Expert Guide to Cleaning Sex Toys

Sex Toy Materials & Cleaning Them

Cleaning a sex toy will depend on the material it is made from, and here is where sex toy material comes into question. We always remind you to favor sex toys made from body-safe materials that are non-porous and easy to clean.

A non-porous material means the surface is smooth and pore-free, so there are no places where bacteria or moisture gets trapped and causes problems later. It also means these are easier to clean, as the surface is smooth and easily washable. Non-porous materials for sex toys are silicone, glass, metal, and ABS.

Porous materials have tiny pores on the surface that can trap bacteria and residue and are more challenging to clean. Even though some provide an incredibly lifelike feeling, their nature makes it harder to keep clean and sterile. Porous materials used for sex toys are jelly rubber, TPE, latex, Cyberskin, and PVC.

Ways to Clean Sex Toys

Basically, you can wash or wipe sex toys to clean them. However, there are some instances where you can do a deep cleaning, which includes boiling a sex toy or even sticking it in the dishwasher. Read on as our experts share the best routes when it comes to cleaning various sex toys.

Cleaning Waterproof Sex Toys

You can wash any waterproof sex toy with soap and water. When we say waterproof, we mean toys made from silicone, metal, or glass that are rated as waterproof by the manufacturer. Non-motorized toys made from quality, non-porous materials are naturally waterproof. You can wash these with antibacterial soap and warm water, but check the waterproof rating of motorized toys to be safe.

Make sure you use quality soap and wash the toy for at least 30 seconds before you rinse the toy. Clean the entire surface thoroughly, removing all bodily fluids and lube residue. Dildos, bullet vibes, and strap-ons are more accessible to wash because of their shape, but pocket pussies and other male masturbators can be a challenge, so taking the time is vital for getting a clean sex toy.

If you don’t like to use soap, you can use a sex toy cleaner to wash your sex toys. Check if the sex toy cleaner is compatible with your sex toy material: avoid buying sex toys that have alcohol and parabens. After rinsing the toy, place it on a lint-free towel and leave it to air-dry.

Sterilizing Sex Toys

Some sex toys can be sterilized – an extra step that ensures your toy is thoroughly clean. Please note that you can only sterilize non-motorized toys made from glass, metal, or silicone.

Get a pot of water, bring it to a boil, and carefully submerge your sex toys inside for a couple of seconds to sterilize them. Don’t leave silicone toys in hot water for long, as the heat may ruin the shape.

Another way to do this is to prepare a 5% bleach solution and rinse your non-porous sex toys like dildos and glass, metal or silicone anal plugs. Please note that you should never use strong disinfectants on your sex toys as you are risking serious health problems.

Some toys, mainly made from glass and metal, can be washed in the dishwasher. Still, this is only recommended for non-motorized sex toys made from borosilicate (Pyrex) glass, silicone or metal, as these materials can safely withstand the heat in the dishwasher.

Cleaning Splashproof Sex Toys

You may see that manufacturers have dubbed some toys as splashproof. It pertains to motorized toys with internal rechargeable batteries and open charging ports. In such case, you can wash the “business side” – the part that comes into contact with your body with antibacterial soap and warm water rinse, but be careful not to get water into the charging port.

After you clean and rinse your splashproof sex toy, leave it to air-dry on a lint-free towel. You can also use a sex toy cleaner to wash a splashproof sex toy; again, be careful not to get too much liquid in the charging port.

Cleaning Non-Waterproof Sex Toys

Things get trickier when you have non-waterproof sex toys. These are usually motorized toys that have rechargeable batteries with exposed charging ports. In such cases, we advise you to get alcohol-free antibacterial wipes and thoroughly wipe the entire toy.

Another way is to scrub the surface of the non-waterproof sex toy (think of the vibrating wand, for example), with a lint-free cloth sprayed with an antibacterial spray compatible with the surface material.

Also, where possible, remove the motorized mechanism, which is usually a vibrating bullet, clean the sex toy properly, and once it is dry, put everything back together.

Using & Cleaning Shareable Sex Toys

We advise you NOT to share your sex toys with anyone, as everybody has different microflora. Still, you can be tempted to share some toys like butt plugs or anal beads. Thus, our experts advise that if you are in a committed relationship and, you know each other’s health status, and you’ve had sex without a condom for a while, you can share some of your sex toys. Still, clean them before you share, and wash them per the manufacturer’s instructions.

However, if you are not sure about your partner’s health status or use the same toy with several partners, we advise you to use a condom over it, or even better, use separate toys with each partner. Always change the condom before switching orifices, and pay good attention to cleaning your toys afterward.

High-Tech Cleaning of Sex Toys

You’ve probably noted that we have high-tech gadgets that allow you to clean your sex toys. Yes, these UV sanitizers promise to kill 99.99% of all bacteria using UV light. It is the same technology used to sterilize operation rooms, so it is a pretty safe and effective way to sterilize a lot of things, including sex toys.

UV sex toy sterilizers are an excellent way to ensure you have a thoroughly sterile toy. Please note that you still need to clean away lube and residue from your sex toy before you stick it into a UV sanitizer.

Safe Storage of Sex Toys

Our experts are constantly advising us to store sex toys in dedicated bags. Just throwing your sex toys, dildos, and vibrators in a bedside drawer, no matter how convenient and easy-to-reach is, is not an ideal option, as different materials should not come into contact with each other.

Instead, we suggest you get dedicated sex toy storage bags for your toys that are made from lint-free materials like silk or other antibacterial materials. The sex toy storage bags and cases always provide an added level of protection that comes with a negligible price point, considering the benefits.

This is a general guide on cleaning sex toys, but we also have other more specific guides on cleaning various sex toys like pocket pussies, anal toys, and more, and we suggest you check our blog. Browse our sex toy store to see more exciting adult toys, dildos, vibes, and so much more.