We talked about how to properly store your sex toy before, and now we're going to further talk about how to clean it. It might not be the most enjoyable thing to think about cleaning your sex toys. Sex, whether alone or with a partner, is a time for you to let the pressures of everyday life fade. You must properly and frequently clean sex toys if you want them to be a part of that time to decompress and if you want them to last a long time. Furthermore, it’s possible that using sex toys improperly might lead to diseases, so safe sex is still something to think about even while using toys.
It’s crucial to understand how to take care of your vibrator, regardless of whether you’ve just bought your first one or are an experienced dildo user. Cleaning your sex toy is a crucial safety measure you should do before solo and couple play.
We should all attempt to be more careful about sanitization, especially when it comes to the most delicate parts of your body, if the recent events have taught us anything. Cleaning your sex toys might just be another (or perhaps the final) step when you masturbate or play with a partner, despite the fact that it might not appear very attractive. Cleaning sex toys is essential to being as safe and healthy as possible, just like you should wash your body after having sex and your hands thoroughly after, well, touching anything.
Additionally, you should look for a tidy location to keep your clean sex object. Washing them would be essentially useless if this were not done. It would be like washing your face only to puke onto it a few seconds later; you would need to wash your face again. Although many toys have their own pouch, which is convenient, there are also lots of additional choices.
What you should know before getting a sex toy
Even before you buy a new toy, you can and probably should plan how you’re going to clean it. Choose a sex toy made of a nonporous substance, such silicone, as these are less prone to harbor hazardous microorganisms.
You might believe that washing your sex objects in soap and water is all that is necessary. Don’t do that, please. Instead, determining the type of material a sex toy is composed of is the first step in cleaning it. There are two main classifications of sex toys; porous materials and nonporous materials.
These are a few types of porous materials that could be used in sex toys: jelly rubber, hard plastic, elastomers, and thermoplastic elastomers (TPR). It is a lot better to choose medical-grade materials for toys, such as medical-grade silicone, because these materials might harbor bacteria even after they have been cleaned. Ask the store where you purchased the toy for ideas as to what will work best if it doesn’t come with cleaning instructions. Here is the sex toy material guide can help you choose the safest sex toy materials
Cleaning porous toys
Although it is not advisable to toys made with materials that have tiny crevices in them, However, if you decide to purchase a porous toy, there are several safety measures you may take. Porous sex toys can be kept safe for solitary use if you carefully clean your toy with gentle soap and water and store it safely – in a clean toy bag or box, kept apart from other porous toys. When using these with a partner, as a complementary sex toy, or if you are more prone to yeast infections than the average person. However, It is time to put away your toy if it starts to smell or change color.
Cleaning non-porous toys
Your sex toy is less prone to harbor various bacteria if it is composed of nonporous materials because it lacks those holes. Following are some typical non-porous sex-toy materials:
- Silicone
- Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plastic
- Soda-lime glass (like the kind used for drinking glasses)
- Borosilicate glass (as in Pyrex and similar varieties)
- Metals like stainless steel and gold
Most non-porous sec toys tend to be hypoallergenic too, which means they are less likely to trigger allergic reactions on your body. Look on the box or online to learn what kind of material your toy is made of. It’s important to note right away that porous sex toys may not be as cleanable as nonporous ones when it comes to removing germs, so it’s better to keep them for personal use or to use them with condoms with your partner for their pleasure.
Whatever the material your toy is made with, you need to wash and dry it after each use to keep it as squeaky-clean as possible. Although it has been ascertained that porous toys are more prone than nonporous ones to hold bacteria or other pathogens, it’s still a good practice to clean any toy you’ve used soon away.
Risks from using dirty sex toys
Numerous bacteria and fungi that live in your vagina aids the health of the organ. It’s likely that some of these bacteria will stick to the sex toy when you use it. These germs do not truly pose a concern because your vagina is used to handling them.
But it isn’t always the case. Imagine if you choose to masturbate with a toy while suffering from a STI or vaginal infection. If the toy is porous or nonporous, it’s likely that some of the bacteria that are triggering the infection will enter the microscopic holes of the toy, or stay on the surface of the toy, and continue to reside there. There is a chance that you may infect your partner, if you do not clean the toy before using it with them. The bacteria or fungi in question may even be reintroduced into your system after you have initially been cleared of it.
While this may not be the case every time due to the life span of these microorganisms, you should not take the chances that the germs cells have perished from the sex toys being unused for a long period of time. This also brings up the fact that even toys that were cleaned before storing them should still be cleaned before reusing them. Being in a stationary state for a period of time could have given some fungi the ample opportunity to develop on the surface of the toy, especially if your storage facility is not the best, a warm and stuffy storage bag or box allow bacteria and fungi to thrive.
How to clean your sex toys
It is crucial to thoroughly clean all of your sex toys on a regular basis. If not, you run the risk of wearing down a toy’s material, distorting its shape, or destroying any battery-operated features it might have.
- Soap: You should choose the best soap. A moderate hand or dish soap is suggested by Finn, provided that it is odorless. Your vagina has a natural pH that maintains the balance of your vaginal microbiota. Your pH balance may become out of whack as a result of the components in scented soaps, which may increase your susceptibility to infections. Additionally, you should ensure that the soap you choose is thin enough to avoid leaving a film on your toys.
- Material of the sex toy: the material that was used to build the sex toy is worthy of note because porous materials are more sensitive to temperature than nonporous toys, excessive heat may cause them to deform. If your toy vibrates, clean it with a warm, moist rag that has been soapy. If the toy vibrates (or vibrates but is waterproof), rinse it under warm water and wipe it down with a washcloth dipped in soap. Sex toys made with ABS plastic and those made with glass can be wiped with a soft towel in warm water.
The only toys that can be safely bleached are those made of stainless steel and borosilicate glass, but this extra step is not actually necessary. It is sufficient to wash as instructed above. However, Finn advises using a mild solution of 1 part bleach to 10 parts water if you do decide to bleach a sex toy. Then thoroughly rinse it off before washing the toy with mild soap and water after letting it soak for 10 to 15 minutes. Bleach is off limits for your vagina and other connected areas. Before utilizing the toy, you must make sure there is no evidence of it everywhere.
After washing your sex toy
Regardless of how well you wash your toy, ensure it is completely dry before storing it. Whether it is made with material that is porous or not, you do not want the wetness around your toys because this can cause it to grow mold or mildew.
Conclusion
Your hygiene practices are just as important as the pleasure you derive from your sexual activities. Sex toys perform better when they are well taken care of, poor hygiene on the sex toys can reduce their lifespan, and also affect your personal health. The sex organs require certain pH levels, and using dirty toys on them can alter these levels. The results of this include hormonal imbalance, infections and ultimately damage to your sex toys. In order to avoid all this, keep your sex toys clean.