Caring for Your Sex Toys

Just because you are all grown up doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take care of your toys. Caring for your sex toys will prolong their life and your pleasure, as well as help you avoid bacterial infections.

Batteries: Always use new batteries in your vibrating toys. I recommend the cheaper kind that do not contain titanium like Duracell, because they tend to burn out the small motors.

Sharing Toys: Always use a condom when sharing toys with your friends to avoid the spreading STDs or bacteria. Bacteria and infectious diseases can thrive in the porous materials many sex toys are made of. Silicone is the only product that can be fully and safely disinfected by proper boiling and does not need condoms. Jellies and rubber toys, on the other hand, should be used with condoms because rubber is porous and some of the chemicals in jellies can even leech back into your body. Also, if you are using a toy for both anal and vaginal play, be sure to use a condom, or a silicone toy that is properly disinfected after every use.

Lubes: Using the wrong lube with your toy can ruin the material or even make it melt. Water-based lubes are safe to use with any toy. Silicone lubes should never be used with silicone sex toys because it will cause a chemical reaction and melt the toy. Silicone should also not be used on many of the realistic type toy materials like Cyberskin, Futurotic, NeoSkin, Fauxskin, Soft Touch, or UltraSkin. Never use an oil-based lube or petroleum jelly anything made of rubber or latex, including latex condoms as it will disintegrate it.

Storage: Keep your toys in a clean dry place. Always remove the batteries as this can burn out the toy and even make it do strange things, like turn on in the middle of the night by itself. Do not store silicone toys next to other silicone toys. In fact, it is better still to individually place toys in plastic freezer bags or toy storage bags for safe keeping.

Cleaning Toys

Toy Cleaners: Most toys can be cleaned easily with a bacterial cleaner like California Exotic’s Anti Bacterial Toy Cleaner, which is the world's first anti-bacterial toy cleaner that fights bacteria with Triclosan, a potent wide spectrum antibacterial and anti-fungal agent. Triclosan is found in soaps, deodorants, toothpastes, shaving creams, mouth washes, and now sex toy cleaners. It has been shown to be effective in reducing and controlling bacterial contamination on the hands and on treated products. Triclosan is regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Health Canada and by the European Union.

Sex toy cleaners containing Nonoxynol-9 (or N-9) should be avoided and at best can leave you with irritation or rash. N-9 was once promoted as a defense against STDs including HIV, despite never being approved by the FDA. However, more recent studies have shown that it may increase the danger of infection by damaging the lining of the rectum or vagina. According to Wikipedia regular use of N-9 will “likely increases the risk of infection with sexually transmitted human papillomaviruses (HPVs) that can cause cervical cancer, and is linked to higher risk of urinary tract infections."-From Wikipedia. For more information about the dangers of N-9 read "The Scandal of Nonoxynol-9".

Non-porous toys made out of silicone, glass, acrylic, metal, stone or hard plastic can be cleaned with mild soap and water. Silicone, glass and acrylic toys without electrical parts can be boiled for five minutes or put in the dishwasher to disinfect them. For porous toys such as jellies, sili-gels, rubber or rubber latex, cyberskin and other soft realistic type materials it is recommended to use a condom with them and wash in a mild anti-bacterial soap. These materials are supposed to be powered with "renewing" powder (usually comes with the toy) or cornstarch. Never use talcum or baby powder to powder a toy as it has been linked to cancer. Talc is closely related to the potent carcinogen asbestos and have been shown to cause tumors in the ovaries. Numerous studies have shown a strong link between frequent use of talc in the female genital area and ovarian cancer. For more information on this read: "Risks of Talcum Powder".

Vibrators, unless waterproof, should not be immersed in water, but can be cleaned with toy cleaner spray and sex toy wipes.

Finally, taking care of your toys is not child's play, and should be taken serious as it can effect your sexual health. So, play safe, so you can have fun.