The Body-safe Guide on How to Clean Your Sex Toys

What’s life without a little self-love? Sex toys have penetrated (no pun intended) the mainstream media over the last decade and we’re seeing more people than ever before on the big and small screens talk about their favorite frisky friends that they keep in their drawer.

Now that more people are beginning to learn how their bodies work and invite all kinds of toys into their bedroom, it’s time to get real about how to clean sex toys.

No bullshit guys, there’s nothing less sexy than a yeast infection, UTI, or STI.

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Not knowing how to clean your sex toys can ruin some of the newfound sexy confidence that you have.

There’s a couple of reasons that folks aren’t thoroughly cleaning their sex toys, let’s address those now:

For some reason, we have this idea that taking preventative measures before we have sex somehow makes jumping in the sheets less sexy. However, there’s nothing sexier than having your sex toys sterilized, stored properly, and ready to use.

They simply haven’t had enough fun with sex toys. People that are new to exploring their bodies (or their partner’s body) might feel intimidated by a dildo or vibrator the first few times that they use it. However, your sex toys are nothing to be afraid of! Embrace them and all aspects of owning them.

By now, you might have a few questions like:

Why Do I Need to Clean My Sex Toys Often?

You should take really good care of anything that comes into contact with your most sensitive parts. Our bodies are vulnerable to any lingering bacteria or STIs that could have been on your sex toys.

Should I Clean My Sex Toys Even If I Haven’t Used Them in a While?

Yes! Even if you haven’t looked at your vibrator or anal beads since the first time you used it, you want to make sure that it’s as clean as possible before you use it again. This is especially true if you and your partner share the same toy when you have sex.

You’ll want to kill bacteria that might be hanging around from your last time.

Not to mention, in the event that you or your partner have or had an STI, this can help prevent your chances of catching an old strain.

What Should My Sex Toys Be Made Of?

Love yourself and look into buying toys made of medical grade silicone.

It’s not porous, will respond well to mild soaps, and if you’re a worrier like myself, you can throw it in a pot of boiling water to take care of any other germs.

Sex toys come in all kinds of materials, though. Glass sex toys and jelly rubber might be more your style, but they need to be handled differently, which we’ll address later on.

If you use toys made of rubber or hard plastic, exercise caution with these.

You’re going to want to use condoms even after you’ve sterilized these because rubber toys are porous and can easily absorb foreign bacteria.

We’ve got to know how to treat our nethers, people! Be good to them and they’ll be good to you. If you want to explore your body, have an incredible self-pleasuring session and have some of the most powerful female orgasms of your life, you need to make sure that dirty sex toys aren’t going to get in the way.

Here’s What You’ll Need to Clean Your Sex Toys

If you’re already scrambling to figure out how to clean your sex toys, don’t fret. There isn’t a big secret that no one else has let you in on, you probably already have a few things that you’ll need. Let’s go over them here:

A mild soap. This is crucial! When you clean your sex toys, almost think of them as an extension of your fun bits. Would you put abrasive cleaners on your labia or foreskin? No! If you do use abrasive cleaners like ‘feminine’ soaps, stop! However, that’s a story for another time.

Damp washcloth. A clean, damp washcloth is going to be your best friend for some of your motorized toys.

Paper Towels. Some toys just need a brief wipe down, either before or after you sterilize them.

Silk bag or something similar. These toys need to be stored in safe places when they’re off duty. You don’t want them to pick up any of the dreaded bacteria that could severely limit the amount of sexy time that you have in the future. A silk bag or case for your sex toys will keep them ready to go once you’ve properly cleaned and dried them.

Pot to boil water in. Zap all of the leftover germs off of your sex toys with using your stove and a pot of boiling hot water.

You’ll need a lot of the same stuff for a lot of these toys. With motorized and non-motorized toys, the supply list can be a bit different because they have to be cared for differently, or you’ll risk damaging the toys or harming yourself.

Motorized Toys

• Will more than likely need a damp washcloth or paper towels.
• Sex toy sprays could be really helpful.
• Case to store them in.
• You can’t submerge motorized toys underwater, so no pot to boil water in is necessary.
• Silk bag.

Non-motorized Toys

• Sex toy spray.
• Mild spray.
• Pot for boiling water.
• Access to a dishwasher – Yes, you can put a lot of your non-motorized toys in the dishwasher if it’s running without dish soap or other dishes in there.
• Silk bag or case.

Now, that we’ve touched on the basics, let’s get into how you’ll clean these babies!

Here’s How to Clean Sex Toys!

You’ll need to set aside a half hour or so for this, take the time to gather up all your sex toys, not just things that go into a vagina, but your butt plugs, anal beads, and pocket pussies. Once you’ve set up your workspace, you’ll want to go ahead with the following:

For your glass, motorized toys: Glass toys should be cleaned with a mild soap and a damp cloth so that you can wipe it clean afterward. Do not submerge these in water. Mild soaps include Dove, Suave, Olay, etc. Pro tip: leave your fancy and amazing smelling body washes at the door, chances are that those are heavily fragranced, therefore not good for your sensitive bits.

For your silicone, motorized toys: A mild soap and a damp cloth will work well for this, too, and a spritz of a sex toy spray probably couldn’t hurt either.

For your glass, non-motorized toys: Pop it into that pot of boiling water that we mentioned earlier.

For your silicone, non-motorized toys: This can go for a dive into the pot of boiling water too, or you can pop it in your empty dishwasher without dish soap in it.

For your non-motorized toys made of hard plastic, jelly rubber, nylon, etc.: Clean these with a sudsy washcloth or in the sink. Use a condom with them every time since these toys are porous.

For your motorized toys made of hard plastic, jelly rubber, nylon, etc.: You can definitely use a damp washcloth on these but do not submerge these in water. A sex toy spray with these is a great idea. Use a condom with these.

Now that you know how to clean your favorite toys by type, we just want to remind you that a lot of the same rules apply for lesser-known sex toys like silicone pussies, pocket pussies, anal beads, and butt plugs, with a couple notes.

Anal Toys Need to Be Loved a Bit Differently

It’s similar to how a lot of the vaginal toys are cared for, but you’re possibly contending with fecal matter, and you want to make sure that you’ve sterilized your toy before you need it next time. Additionally, anal lubes can be hard to get off of your anal toys, so take a little extra time with them.

But don’t scrub the hell out of them.

You don’t want to damage the toy and render it useless or make it easier for bacteria to live in the broken portions.To be on the safe side, you probably shouldn’t share your anal toys between you and your partner without using a condom, but it wouldn’t be the worst idea to have two separate ones.

Penis Owners, Pocket Pussies Need TLC, Too

Don’t use the mild soap that you could easily use on your body for these! The material inside of these toys require you to use a diluted sex toy cleaner, you should soak these so that it’s clean for next time.

Rinse your pocket pussy after every use.

Check out the video below on how to rinse your pocket pussy:

Lastly, Be Sure to Dry Your Sex Toys Correctly

You don’t want all of your hard work to go to waste. You can dry most sex toys with a paper towel or a lint-free regular towel, depending on what your toy is made of. Always use a lint-free towel for cleaned toys made of jelly, rubber, or plastic.

You Did It!

Wasn’t that easy? Remember, you should never use a toy that hasn’t been thoroughly cleaned and if you can’t remember the last time that it was clean or if you’re unsure, go ahead and revisit the steps above to make sure.

Isn’t it amazing that we live in an age where there are tools designed solely for our pleasure? With or without a partner? You deserve to feel good.

Remember the golden rules: clean your toys thoroughly and often, use condoms with porous toys, and don’t share sex toys too much unless they can be popped into a pot of boiling water. Store your toys in a silk bag or the case that they came in. You can always pop over to the toy manufacturer’s website and double check what you can use if you’re unsure.

Make sense? Good! Now, put this down and treat yourself to a little self-love, but remember, that a freshly cleaned toy always makes for a healthy and happy pussy!