Guide to Caring & Storing Sex Toys
Sex toys are not only fun to use but need to be looked after and one aspect is Storing Sex Toys. They are an excellent addition to an exceedingly healthy life, irrespective as to whether you are in a relationship, single or dating. In the United States, more than half of the married women admit to using sex toys when their husbands are not around. Irrespective as to whether you are in possession of a number of vibrators, simulators or any other sexy goodies, or you prefer to keep it simple with a plastic boyfriend, taking care of your sex toy is extremely important. Most of the best sex toys are extremely expensive and without proper care and maintenance, they could potentially transmit harmful bacteria to you as well as not last for their intended life.
With that being said, here are important tips for caring for sex toys, to ensure that your sex toy is always in great shape the next time you will require a little bit of private time with your toy.
Clean Them Often
Cleaning your sex toy may appear to be a no brainer. However, the majority of women forget to clean their sex toy regularly. In a recent article by Huffington post, Julie Kerr the author of Ask a Clean person, says that cleaning a sex toy should be as simple as heading to the bathroom after a period of intense love making. All you will require will be soap and a little warm water. It is exceedingly important to avoid hand sanitizers when cleaning your toy because they are exceedingly harsh thus may have serious side effects on your skin. This is because most hand sanitizers contain alcohol.
Inspect Them Regularly for Damage
Regardless as to whether you are a light sex toy user, sex toys are still susceptible to damage, especially the lowly priced toys. Hard plastics can splinter or crack, which can cause serious damage to the delicate skin of your vulva. The much softer and natural feeling toys which have been made out of rubber or jelly may rip. On the other hand, sex toys designed from rubber can easily become chipped thus you should always check them regularly. After a couple of months, of intense or light use, you should be able to give your sex toys a thorough inspection. When carrying out the inspection, you should look for any kind of damages, and also replace anything which cannot be able to get the job done anymore.
Use the Right Lubricant
There are certain types of lubricants which may damage your sex toys, irrespective as to whether you can use them perfectly with your partner. Many silicone based lubricants can easily cause damage to realistic skin toys. Therefore, instead of using silicone based lubricants, you should instead use water based lubricants which are safe to use with all kinds of sex toys. Oil based lubricants can easily degrade both condoms and sex toy. It is exceedingly important to stay away from oil based lubricants as well, when you are enjoying a moment with your sex toy or partner.
Store Them Properly
Most likely, you already have placed your favorite sex toy, out of reach and out of sight. Nonetheless, you may still need a better place to store it, other than next to your bed. The soft silicone finishes of sex toys can easily attract dust and any other type of grossness. When storing your sex toy avoid using plastic bags and Tupperware containers. The chemicals found in these kind of materials may easily leach into the toy for an extended period. It is highly advisable to always place your sex toy in an enclosed box which can easily keep the grime away.
Apart from placing your toys in an enclosed box, always ensure that all your sex toys are stored separately.
When these toys are stored together, weird things may happen. Toys will not only share bacteria but they may also break down or even meld together. Always store your sex toys separately. Wrap each of the toys with its own dry baggie storage sack or piece of clothing.
Remove Batteries
If you don’t use your sex toy frequently, then you can remove its batteries so as to prevent corrosion which could be exceedingly damaging. Additionally, leaving the batteries in your sex toy can also drain the battery life, since they will be conducting at a low charge when left inside the toy. There is indeed nothing sadder than a halfhearted buzz of vibrator that is low on batteries.
Replace Your Sex Toy Yearly
After a year of heavy use, sex toys can start to fall apart. Irrespective as to whether it is structural or mechanical damage, there is a high chance that the toy has become porous, throughout the year especially silicone toys. The microscopic holes can become havens for sexually transmitted diseases and bacteria especially if you are sharing your sex toy or use them in multiple places.
Use Condoms with Porous Toys
There are certain types of porous sex toys which cannot be completely disinfected.You should always use a condom or even a stimulating sleeve when using these sex toys with your partner. If you are not sharing the sex toy with another person, then you will be okay as long as you clean it thoroughly after using it. There is no alternative to using condoms especially if your sex toy is made out of jelly. Jelly toys normally contain harmful chemicals known as phthalates. Despite the fact that there isn’t a conclusive report of their side effects, it still much better to be safe than sorry.
Select the Right Soap
When cleaning your sex toy, always ensure that you use a mild, unscented dish soap. There is no need to go the antibacterial way. Antibacterial soaps may seem like a great choice, however, they may in turn leave a residue on the toy. Using dish soap is a more discrete option, especially if you live with roommates. If all else, you can select an ideal toy cleaner. There are several high quality toy cleaners which can be purchased online at very affordable rates. Toy cleaners are basically liquid formula which we spray on the sex toy, then wipe the spray off to neutralize bacteria. Additionally, toy cleaners will not harm the sex toy.
Keep the Toy Dry
Mildew and moulds are something that you may not want within a striking distance to your vagina. When left unattended, moulds and mildew may easily form on your sex toy. At times, you may not be able to tell whether your sex toy has moulds or not because they are usually hidden weirdly in the crevices of the sex toys. You should always wash your sex toy and dry it thoroughly after use to prevent these intruders from destroying your sex toys. By keeping your sex toy dry, you will also be prolonging its lifespan, therefore you will get the most out of your 300 dollar investment.
How to Effectively Clean Sex Toys
Sex toys are normally designed using a ton of different materials. These materials can be divided into porous and non-porous sex toys. Non-porous toys are those which can be shared easily because their surfaces cannot be easily penetrated by bacteria. Some of the common non-porous materials include silicone, Pyrex and stainless steel. On the other hand, porous materials are materials which have been made from things like cyber skin, plastic, jelly, rubber, elastomer, neoprene and nylon.
1. Cleaning Non-Porous Sex Toys
If your sex toy is made out of silicone, then you should first wash it with soap or alternatively place your toy on the top rack of the dishwasher. Alternatively, you can also place the toy in boiling water for about 10 minutes. For sex toys made out of glass, use soap and water. It is exceedingly important that these type of sex toys should not be subjected to extremely high temperatures. Pyrex is another kind of material used to manufacture sex toys. Pyrex is basically a heat resistant glass; it can be boiled or alternatively washed by hand. For stainless steel sex toys, soak them in bleach water or alternatively wash them in a dishwasher.
2. Cleaning Porous Toys
Since porous toys are prone to warping and are extremely sensitive to temperature, they should always be washed with warm water and soap either with a washcloth or in the sink. On the other hand, nylon toys can be machine washed.
3. Cleaning Battery Operated Toys
Electrical toys or battery operated sex toys normally require a little bit of attention. Always use a washcloth with a little bit of soap to wipe these toys. Always ensure that you keep water away from the toy’s electrical components. Fully waterproof and water resistant vibrators can be washed easily with soap under running water. However, you should never at any point boil motorized sex toys or alternatively place these kind of toys in dishwashers.
4. Cleaning Anal Sex Toys
While antibacterial soap may not be used on all the other types mentioned above, they are the best kind of soap for anal sex toys, irrespective of the materials used to make them. When cleaning these sex toys, always ensure that you do an exceedingly good job. A job that is not executed thoroughly will not only ruin your fun but also your toy. It may also lead to serious health problems in case you use this toy on both your butt and vagina.
5. Toys Made from Realistic Materials
Realistic materials are not similar to the ones used on dildos and vibrators. These are a specific type of material such as UR3 or cyberskin which have been engineered to feel just like real skin. While realistic materials may make you feel more alive, they do require extra care and caution. Once the sex toy has dried up, you will be required to coat it lightly with a special type of powder which will come with your sex toy upon purchase. Depending on the manufacturer, this powder may come in different names.
Always ensure that you store your sex toy with a spoonful of the special powder in a plastic bag which is sealable so that it will be ready for next time. In case the special powder runs out unexpectedly, you can alternatively substitute the powder with corn starch.
Things You Should Observe When Using Sex Toys
Sex toys can be used in different kind ways, which makes them ideal for versatility. But there are certain sex toy safety precautions that you should take into account when planning to use sex toys in more than one way.
When using sex toys, always ensure that you use lots of lubricant especially for any kind of anal penetration.
So as to keep it not only safe but also comfortable. Additionally, butt bacteria should always be kept away from the vagina at all times because they can lead to urinary tract infections and vaginal infections. Never at one point should you use your sex toy in both places simultaneously without switching condoms or cleaning. Additionally, you should also never place any toy inside your butt that does not have a flared base or alternatively a failsafe mode of retrieval. While you may not easily lose anything inside your vagina since it does not have a lose end, butts are way different thus you may easily get a toy stuck inside there.
Final Thoughts
Sex toys which are cared for accordingly tend to last for a very long time. Always ensure that your sex toy is not only properly cleaned but also it is stored properly. Electric sex toys should also be taken care of properly. Avoid wrapping the electric cord around the unit. Wrapping the cord around the unit will cause the electric cords inside the unit to become damaged or kinked, which will eventually ruin your fun. Additionally, this tip also applies to all the other electrical cords.
Always ensure that all your sex toys are cleaned regularly and if possible after every use.