Whether you’ve just purchased your first ever sex toy or your 100th, knowing how to care for these products is paramount to not only their longevity, but also your intimate health. Make sure to clean your toy thoroughly at least once before using it for the first time.
First and foremost, you’re going to need to determine the material of your toy, considering the large array of options when it comes to this, I’ll narrow it down a bit for you. Sex toys generally fall into one of two categories: soft or hard. By this I’m not referencing the flexibility of your toy, soft toys are generally made of; silicone, TPE, TPR, rubber or some type of hybrid material such as silaskin or super-skin, all of which are flexible on their own but many act as a barrier between you and the motor/internal hardware of the toy. While, in contrast, hard toys are made of materials such as; glass, ceramic, wood, steel (stainless or surgical) or a hard plastic such as ABS, hard toys are a lot less likely to absorb any bacteria and are generally easier to clean, most soft toys will also have a handle made of a hard plastic for increased usability, such as Fun Factory’s entire range.
There are also several other aspects to consider when it comes to cleaning and caring for your sex toys, are they electronic in any way? If yes, are they battery powered, rechargeable or plug in? What’s the intended purpose of your toy? Is it made specifically for anal use? Or perhaps it’s not meant to be inserted at all. Overall, there are a multitude of defining factors that influence what we can and cannot do with our toys, especially when it comes to something as rudimentary as cleaning and storing.
Cleaning
First things first, PLEASE DON’T PUT YOUR TOYS IN THE DISHWASHER, I understand why you’d think that to be a good idea but not only is that where you wash dishes, cutlery and other food related items, it will actually melt or severely compromise the structural integrity of most toys.
Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way let’s begin with non-electronic toys, these products can be made from any soft or hard material, or a combination of both, the main defining factor is of course that they have no electronic or mechanical components. It’s important to note that most poseable and thermoreactive toys will fall into this category. Let’s start with the easiest materials to maintain; steel, ceramic and glass, these toys are both hypoallergenic and non-porous so bacteria is completely unable to penetrate the toy on any level. Because of their extremely high melting point, you’re able to boil toys made solely of this material to completely remove any bacteria, but if you’d prefer to keep your toys out of the kitchen you can also use an antibacterial toy cleaning spray or foaming wash, but make sure to rinse off your toy completely before using these. They are designed to sanitise your toys as well as be both toy and body safe, I cannot emphasize enough that you shouldn’t be using any type of household cleaner on your toys, so please be sure to pick up a toy cleaner and not use Dettol wipes or any type of spray ‘n’ wipe.
The sales consultants at Oh Zone love to help their valued customers whether it be in the shop or online with great advice and a caring attitude. The sex positive team generously contribute to our blog but wish their identities to remain anonymous.