KEEPING YOUR SEX TOYS CLEAN
Each time you use your sex toys, you must clean them thoroughly. Cleaning here does not mean that you give them a quick swipe with a damp cloth but instead, it requires that you pay attention to the way you clean and care for them regularly. If this is not done, your toys might become a hiding place for STIs and bacterial infection, and the fact that there is no physical appearance of bodily fluids on your toys does not mean you are safe from infections or pregnancy.
ENSURING PROPER CLEANING OF YOUR TOYS
UNDERSTANDING THE CORRECT CLEANING PROCESSES
You have to first understand what kind of material your toys are made from so that you can give them the most appropriate cleaning routine. Are they made of leather, metal or soft fabrics? Are they waterproof? Knowledge of the material and make of your sex toys will also help you select the best lube for each type, so you could enjoy your tools for a long time.
Sometimes you use your toys alone, other times you may share them with your partner. Either way, proper cleaning must be done when your play time is over. The only way to keep them from getting discoloured or show signs of degrading is to take very good care of them. One other thing you need to consider and pay attention to is how you store your toys. If you keep unclean toys with those you washed, they might contaminate each other. The best thing to do is to wash the toys before you use them too.
DISCLAIMER
The content of this page is provided strictly for your information. They may not be taken as medical, legal or health instructions.
HOW TO CLEAN
These refer to readily available plugs and vibrators which you can easily find in your everyday sex shop. Apart from the easy access to them, they are also cheap. Usually made from generic hard plastic, and due to the low cost finishings, the seals on these toys can be a source of concern. If the seal area comes in contact with water, it might get inside the toy where the metal contacts which the batteries sit on will start to corrode. Generally, non-waterproof toys must not be soaked in water, and the same rule applies to this kind of sex toys. If you are cleaning with water, watch how you clean around the areas where the seals are placed in the toy. Usually, all you need is just some soapy water to clean these toys in the sink. After washing you will need to air-dry them, just remember to remove and put away the batteries. It's a smart idea to use anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and antifungal wipes or spray to kill off any lurking germs. Feel free to use any silicone and water based lube with these toys. You can be sure they would not corrode or break down the plastic.
HOW TO CLEAN
Most would prefer silicone toys to vinyl or rubber toys due to their superior quality. They easily get warmed up as they come in contact with the skin and they also retain body heat nicely. They are non-porous (no tiny holes on the skin), and for this reason, the stress of cleaning is greatly reduced. They are long-lasting and hypoallergenic products that supply you with good vibrations. You can use a diluted beach solution to clean your silicone sex toys or just boil them for, say about 3 minutes, or even put them in the dishwasher. (You need to be aware, however, that applying harsh cleaning methods on toys with lesser heat resistance will make them degrade quicker, so you might want to stick to cleaning them with warm, soapy water.) Air-drying silicone toys is recommended as it helps keep the moulds away. Avoid placing your silicone toys under direct sunlight, and endeavour to use aftercare products to successfully clean the ridges and folds in some of these toys. Water based lube is the best option for silicone toys as silicone lubes will dissolve them. Also exercise care if your condom comes with silicone lube on it. Finally, apply anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal agents on your toys.
HOW TO CLEAN
Translucent, elastic rubber is used to make jellies. These see-through toys are flexible and soft. Jellies are very porous, and require extra care because of the little holes in their skin. Clean them with disinfectant soap and warm water. You have to be mindful of the fact that they are porous and you may have difficulties getting out all the water and soap you used to wash them - which might put you at risk of infections. Do not dry jellies with fluffy towels as they easily pick up fluff and lint. A great alternative is drip- drying them. You can also air-dry them for quicker results, while avoiding direct sunlight. Use anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal wipes or sprays to finish off your toy care. Jellies are unlike silicone toys that are non-sticky and do not have the tendency to collect lint, so when you are done with cleaning, it is wise to store them safely away in their original packaging. The only lube that is okay for jellies is water based lube as silicone would degrade them. Be mindful of the lubricant used to coat your preferred condoms too: if your condom comes with a silicone lube, you would have to be extra careful when using it.
HOW TO CLEAN
Vinyl are porous, but not as much as the ones in jellies and rubbers. They feel very light, come in different shapes a well as colours, and are pretty easy to clean (just get some mild soapy water). You must avoid boiling your vinyl toys. Their porosity means they attract lint, so drying vinyl toys with towels is out of the question. Air-drying is a great idea, but do not expose them to direct sunlight. Complete your cleaning ritual with anti-bacterial, antifungal and anti-viral wipes or spray. Vinyl toys are great with any kind of lube. Endeavour to wear condoms when using vinyl toys because their porous skins can hide bacteria.
HOW TO CLEAN
The most distinguishable thing about rubber toys is their firmness. They are not as flexible or life-like to the touch as jellies or silicone toys. People with latex allergies should be particularly careful with the use of rubber toys. Use disinfectant soap and warm water to clean rubber toys and rinse them thoroughly. They are very porous, and can therefore retain leftover soap and water in their skins if you fail to rinse them properly. Due to this, they can hold bacteria or fungi in them and could be prone to degrading. Therefore use a soft washcloth to dry your rubber toys, and it is also highly recommended to air-dry them away from direct sunlight afterwards. Oil-based and silicone lubes can degrade rubber toys, so use only water based lubes. Ensure you are using a condom each time you play with rubber toys, although condoms coated with silicone lube are not exactly a great choice with rubber toys. If you must use such, ensure you are careful. Do not forget to use antifungal, anti-bacterial and anti-viral wipes or spray on the toys.
HOW TO CLEAN
These high end toys are made from very soft and supple material that looks and feels pretty much like real skin. They may come in different colours, realistics are also warm to the touch and move around easily. But you need to know that cleaning and storing these toys safely can be quite a hard task. UltraSkin, Cyberskin, Fauxskin, NeoSkin, Soft Touch and Futurotic sex toys belong to this class. Use warm soapy water (liquid antibacterial soap) to clean realistics. Rinse these toys thoroughly after washing. In case you use any toy (e.g., penis sheath and Flesh Light) which requires inserting the penis into it without the use of a condom, it is not advisable that you share them with anyone else. This is because there is no way you can entirely wash and disinfect them. Dry these toys with flint-free cloth, and then air-dry them (away from direct sunlight of course). Use corn starch or “renewing powder” to spray your toys so you can have them feeling dry, soft and supple all over again. Use water-based lubes only. No oil-based or silicone lubricants with realistics. You need to be careful if the condom you are using with this toy is silicone lube-coated.
HOW TO CLEAN
Acrylic or Lucite toys feel very hard to the touch. They are great for prostate stimulation, Kegel exercises, and chastity devices and vibrators. Sometimes, they come in dull colours, and at other times they are made to feel and look like glass. They allow effective cleaning because they are non-porous, and with hot water and soap they are as good as new. Once you are done washing, grab a piece of cloth and dry the toys out of direct sunlight. Finish off your cleaning rituals by spraying or wiping your toys with anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and anti-viral agents. Water-based lube is your best option with these toys.
HOW TO CLEAN
Glass toys should be washed using soap and water. Avoid exposing your glass toys to extreme temperatures, such as in the dishwasher. By doing so, you can prevent them from warping.
HOW TO CLEAN
Pyrex toys are easy to clean. They are heat-resistant glass. You can wash them by hand, put them in the dishwasher, or simply boil them.
HOW TO CLEAN
Leather toys are extremely durable, but they are also very porous, so they could be quite difficult to clean. Avoid soaking your leather toys in water. Use a scrubbing brush dipped in strong foaming cleaner to give these toys a good cleaning session. Use antibacterial solution or a 70% isopropyl rubbing alcohol solution to wipe them, using sharp little strokes. Ensure the leather toy is dried entirely to prevent moulding and rot. Your leather sex toys won’t look too pretty if they begin to crack, so use a leather conditioner to keep them in great shape. Always remember that leather toys tend to harbour STIs if not thoroughly cleaned, so while it may not be the easiest thing, do your best to keep them in perfect state.
HOW TO CLEAN
Faux leather, as its name implies is not real leather. Actually, it is artificial leather made from polyurethane (PU) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC). They are pretty easy to clean, but you shouldn't over clean or dry out these toys without conditioning them afterwards. Applying too much products on faux leather may not give you best results. You can apply a gentle cleaner on these toys when they get dirty, followed by a protective gel to keep them in perfect shape.
HOW TO CLEAN
Metals are a permanent feature in sex toys. The steel of studs, rings, buckles, snaps, rivets are plated with nickel, chains are usually plated with chrome and some metal fittings are coated with brass. Rusting is bound to occur should the fittings come in contact with moisture or are not regularly cleaned. To remove surface rust try cleaning with Brasso (brass) Autosol, chrome cleaner, WD40 (nickel).
HOW TO CLEAN
You might have a hard time cleaning electrical toys due to their many components. And of course, because they work with electricity, you cannot soak them in water. Remove the batteries before you start cleaning. Do not leave batteries inside electric toys when the play is over as they can corrode them. The batteries might also get drained as a result. Imagine your vibrator giving you a feeble buzz when you need it to vibrate properly. Awful, right?
HOW TO CLEAN
It is not enough to just throw your sex toys in any drawer. We all know that hardly do we ever remember to clean out and disinfect these places. Also, Tupperware and plastic bags should not be used for storing sex toys as the chemicals can leach into the toys with time. It's best to store them in the box your Seksme products came in.
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