A high-quality dildo or vibrator can last you years, perhaps
even a lifetime, if you properly care for it. That's a countless number of
orgasms – hopefully! But there's a dark side to sex toys that many people never
consider in their haste to enjoy a deserved orgasm. This might do no harm, or
it could lead to recurring infections and sex toys that melt into one.
What Your Sex Toy's Made of Matters
Some sex toys are simply worse for your health than others!
Porous materials – including jelly, PVC, rubber and most real-feel skin type
with the exception of dual-density silicone – contain tiny holes that can
harbor bacteria well after you've washed them because the holes are smaller
than water and soap molecules but large enough for bacteria to find a new home
in your sex toys.
This is the one reason why so many people recommend
upgrading to nonporous materials such as the following:
- Silicone
- Glass
- Stainless steel
- Ceramic
- Wood
- ABS plastic
The lack of pores means you can use those sex toys almost
indefinitely without worrying about what might be hiding out, just waiting to
make its next home your body!
You should never swap toys between orifices or partners if
they're made of a porous material, even though they may look clean. This means
not using a toy vaginally after it's been used anally until you can sterilize
it.
The Proper Care and Feeding of Your Sex Toy
All sex toys should be washed before and, ideally, after
use. This means scrubbing down that new vibrator as soon as you get it out of
the package. There's no telling how many hands have handled your new sex toy at
the factory – or what type of residue might be left over from the manufacturing
process.
You can simply wash with an antibacterial hand soap and let
your toy air dry if you're worried about lint, which can stick to soft
materials such as silicone and jelly. Use a non-scented soap that will be
gentle, especially if you're prone to bacterial infections. While you can
purchased toy cleaners specifically for this purpose, it's usually not beneficial
any more than soap.
For nonporous toys, you can boil for three minutes, place
dildos and other toys without a motor on the top shelf of your dishwasher or
wipe with a 10% bleach solution to effectively sterilize the toy periodically,
but you can simply use soap and water for regular cleaning.
The soap-and-water routine won't be enough for sex toys made
from porous materials, which can never be fully sterilized, if you intend to
share them or swap orifices. Of course, you may be in love with a sex toy that
is only available in porous materials. If you're not ready to give your
favorite sex toy up just yet, consider this. For insertables, you can use a
condom that you can dispose of afterward. Companies even make toy covers
specifically for this purpose.
Storage is simple for nonporous toys – they can sit right
next to each other after they're fully dry. However, you might want to keep
them out of direct sunlight, which can result in natural bleaching, and make
sure to test a small patch of silicone toys with silicone lube just in case
there might be a reaction that would break down the toy.
Unless you want to have to replace your favorite sex toys,
be careful when using silicone lube. The surface of your toy will become sticky
if this happens, and it may no longer be nonporous.
For porous toys, you'll want to allow them to fully dry
before storing separately. Consider storage solutions with pockets, individual
bags for your sex toys or even Ziploc bags to keep them separated.
Because of the chemical softeners used to achieve the
desired density, breakdown might happen no matter how you store jelly toys, but
it's more likely to happen when your jelly toys touch during storage. Keep an
eye on your porous toys, and if you notice any melting or oil leakage, stop
using your sex toy and dispose of it right away.
Sharing of BDSM Gear
Organic materials such as leather, which you might use for
floggers or cuffs, are porous and difficult if not impossible to cover. It's
especially risky with whips or other items that might come into contact with
blood, which can transmits STIs and other infections, when used with multiple
partners. Many kinksters only use leather goods on a single person because of
this.
It's not only good manners to replace toys with new partners,
but it could be a serious health risk if you contract an STD such as HIV, or
another type of infection from using toys that have previously come in contact
with another person's bodily fluids.
It can become costly to have separate toys for every
partner, however. Practitioners recommend wiping your leather goods clean and
hanging them to dry for at least three weeks to kill viruses such as AIDs and
hepatitis. Wiping your flogger or whip with a bleach solution can also prevent
transmission of blood, but this could potentially alter the state of your
leather goods.
Purchasing nonporous sex toys as often as possible helps to
minimize these risks, however. Silicone, for example, comes in a variety of
densities, from soft and squishy to nearly rigid. A silicone toy can last an
entire lifetime, and you might just want to give it to someone who will
appreciate it in your will. That is, after they've properly sterilized it to
ensure they remain sexually happy and healthy.
By: Adriana Ravenlust
Follow on Twitter @adriana_r
Follow on Twitter @adriana_r
