After a fabulous masturbatory session, it may be difficult to find the motivation and willpower to get your butt in gear and do the inevitable task of washing your de-stressing tool. Although the mandatory cleaning your sex toys are the least enjoyable aspect of owning them- it is a must.
Why is it so important?
Your genitals are fabulous, pleasure giving parts of your body and should be taken care of. They are sensitive and all of our bodies contain bacteria. If you get lazy on your toy cleaning regiment bacteria can grow on or in your sex toys and lead to an obnoxious infection. If you have ever had a UTI, you know just how unpleasant the experience can be. I would compare it to pissing out glass and fire.
When and how often should you clean your pleasure products?
Realistically, you should clean them before your first use. I personally clean mine once they come out of the box before I even charge them up. I know it’s hard since, if like me, you’re eager to jump right in and knock an O out with your new orgasm gadget.
You never know what particles are left unseen through the packaging process at the factory, or how many hands it has passed through on the journey to your bedroom.
It is also important to clean them after every… single… use.
You don’t want your toybox or nightstand to become a petri dish for growing a bunch of creepy critters that you later insert into your body. Gross!
Despite if you can see them or not, they are there and will invade your most intimate areas if you don’t take the proper precautions.
How should you clean your toys?
I love to do a quick spritz with my toy cleaners beforehand. Some people would argue that it’s not necessary, but most tend to be pretty inexpensive, and why not add an extra line of protection? A few quick squirts of a disinfecting toy cleaner gives me peace of mind before bathing my tickle toys.
Most adult toy stores sell cleaning products and they are a simple add-on purchase before you hit the checkout.
Most sex toys can be washed with mild soap and warm water. You need to check the instructions to see if the product is submersible or if it has specific instructions. Waterproof toys are by far the easiest to clean and can even be done in the shower if you are up to multitasking.
There are also certain sex toys that can be boiled or run through the dishwasher (without using the dishwashing detergent). Materials that are safe to be cleaned this way are nonporous such as stainless steel and silicone and also, they do not contain a motor. Glass can be run through the dishwasher, but I would not recommend boiling.
You should either dry them with a freshly cleaned towel or like me let them air dry before tucking them in for the night.
How should you store your sex toys?
Amazingly enough, there are many products that come with their own storage bags. I would say about half of the vibrators I receive come with a little cloth sleeve with a drawstring at one end for storage. When this is the case you should feel free to use them to keep dust particles and other sorts of debris from collecting on your toys.
If not you should invest in some sort of cloth pouch or bag. They even have storage bags available that are designed with antibacterial material. A phenomenal option for the safety and health of your genitals.
The use of plastic storage bags, like Zip-lock, should be discouraged. Stick with breathable cloth ladies and gentlemen.
More Reading Material
If you are wanting more in-depth information I would highly recommend checking out Dangerous Lilly. Her Sex Toy Cleaning Guide and Material Information Guide are super well written and cover pretty much any question you could think of on the topic.
In conclusion…
Even as children we are taught to clean up our toys after we are done with them. The sentiment has not changed much going forward into adulthood.
Don’t be a dirty birdy and wash your toys!