How To Properly Clean Your Sex Toys

Before you submerge your new toys in water, make sure you know whether they are water-resistant. The last thing you want is to have a sex toy DOA because you didn’t realize that water would make it go ka-put. More than 3,700 people trust this foaming cleanser with their favorite toys thanks to an alcohol-, paraben-, and sulfate-free formula. It's gentle on toys but tough on germs, effectively killing bacteria on both porous and non-porous surfaces.

If a sex toy is being used in a commercial setting or by multiple people, it's recommended it be deep-cleaned and disinfected before and after each use. To disinfect heatproof, waterproof, and nonmotorized materials, boil them in water. To disinfect any other materials, consider using a purpose-made sex toy disinfectant . Use a mild soap-free of any micro-beads, exfoliants, or harsh ingredients. Make sure whatever soap you’re using is fragrance-free, as fragrances can irritate the vagina and the pH balance of your vulva. Yes, you can, but they're really best used in combination with other methods.

Leather is also often used for products like harnesses, impact toys, and wearable items. Leather is an extremely porous material and can be difficult to clean. Using a damp, soapy washcloth, wipe down the material thoroughly and leave it out to air dry. Be sure to clean every nook and cranny, including the stitching. If you're dealing with a porous material like jelly, latex, rubber, or realistic-skin material, cleaning it as you would a hard, non-porous sex toy is a bad idea. That's because porous toys can trap bacteria, so they're not ideal to play with recklessly.

With these, you should still use mild soap, but you have the option of subjecting them to higher water temperatures without worrying about the material degrading. That being said, there are some precautions you can take if you do choose to use a porous toy. Lisa Finn, a sex educator for the sex toy shop Babeland, has a few recommendations.

Here’s exactly how to clean your sex toys before and after you use them. Even if you’re diligent about thoroughly cleaning your toy every time you use it, you should think about cleaning it before you use it too. There’s a chance that it might have come into contact with dirt, lint, dust, and other materials since you last used it. We’re guessing you don’t want to expose yourself to those elements, so you should consider washing your toy beforehand. Your vagina is home to myriad bacteria and fungi that help to keep it healthy. When you use a sex toy, odds are some of these microorganisms will attach themselves to the toy.

Motorized devices and other non-waterproof toys can never be submerged, ever. So save yourself the heartbreak of unintentionally slaying a cherished friend, and keep these toys out of the water while you clean them. You can do this by grabbing a clean, damp washcloth, soaping it up and wiping down the toy. Or you could just invest in one of the many sprays or cleaning wipes designed for this very situation. If your toy is designed with something super durable you can just throw it in a pot with some boiling water and let it do its thing in there for a few minutes. This is probably your best bet at achieving a deep-clean, so if you’re sharing toys with a partner this is my top recommended method to disinfect them.

These are the 8 best sex cleaning pvc sex toys toy cleaners of 2021, including Ella Paradis' best-selling options and Del Monte's favorite. Whether it's a steel butt plug, a strap-on silicone dildo, vibrator, or glass anal beads, there is an extra level of risk when using them with a partner. If you're in a fluid-bonded relationship, meaning you know one another's STI status and don't use condoms, just clean the toys after use as you normally would. However, if you're using the same toy with multiple partners, or are sleeping with someone who you're not fluid-bonded with, you should implement safer sex practices. And finally, leaving sex toys unwashed and covered in dried bodily fluids can degrade or discolor the toy.

Most of your favorite sex shops sell cleaner, and you can even buy them through major retailers like Amazon or Walmart. "Spray and wipes are a convenient and quick way to get toys clean," Deysach confirms. "That said, a gentle hand soap and water is also a perfectly fine way to clean your toys." Use a mild formula, and dry it off with a soft cloth or towel when you're done. If it’s not made of silicone, Pyrex, or stainless steel, try the above. Always dry your toys off completely — especially if the toy is made of silicone or isn’t waterproof, as the water can hurt the material. For an even more thorough clean, we recommend our TOYCLEANER, designed specially for silicone toys.

This generally includes soap, water, a washcloth to wipe your device down, says Chavez. Knowing how to clean your sex toy depends largely on what the toy is made of. You can figure this out by checking the box or the manual it came with, or by looking up your toy online. If you use your sex toy with a partner who has herpes or HPV and then touch it to your own body without washing, the risk of contracting these viruses is low—but it exists. Properly storing your sex toys is just as important as properly cleaning them. "Treat your toys with the respect you would treat your retainer," Watts says.