20 May Spring Clean Your Toys
With it being International Masturbation Month (it’s a real thing, folks – we’re not just being cheeky here. Seriously, read about Dr. Jocelyn Elders and the history – it’s fascinating), we sincerely hope that all of you are celebrating the holiday month in the most active and self-caring way possible. With all the masturbating we hope you’re doing, it’s always important to remember to clean any toys in-between self-care sessions. To that end, we wanted to highlight some helpful tips to remember for cleaning your sex toys.
Always Clean Toys Between Uses
First off, we hope we don’t need to say this, but it’s helpful to cover anyway… ALWAYS CLEAN YOUR TOYS! Not only will cleaning your toys keep them clean and safe to use, but it will also keep them functioning correctly. The only thing worse than killing a beloved sex toy because you neglected its proper care would be getting an infection or reaction from using an improperly cleaned toy.
While it may not sound sexy, cleaning your toys is essential. “Pleasure products can help you embrace confidence, help navigate intimate desires and boundaries and boost self-love,” said Kristin Fretz, co-founder and CMO of Emojibator. “But having an experience like getting a UTI from a vibrator is not just uncomfortable and can be extremely painful if left untreated, but it perpetuates the shame around masturbation and can create individual resistance to self-pleasure.”
Simple rule of thumb here, people, just do it. Always do it. Keep those toys clean, folks!
Know Your Materials
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, the next most important tip is making sure that you know what sort of material your toy is made out of, and what the manufacturers cleaning recommendations are. For example, the care for toys made out of silicone (or other non-porous materials) will be different than the cleaning and care for materials that can be porous, such as hard plastic, jelly rubber, or elastomer.
Knowing what type of material your toy is made of will ensure that you’re using the right cleaning techniques and materials to get the job done – and get the job done without possibly harming your toy.
Old Faithful Usually Does the Trick
For non-porous toys (glass, silicone, etc.), washing them with warm water and antibacterial soap is considered a safe and efficient cleaning method by most healthcare professionals and sexperts. Just like with washing your hands, washing them in warm water for at least twenty seconds is a good practice, as it helps to ensure that any potentially harmful bacteria has been killed off (thanks, COVID. At least we learned something useful from those two wasted years!). Be sure to dry your toys, and then store them in a clean, secure space.
With porous materials, the same logic usually applies, but you should probably be more thorough and wash them more intensely. Porous materials can “hide” bacteria in their microscopic pores, so be sure to thoroughly and completely wash them, especially if you’ve used them with a partner or for anal play (which is probably best used with a condom anyway, but that’s another post for another day). Be sure to store them separately from other toys, and discard them if you start noticing any discoloration or smells coming from them.
Know Your Toy Cleaners
Toy cleaners can be useful, as long as they’re safe to use on the material in question. Most experts recommend picking something that is a water-based cleaner that’s both alcohol and paraben-free. Just like with foods that you consume, it’s always a good idea to read the label and know what ingredients are included in the cleaner. After all, it’s always good to know what is going to be going into your body. Be sure to avoid harsh chemicals like bleaches and toxic cleaners. Simple rule of thumb, if you can’t pronounce most of the ingredients, it’s probably not good to put on your toys and in your body.
It hopefully also goes without saying, but never spray toy cleaners directly on your skin or genitals. They’re made to kill bacteria, so applying them directly to your body can be a recipe for disaster. Just don’t do it.
Don’t Overthink It
In our time serving the needs of San Antonio, we’ve heard some really interesting approaches to cleaning sex toys. Among the things we’ve been asked are questions like “can I put my toys in the dishwasher?” and “can I dip them in boiling water to sanitize them?”
Listen folks, we’re all for cleanliness and sanitation, but let’s not overthink things and delve into the ridiculous here. Just like in Broad City, it’s never a good idea to put anything into the dishwasher that’s not explicitly dishwasher safe – which definitely includes your sex toys and most plastics. The same goes for boiling toys, as it’s almost guaranteed to melt your toy and cause at least some sort of structural or functional damage.
Conclusion
So there you have it, ladies. We need to keep those toys clean so we can keep them busy. Most of the time, warm, soapy water is sufficient, but for some instances, it’s never a bad idea to keep some sex toy cleaner on hand. For all your sex toy (and, of course, sex toy cleaner) needs in San Antonio, be sure to visit us at The Pink Boxxe. We’ve got everything you need to keep your sex-life humming, both figuratively and literally.