Cleaning Sex Toys Is Important

Durham suggests washing toys with a mild soap and water or an antibacterial sex toy cleaner (no harsh ingredients, although all-natural toy cleaners are ideal). You can clean these toys using mild soap and warm water, or a damp, soapy washcloth, much like the toys above. As an added bonus, if your borosilicate glass, silicone, or stainless-steel toys don’t vibrate, you can boil them for 3 to 4 minutes to fully disinfect them. Finn doesn’t suggest boiling sex toys made of gold, since many of them are only gold-plated and may contain other materials.

I suggest throwing them out, as not even a condom can provide adequate protection from the harsh chemicals it’s loaded with. That being said, I’m also not one for policing what people do with their bodies, so if you find yourself too attached to the gadget to toss it, using it won’t kill you. InStyle may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Stubbs notes that you should also wash your toys right when you take them out of the package. “Even though they’re new toys, the factories they came from aren’t clean rooms,” she says. Place your toy in storage bags or pouches to keep clean in-between use.

Just be sure to keep your vibrator away from areas that may have oils, powders, and perfumes around, Holly Richmond, PhD, a somatic psychologist and certified sex therapist previously told Women's Health. When you're reveling in post-climax bliss, how you're going to clean the sex toy that just sent you over the edge is probably the last thing on your mind. No matter how you wash your toy, double-check that it’s dry before storing it. “Porous or not, you don’t want to have anything that could build mildew or mold, or make your toys smell weird,” Finn says. Ensuring that your toy is fully dry also lessens the likelihood that any pathogens can cling on for dear life. Do the same thing you’d do for the toys listed above, but don’t expose it to too much soap.

The formula is suitable for use with silicone, rubber, and latex. A quick and dirty expert-approved guide to keeping all of your sex toys germ-free. When it comes to shopping for sex toys, sometimes you don’t see quite what you want in the sex shops. As someone who creates smart sex toys for a living, I look at a lot of different sex toys for my job. Or yes, even place in the dishwasher if you want (I won’t tell).

Katie Thurston's journey to find love on The Bachelorette has finally ended with an engagement to contestant Blake Moynes. Now, the couple is making the rounds on talk shows, and they've fielded a few intimate questions about their love life — including how often they've had sex. A vibrator can spice up your solo and partnered sex life, adding a buzz and a kick to any play session. For those of you sharing your Womanizer with a partner, you should have a spare silicone head that you can swap out in between uses!

Just as you wash your body after sex and rigorously wash your hands after…well, touching anything, cleaning sex toys is crucial to being as safe and healthy as possible. Almost every type of sex toy can be surface-cleaned, using liquid soap and water, and then air-dried. But we will also identify situations where it’s better to more thoroughly disinfect your toys. “Porous materials can be cleaned with soap and water or a toy cleaner. A gentle liquid soap, like you would use for your hands, is a fine choice for most toys,” Deysach says.

It doesn't have an obnoxious smell, and gets my silicone toys squeaky clean. One way to decrease that risk of an infection is best way to clean and store sex toys to actually use a condom with your sex toy. “Using a condom can help decrease the risk of transmitting bacteria, especially when sharing toys between partners. You’ll just want to make sure you use a condom-safe lube—” a.k.a. one that's water-based, says Fine. To ward off these infections, you should wash your sex toys regularly—as in every time you use them.

Consider investing in sex toy cleaning sprays and wipes, which are specifically formulated to clean sex toys without damaging them. Stubbs recommends Goodwipes Down There Wipes, or Doc Johnson antibacterial toy cleaner. Wood sex toys are often sealed with a medical-grade finish that makes them nonporous; however, always double-check with the specific manufacturer. Clean using a mild soap and warm water or a damp, soapy washcloth.

One concern is that UV light can disinfect only the areas it’s able to reach. So it may be less effective for toys that have nooks and crannies. Smell retention can sometimes be an issue with silicone toys in particular. It’s best to reserve any porous toys in your repertoire for solo play, or enjoy shared use with a condom (unless you’re fluid bonded).