your sex toy it’s important to keep the instructions on sex toy care for each sex toy you purchase and to follow them carefully, different sex toys may have different sex toy care instructions. If you feel that cleaning and caring for certain adult sex toys properly may be too time consuming or unrealistic for you, you should seriously consider purchasing a different sex toy who's care you can deal with. The information provided below gives a general overview for sex toy care of many different types of toys, however it is not meant to replace the manufacturer’s instructions.

Basic sex toy care - remove any batteries and never submerge electrical components into water. If electrical area needs to be cleaned, remove batteries and close battery compartment. Then use a damp, soapy wash cloth or a sex toy cleaner such as Before and after toy cleaner to clean your sex toy then wipe down with a damp cloth a few time to remove any soap.

Clean your sex toys, preferably with a mild anti-bacterial soap or anti=bacterial sex toy cleaner. After cleaning, dry the sex toy with a soft, clean cloth. If your sex toy is made from cyberskin, you should apply the special powder that came with it or cornstarch to maintain the sex toy’s unique silky feeling. Do Not Powder that contains Talc. Talcum powder has been implicated as a possible cause of ovarian cancer. Checkout this very important article on the use of Talcum Powder from the American Cancer Society ---

Non battery operated Glass and Acrylic sex toys can be cleaned in very hot water.

A good anti-bacterial sex toy cleaner is also a good idea and can be used with most sex toys. Please read sex toy care instructions that come with toy.

The best way to avoid infection is to use a condom over your sex toy or buy one for vaginal use and another for anal play. If sharing your sex toy, be sure to use a condom or don't share.

Sex toy care for Hard Plastic, Lucite, Acrylic, Glass & Metal

• These materials do not contain phthalates.
• Items made from these materials are non-porous.
• They can be cleaned with an anti-bacterial soap and water.
• Always Use condoms if sharing.
• Never boil plastic, Lucite or acrylic toys.
• Glass retains temperature very well and only need very little lubricaiton for a super-slippery effect.

Hard plastic, acrylic, glass, metal, and pure latex toys are non-porous, phthalate-free and have firm, smooth textures. Some may be a cheaper alternative to silicone toys. Hard plastics are significantly less porous than rubber toys and can be used without condoms as long as you clean them thoroughly after use with water and an anti-bacterial soap.

Pyrex and laboratory-quality glass will not shatter if dropped, however they can crack if dropped on a hard enough surface. Although cleaning your sex toy is very important, sex toy care involves much more. Please be sure to thoroughly examine your toy before each use and if you notice a crack in your glass toy, do not use it, because it may break during use, and that would be horrible. Lucite and acrylic are shatter-free and harder to break, but it is possible to crack them. You can boil glass, but do not boil plastic, acrylic or Lucite sex toys.

Plastic

Plastic sex toys are hard, cold, and completely inflexible which makes them transfer vibrations very well. They are also relatively non-porous and can be disinfected to prevent infection. Plastic may be a good material if you like your sex toys to have a solid, hard feel to them. Although these vibes aren't the first choice for internal use or in-out thrusting, they make wonderful clitoral teasers. Try a plastic sex toy if you like the sensation of cool metal and a hard, pulsing vibration.

Sex toy care for your plastic sex toys:


• Soak a cotton ball in rubbing alcohol and wipe down your toy - you can then wipe down with a damp cloth to remove any alcohol.

Lucite

This is a hard material that provides firm pressure and sex toys made of this material are favorite for prostate and g-spot stimulating toys.

Sex toy care for your lucite sex toys:


• They can be washed with warm water and anti-bacterial hand soap.
• Sterilized using an alcohol-soaked cotton ball (rinse thoroughly afterward).

Acrylic

Its firm texture makes acrylic perfect for PC muscle strengthening toys.

Sex toy care for your acrylic sex toys:


• This can be washed with warm water and anti-bacterial hand soap.
• Sterilize using an alcohol-soaked cotton ball being sure to rinse thoroughly afterward.

Pyrex Glass

Glass sex toys are made of a chip-resistant Pyrex glass. Pyrex is a special laboratory grade glass that is several magnitudes stronger than regular glass. It makes a great material, as it is hard and solid, yet has a silky smooth caressing texture. Although they may sound dangerous, they are very safe to use. Glass is non-porous and easy to disinfect, extremely hard and smooth, and can be boiled or run through the dishwasher without any adverse effects. Glass and other hard materials transfer vibrations extremely well and are perfect if you want powerful vibrations and/or you like the feeling of hardness.

This sex toy is very easy to clean - do not use abrasive cleansers for fear of scratching your sex toy.

Sex toy care for your pyrex glass sex toys:


• You can use non-abrasive anti-bacterial hand or dish soap, rubbing alcohol (Isopropyl) or bleach, be sure to rinse well.
• You can even use boiling water, making sure the water is at room temperature before adding or removing Pyrex glass as sudden, drastic temperature changes may, on rare occasions, crack the glass.
• These sex toys can be put it in the dishwasher. Rinse well with warm water after any kind of cleaning.

Metal

Introduced from the S&M lovers, metal is know making it's way more into main stream. Be careful whom you purchase metal toys from as some metal toys are potentially harmful. This is a non-porous tough easy to clean material and you can boil and disinfect them. Just make sure you dry it properly to prevent rusting.

Sex toy care for your metal sex toys:


• Easily disinfect using a weak bleach solution (10% or less) or rubbing alcohol.
• A gentle washing with soap and water is okay for everyday cleaning.
• Some people are fond of washing their sex toys in the dishwasher. However, if you choose to use this method, please don't use dish washing detergent or rinsing agents, as they are bad for some metals. You should also select the air dry cycle, as it will dry your toys enough to keep them from rusting.

Dry thoroughly to avoid rusting and spotting. It is especially important to make sure that all liquids are wiped thoroughly from all parts of metal toys to prevent rusting.

Stainless Steel

Sex toys made of this material are nice hard cool and smooth, if this sex toys is attached to an electrical device.

Sex toy care for your stainless steel:


• Use warm soapy water, being careful not to submerge any electrical components.
• If there are no electrical components you can either - Boil for 2 to 3 minutes or soak in a bleach-water solution (50:50 ratio) for 10 minutes.
• Wash in the dishwasher.

Silicone

Life-like with a soft, smooth texture, silicone quickly reaches and retains body temperature and is often considered to be the perfect material for just about every kind of adult sex toy. These toys are very resistant to heat and usually hypo-allergenic. There are no hard edges, no snags or imperfections. Silicone, made of a non-porous material is easy to clean with soap and water and can be cleaned in a variety of ways. They can be boiled or put in your dishwasher and because these sex toys can be fully sterilized they are safe to share as long as you clean them thoroughly between uses.

The only drawback to silicone is the price - because silicone toys are hand-cast, they can cost significantly more than rubber or jelly. If you're looking for a high-quality, realistic toy that will last a long time, silicone is a good choice. Although silicone sex toys are strong and very durable, they can crack, and a crack leads to a tear. You should still be careful not to damage them with teeth or nails because any tears or cracks could harbor bacteria.

Sex toy care for your silicone sex toys:


• Run them through the dishwasher as long as there is no battery compartment.
• Boil it on the stove for about 2-3 minutes. NEVER boil silicone sex toys with electrical components. Let them air dry completely or dry with a lint-free cloth before storage.
• Wash with a soft soap or an anti-bacterial sex toy cleaner.
• Do not boil silicone vibrators because you will destroy the vibrator mechanism.

Rubber

Most sex toys are made out of simple latex rubber. Although rubber is quite a bit firmer than silicone or jelly toys, it's soft and somewhat flexible. And because of it's low cost, versatility and resilience, rubber is very popular. Rubber sex toys are very porous and are very hard to clean properly, in addition, their composition is not always known or may contain phthalates, chemicals which have been shown to be harmful to your health. For these reasons, it is recommended to use condoms with these types of toys. Rubber sex toys also come in a wide range of colors. Because these sex toys are very porous, rubber dildos should always be used with condoms if you're going to share or think about switching to a silicone sex toy which can be boiled.

Sex toy care for your rubber sex toys:


• Can be cleaned with mild soap and water.

Vinyl

These sex toys are light and easy to clean. They are inexpensive porous sex toys that are a favorite with fetish lovers. They are light in weight, easy to clean, and come in many different forms and colors. Although vinyl materials have a more solid felling then jelly rubbers and are less porous, condoms should be used because vinyl is somewhat permeable to bacteria and yeast.

Sex toy care for your vinyl sex toys:


• They can be washed in hot water and mild hypo-allergenic soap.
• You can also use Hydrogen Peroxide mixed with water - adding the same amount of water as hydrogen Perioxide - 50%/50%.
• These adult sex toys can not be boiled!

Realistic

Cyberskin™, Futurotic™, NeoSkin®, Soft Touch™, UltraSkin™, and Fauxskin™ - also known as thermal plastic or realistic sex toys. Sex toys made with this material may contain rubber softeners such as phthalates, which have been associated with negative health effects. Please see individual product information. It is best if this sex toy is used with a condom for safety and easy cleanup. This material becomes warm with use and is the closest thing to the feel of real human skin you'll find in a sex toy.

Cyberskin™ products work best when used with the included powder and lubricant which has been specially formulated for this material.

Do not use silicone lube with cyberskin toys as it can melt the toy. Be sure to use a condom over the toy if you want to use silicone lube.

This sex toy is less resistant than silicone toys and is soft and porous. This type of material is widely used for erection rings and masturbation sleeves, as well as vibrators and dildos.

Sex toy care for your realistic sex toys:


• Thoroughly wash with warm - never hot - water no soap, then let air dry completely. Then sprinkle with the included renewing powder or cornstarch if you want to keep that nice silky feel and keep your sex toy from getting sticky.
• This sex toy can not be boiled!

Jelly

Jelly toys while not as smooth or silky as sex toys make from silicone, can still give you tremendous amounts of pleasure and are nearly half the price of silicone. The secret is to use quite a bit of lubrication. Usually available in bright colors, jelly toys are crafted from a thick, translucent, flexible rubber. You don't want to use soap or boiling water to clean your jelly toys, just warm water and a gentle touch. Unfortunately, that means these very porous sex toys aren't safe to share unless you're going to use a condom. However because they're so darn cheap, both you and your partner can each get one of these very good quality smooth sex toys.

Sex toy care for your jelly sex toys:


• This material is a non-porous form of rubber that can be cleaned with a mild soap and hot water.

Latex

Latex is porous and cannot be disinfected, so it may be a good idea to use a condom if you plan on sharing, or if you are concerned with germs. Remember to Use only water-based lubrications on latex, because oil-based lubes will break them down.

Because Latex sex toys are extremely porous, be sure to wash them thoroughly with warm water and anti-bacterial hand soap. Make sure you rinse the product well because leaving traces of soap can degrade the material and cause irritation to you when used.

And while it's a good idea to use condoms with any insertable toy, it's an extremely good idea to use them with sex toys make of this materials. Also be advised that some people are allergic to latex and shouldn't use latex sex toys at all.

Caring for your Latex sex toys:


• Wash throughly with warm water and anti-bacterial hand soap.

Leather

This material is usually Used for harnesses and restraints and lots of people find it tough and sexy. It however is very difficult to keep clean because of all the irregularities of the material. After cleaning, you may recondition your toy using a leather conditioner. Protect metal parts from tarnish by applying a coating of clear nail polish.

Sex toy care for your Leather sex toys:


• Leather can be cleaned gently and regularly with a damp soapy cloth.
• Wiped with leather cleaner.
• Do not soak leather.
• You can also wash the edges with a strong foaming cleaner and a brush, then wipe down all of the surfaces with hydrogen peroxide and allow to dry. Follow this by using saddle soap for an additional cleaning. Then use a leather conditioner to restore it back to its natural finish. The leather conditioner is an absolute must because without it the leather will begin to dry out and crack. This process does not work on suede.

Nylon

Nylon harnesses and toys can be machine or hand washed with a mild anti-bacterial soap.

Vibrators: If your Vibrator is Waterproof, then it can be cleaned with warm water and soft soap. If it's not waterproof, make sure that no water enters the battery compartment. Try taking the batteries out, and close the lid. Then clean the sex toy under warm water - taking care not to get the lid area wet.

Using your sex toys with condoms, makes clean up easier and also makes sharing them cleaner and safer.

General sex toy care:

• You can use hydrogen peroxide.
• Use a anti-bactiral soap and warm water.
• Don't submerge the batteries compartment.
• Don't submerge electric non-waterproof vibrators at all.
• Nylon webbing harnesses can be washed with the rest of your laundry.
• Silicone & Glass can be boiled up to 3 minutes, cleaned with a bleach solution, or run through your dishwasher.
• Use only water based lubricants with latex because oil products destroy it! That includes condoms - that means oil-based lubricants, massage oils, butter, olive oil...anything containing oil because it disintegrates latex.
• Water-based lubricant may be used with any sex toy.
• While silicone lubricants are perfect for use with a partner, a silicone lubricant should never be used with silicone sex toys, nor should it be used on any realistic material (CyberskinTM, FuturoticTM, NeoSkin®, FauxskinTM, Soft TouchTM, UltraSkin).
• Never use an oil-based lube or petroleum jelly on any toy that will come into contact with or be inserted into the vagina because this may increase risk of vaginal infections. Never use oil-based lubes with anything made of rubber/latex, including latex condoms because it will disintegrate latex.

These are the recommended cleaning methods for the most popular sex toy materials:

• Plastic – soap and water, rubbing alcohol, sex toy cleaner, dishwasher.
• Latex – mild soap and water, sex toy cleaner.
• Jelly – mild soap and water, sex toy cleaner.
• Cyberskin – mild soap and water, Cyberskin cleaner, sex toy cleaner, cornstarch.
• Silicon – soap and water, sex toy cleaner, dishwasher.
• Glass – soap and water, sex toy cleaner, rubbing alcohol, boiling water, dishwasher.

Sex toy care - replacing batteries


When you wear out your batteries, replacing them is as simple as a trip to your nearest drug store. Most sex toys take AA or AAA batteries, but some sex toys take common watch batteries. Be sure to take note what battery you need when you remove them from the sex toys. The batteries on most models can be removed by unscrewing the base of the sex toys or removing the panel on the remote control.

Sex toy care - long-term storage

Batteries contain highly corrosive chemicals, and it’s not recommended that you leave them inside your sex toy for extended periods of time. If you don’t plan to use your sex toy for longer than a week, you should remove the batteries, wrap your sex toy in a dry towel and store it in a cool, dry place.

Remember

All porous adult sex toys absorb bacteria, so the only way to keep them safe is to never let the bacteria touch them in the first place. Use condoms.

• Keep your toys out of extreme heat or sun; they can melt or become discolored.
• If you are storing your battery-operated toys for long periods without use, remove the batteries; your toy and batteries will last longer.
• Don't use super-duper-fancy batteries for cheap battery operated toys; their little Chinese motors can't handle the extra power and will burn out faster.
• Water-based lubrications are safe for any adult sex toy.
• It's best not to use silicone lube on silicone toys, and never use silicone lube on any “realistic” materials, like CyberskinTM, FuturoticTM, NeoSkin®, FauxskinTM, Soft TouchTM, UltraSkin.
• Oil-based lube (or petroleum jelly) should only be used for male masturbation; as it disintegrates latex (like condoms or some sex toys), and will cause vaginal infections if inserted in the vagina.
• Do not use silicone lubrications on silicone toys because silicone adheres to silicone and will eventually cause the sex toy to become gummy and sticky.

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