How do you Clean Sex Toys?
As your eyes roll backwards, your body quivers and you relinquish the pressure, cleaning your orgasm-inducing tool will be far down your list of priorities. You could quite easily toss it back in the drawer and drift off into a post-climax, fantasy-infused sleep. And yet. The hygiene of your sex toy needs to be at the forefront of your mind.
We’re not talking ‘leap off the bed and get the rubber gloves out’ type speed of work but you should wash your sex toys after each and every use.
Our friends at Freyja stress the importance of it reminding us that STIs can spread through sex toys so scrubbing them is incredibly important.
Let’s break it down into simple steps.
First and foremost your attention to detail needs to begin before you’ve even used the toy. What it’s made out of sets the tone for how you should clean it.
Porous vs. Non-porous Sex Toy Materials.
If you read the word ‘porous’ you need to then conjure up the image of a sponge soaking in liquid. Now shift that mental image to your sex toy soaking up ‘your’ liquid. You get our drift?
Even with a whole load of scrubbing and possibly a drop of your Granny’s TCP there’ll still be ‘droplets’ that have been absorbed into crevices inaccessible to all mankind. There is the option of popping a condom on these porous punters but it's advisable not to share them.
Non-porous materials on the other hand aren’t letting any of those bad boy bacteria through. They’ve got your back. They’ll keep anything that needs mopping up within easy reach. Look for labels saying medical-grade silicone, glass, Pyrex, and stainless steel.
Check for batteries and if this isn’t a charged-up vulva-busting powered machine then good old soap and water will do the job. Make sure the water is boiling and then make your Grandma proud by putting your back into a good old 10 minute scrubbing session.
It has also been known, and is less labour intensive, for people to pop their non-battery toys into the dishwasher. Just don’t forget it’s in there and accept your Mum’s offer to unload the dishwasher when she pops round for a cuppa.
Go Big
By big we mean go ‘medical grade’ when it comes to materials. Look out for deceptive marketing. ‘Body safe’ doesn’t always mean what it means. Check the small print. Look for ‘medical grade’ and FDA approved. You’re looking for the Rolls Royce of sex toys and don’t settle for anything less.
Don’t Move
It's a pretty unsexy image of having a good old masturbation session with a sex toy and then leaping out of bed to spend 10 minutes bent over the sink. Unless your partner is bending you over the sink there are other ways to clean your sex toy from the comfort of your bed.
It’s called a ‘genius product invention’ by someone who couldn’t be bothered to move post-wank.
Again, read the labels properly. Oil-based cleaners can strip your toy of its silicone and no one needs a vibrator scratching away like a cheese grater inside them.
Your body might also have words with you about the unnatural products and give you a good old itch for a few days.
So stick with water-based products. Go as natural as possible. Show some respect to that toy and stroke its ego with some care and attention. After all, it's doing exactly that to you.
Don’t Submerge the Motor
Plenty of toys come with batteries these days. In the modern world of always wanting to ‘better’ that orgasm, batteries offer vibrators a whole host of settings for the user to work through.
Whether you want to be ‘pulsed’ or ‘stroked’, there’s a setting for everyone. So as with everything battery-powered, you don’t want to get them wet.
We’d recommend you stick with the official cleaning products to clean these toys down. Give them a good rub down with a proper wipe or damp cloth.
Anal Sex Toys & Butt Plugs
Yep, no one wants to reuse a sex toy that has a slight hint of ‘bottom’ smell on it. Same rules apply.
If it’s motorised, avoid getting the battery wet. If it's non-battery powered give it a good hose down with soap and water. Submerge that butt-prodding pleasure machine in boiling water and then get scrubbing.
Intrigued as to which sex toy cleaners to buy? Here’s Luud Health's suggestions for you:
This is the ultimate sex toy cleaner that comes with a price tag to prove it. For the ultra hygienists, those with a cleaning fetish, germ police and anyone wanting to go the extra mile, this machine is for you.
Using UVC light to kill off potential viruses this toy does the cleaning for you. You might want to invest in the toy itself though and stick with soap and water for the cleaning.
At the other end of the price scale this mist can multitask. Not only can it clean your toy but it's also gentle enough to clean your hands too. Bargain.
This mist wins as the crowd-pleaser. Its sales are sky-high, its price tag is affordable and its main ingredient triclosan stops bacteria from forming which in turn can lead to infection.
If your sex toy is portable then you need a portable cleaning solution. These wipes are non-liquid based so won’t leave wet patches at the bottom of your handbag. They’re also lightly scented with bergamot which means you can casually stroll out of a public toilet post-play without worrying whether the ‘sex juice’ whiff is following you.
But Can I Clean my Sex Toys with Soap and Water?
In short, yes. You don’t need to purchase products and you could absolutely argue that they’re all marketing gimmicks. Aren’t most things in life?!
Just make sure your soap is ideally fragrance-free and antibacterial without any added extras. You don’t want to get itchy bits down there aggravated by some sweet-smelling soap.
Will Protection on my Sex Toy Protect Me from Bacteria?
Again, in short, yes. As with sex, by using a condom you’re cutting down on the risk of infection particularly if you’re sharing a sex toy with someone else.
How Do I Store My Sex Toy?
As tempting as it is to throw it back in a drawer post-play or even post clean you need to consider the last bit of sex toy preservation and hygiene.
Once you’ve returned it to its original squeaky clean glory, make sure it's bone dry. Then pop it into a bag, preferably silk because let’s face it, your toy deserves nothing less than silk. Then seal it away to keep the germs at bay until you’re ready to unleash its nerve-tingling power again.
Sex Toys and STIs
Maria Allgaier, CEO of Freyja, stresses it's important to remember that “you can also spread infection to yourself…if you have a bacterial infection and don’t clean your sex toy you can just end up reinfecting yourself. The same applies to STIs”.
Very wise words from the adult social media network focused on improving sexual education. Freyja seek to break the stigma of sex being silenced. Like us, they hope to open up conversation and normalise the rhetoric around sex.
So! If you haven’t reached the end of this blog nodding your head in agreement, stop being lazy! If you hate washing up then you need to change your mindset. You need to prioritise hygiene over pleasure and in Maria’s words, remember “there’s nothing sexy about an STI”.
