How To Clean Your Sex Toys
A smart approach, washing a toy by hand using warm water and gentle, antibacterial soap is a convenient, simple way to declutter sex toys. You can wash these toys using either a gentle soap and warm water, or with a soapy, wet washcloth, just as you would wash a toy described above.
Use a damp cloth, warm water, and a mild detergent to hand-wash the waterproof toys, or spray the toys with a toy sprayer and wipe with a clean towel. If you have a PVC or rubber toy made of gelatinous material that needs cleaning, you can use spray-on toy cleaner or soap and water. If you properly clean the toy with mild soap and water, and keep it safe--in a clean bag or toy box, and far away from other porous toys--porous sex toys can remain safe for single-player play.
Keep in mind that porous toys are much like your skin, in that they have tiny holes -- or pores -- which can harbour bacteria, even after cleaning. Porous materials, those that can hold bacteria and other usually icky things, include rubber, latex, and Sensafirm, as well as UR3 (which makes toys sometimes look like skin). Porous materials are more likely to harbour bacteria, even once they are cleaned and dried, so either consider using condoms with those materials, or choose nonporous toys.
Nonporous materials typically include silicone, metal, and glass, and are usually easier to clean thoroughly. Steel and metal toys may receive the same type of cleaning treatment as silicone since they are also made from nonporous materials. Because tough plastics can retain bacteria even after cleaning, Lori Mintz suggests toys using materials that are made for health care, like medical-grade silicone.
Non-porous materials like leather should generally be avoided in sex toys, since it can become a petri dish for bacteria, even when trying to wash it. The easiest sex toys to disinfect are also less porous, so it is unlikely that funky bacteria will get through if you wash them immediately after using, which is the objective here. The easiest-to-sanitize sex toys will be made from stainless steel, glass, and silicone, since you can generally just simmer them down, like Hot Witch, for 10 minutes or as long as your toys instructions say to (but do not if there is a vibration machine inside).
After all, sex toys are getting extra-intimate with your genital region (an area that is absolutely worth keeping clean), and there are plenty of mistakes that can be made when you are cleaning it. Even if your sex toys are not used as much, consider washing them at least monthly, so that surfaces are clean, fresh, and ready to be used, says Julieta Chiara, sex guru. Not only may the practice of cleaning toys regularly prevent infections, but keeping your sex toys safe when used and after can also help them last longer, as it will make sure that wear-and-tear-causing messes are kept away.
