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Sex toys bring tons of pleasure your way, but if you don’t know how to clean sex toys properly they can turn nasty real quick.
Toys that are not cleaned properly can lead to bacterial infections or transmit STIs, all of which can be prevented if you follow these tips.
By keeping your toys clean and neat properly, you will also significantly extend their lifetime.
The catch is that not all materials are being cleaned the same, so you must know which method to use for each material.
It can be hard to find a detailed guide on how to clean sex toys online, so I decided to put all the most important details in one place.
If you don’t like to bother with cleaning your sex toys, consider buying a new one. Your sex toy can be your best friend, but only if it’s clean.
The Best Way to Clean Sex Toys
Sex toys can be quite expensive and some are quite hard to find, so you must maintain them regularly to get the most pleasure out of them.
You also want to clean them right after you use them, so you have your sex toys ready whenever you want to play.
Take a look at these six tips and learn the best way to clean sex toys:
1. Clean Sex Toys both Before and After the Use
I know how tiresome it can be, but the best way to clean sex toys and keep them clean is to wash them both before and after you use them.
Just because you clean them after use, it doesn’t mean that they won’t get dirty until the next time.
The place where you store it also plays a big part. If you keep your sex toy in a sanitized place you might not need to wash it again, but I still recommend that you do it.
Quick tip: Use sex toy wipes for quick and hustle-free cleaning before and after.
2. Don’t Soak Motorized Toys
It probably goes without saying, but you should never submerge your motorized sex toys in water.
Whether you have battery-powered vibrators or toys with power cords, soaking them in water can easily ruin the surface of the toy.
3. Use Boiling Water with Non-Motorized Toys
On the other hand, the best way to clean sex toys made of durable material is to submerge them in boiling water for a couple of minutes.
However, you should check the manufacturer’s instructions and make sure that your sex toy is made from durable materials (pyrex, stainless steel, silicone, etc.).
4. Always Dry Toys with a Clean Towel
It seems obvious, but always use a fresh and clean towel to dry off your sex toy. Even if you use the towel just once or twice it can still hold some harmful bacteria.
More importantly, you should always, always fully dry your toys before you put them away.
As you may have guessed, damp toys can easily grow mildew or mold, especially in cold and dark places.
5. Use Soap Sparingly and Make Sure It’s Mild
Believe it or not, if you don’t know what you clean sex toys with you can also over-clean them.
That’s right, using too much soap or strong detergent can damage toys made out of sensitive materials.
Also, remember that these toys go near your intimate parts, so that’s another reason to use mild and fragrance-free soaps.
6. Know the Material of Your Sex Toy
If you know exactly what material is your toy made out of you are already halfway there.
You should always check the manufacturer’s guidelines for cleaning or at least see what materials they use.
You can also always look it up online. When you know the material, you can focus on only learning the best way to clean sex toys made out of that material.
But you can also continue reading here, as I will share with you some of the best tips on how to clean sex toys for each material.
How to Properly Clean Sex Toys by Material
As I already mentioned, materials play a huge part in knowing how to properly clean sex toys.
Using the right methods for each material will keep the toy safe and clean and prevent it from being damaged in the process.
Some materials share similar cleaning methods, but most of them require different techniques and cleaning agents.
How to Clean Silicone Sex Toys
Silicone toys are probably the easiest ones to clean. They don’t have any pores so they don’t hold bacteria in.
The easiest way to clean silicone sex toys is to just wipe them with mild anti-bacterial soap and water.
If your silicone toy is not motorized, you can also boil it for a minute or two for extra safety.
How to Clean Rubber Sex Toys
Even though rubber sex toys have a similar feel to silicone ones, they need to be cleaned much better.
To know how to properly clean sex toys made out of rubber, you should know that they absorb dirt and bacteria easily so you need to clean them frequently.
You can clean them with mild soap and water, but you need to rinse them well so there is no soap left.
Jelly and rubber sex toys need to be completely dried out after washing or else they’ll grow mold and mildew.
To make the process easier, it’s a good idea to use condoms with rubber sex toys.
How to Clean Metal Sex Toys
When I say metal, I mostly mean stainless steel. Sex toys made of stainless steel are quite easy to clean as it doesn’t absorb dirt and odor that much.
Like with most materials, you can also use a combination of antibacterial soap and water.
However, make sure that you always keep your metal sex toys completely dry so they don’t start to rust.
How to Clean Glass Sex Toys
When it comes to glass sex toys, the most effective method to keep them safe is to boil them for a couple of minutes. Of course, assuming that they are not electrical.
The great thing about Pyrex and glass toys is that you can place them in the dishwasher too.
How to Clean Plastic Sex Toys
Plastic or acrylic sex toys can be cleaned with either mild soap and water or with special sex toy cleaners.
They are not as durable as silicone or steel, so they need more maintenance.
After cleaning, you can dry them with a clean towel or even leave them to air dry.
How to Clean Realistic Sex Toys
Realistic sex toys probably need the most caution if you don’t know how to properly clean sex toys.
Materials like neoskin, Soft Touch, cyberskin and similar can be damaged if you use harsh cleaning agents or scrub too hard.
You need to clean them with just mild antibacterial soap and warm water and leave them to air dry.
To make sure that they stay fresh as long as possible, you can coat them with a bit of cornstarch.
10 Tips How to Clean Vibrator After Yeast Infection
Yeast infections can happen and you should not be ashamed if you get one.
Sex toys can bring a lot of pleasure, but they also can be a cause of infections, especially if you don’t know how to clean sex toys properly.
If you had an infection due to it, make sure to check the guide above and learn how to clean the vibrator after a yeast infection.
Some of the most important steps you can take to avoid getting a yeast infection.
- Clean toys properly. I strongly recommend doing it both after and before you use it, so it’s always fresh and clean.
- Check the condition of your toys, and make sure that there aren’t any wear and tear.
- Use condoms with porous toys that are harder to clean and sanitize.
- Store in a clean, dry place so it doesn’t get dirty between uses or even worse, grows mold and mildew.
- Use safe materials and avoid toys made out of phthalates as they might be carcinogenic.
- Make sure to use the toy properly to avoid having a sex toy inside that you can’t get out.
- Avoid switching orifices no matter how tempting it is or use a condom while doing it.
- Get appropriate lubricants to match the material of your sex toy.
- Don’t share toys or use condoms while doing it to avoid STIs.
- Remove batteries between uses to make cleaning easier.
Conclusion
Keeping your sex toys clean will keep them safe for you and make sure that they bring your hours and hours of pleasure.
I hope that these tips helped you a lot if you didn’t know how to clean sex toys properly and that you will have nothing but a safe pleasure from now on.