A dishwasher’s top rack is ideal for deep cleaning a large number of nonmechanized 100% silicone, stainless steel, and borosilicate glass toys at once. Rinse and sanitize the dishwasher with no soap (which is too harsh to be used with sex toys). If you share the dishwasher with anyone other than a sexual partner, this practice is not suggested.
According to sex toy specialist Dangerous Lilly, a dishwasher’s sanitizing setting employs a lengthy hot-water rinse to kill bacteria but does not eliminate all viruses or fungi from the toys it cleans.
The sanitize cycle on home dishwashers must reach 150 degrees Fahrenheit and eliminate 99.999 percent of bacteria, according to a government guideline. For most bacteria and some other germs, this is hot enough to kill them. But for heat-resistant viruses and fungi, this may not be enough. Use the stovetop or a bleach solution instead of the dishwasher if you’re unsure.
Bleaching
After a thorough surface washing, toys can be cleaned with a bleach solution. To make a bleach solution, Chase suggests using a 5:1 ratio of home bleach to water. Bleach solution can either be sprayed on the toy or submerged in the solution for 10 minutes, she advised.
The CDC’s disinfection guidelines form the basis of her recommendations. In order to submerge a toy in bleach solution, it must be classed as 100% waterproof (not splashproof). A thorough wash with soap and water is required after the bleach treatment.
Skip UV sanitizers
We recommend bleaching and boiling sex toys to UV disinfection since they’re less expensive, and they’re just as effective or better in most circumstances. According to Dangerous Lilly, “I believe that the broad population of sex toy owners does not require such a costly instrument for cleaning, it is a niche product.”
Because UV radiation can only disinfect surfaces it can reach, there is some worry about its efficacy. As a result, it may not work as well on toys with many little spaces.
How to store sex toys to keep them clean
Keeping your toys clean between uses is as simple as putting them away correctly after you’ve cleaned them. Nonporous sex toys can be stored in any sealable pouch or case, however most come with a cloth pouch, case, or box. Dust and lint will be kept at bay this way.
In order to reduce odor, Deysach recommends keeping silicone anal toys in “something breathable (not plastic).” In a cold, dark, dry spot, such a shelf or a drawer, toys should be kept. Toys should not be kept in direct sunlight or in areas where they are likely to become wet, such as the bathroom, where they could be damaged.
A toy should not be used if it has any “obvious fissures in plastic or acrylic,” say clinical specialists, because these defects can make the toy dangerous to use and difficult to clean. This is especially true for toys made of solid materials such as silicone and borosilicate glass or stainless steel. Rips and tears in silicone toys are just as bad.
If you’re feeling lazy, you can (occasionally) get away with using a sex toy cleaner.
Like the Babeland Toy Cleaner, you can always have some sort of sex toy cleaner on hand. You can use it to sanitize your toy without damaging its substance, but it’s not recommended for daily usage. There is “more of a dry shampoo” in the cleaner, adds Finn. “It’s better than nothing, but it can’t substitute for a full hair wash,” he says. There are ways to clean your toy after an intense orgasm, like wiping it down with the cleaner and then giving it a thorough wash when you’re ready to get up again.
You can also use condoms (especially if you’re sharing toys).
If your sex toy is shaped like a condom, a simple fix is to use a fresh one each time you use it. This could eliminate the need for any cleaning at all. Those of us who despise cleaning will like this hack, but it’s also a good idea if you plan on sharing sex toys for the aforementioned microbial reasons. To avoid condom erosion, avoid using oil-based lubes when using condoms (they can erode the condom).
And yes, how you store your sex toys matters.
After you’ve cleaned and dried your cherished sex toys, it’s tempting to simply place them in a bedside drawer. There’s certainly a lot of dust and lint in your drawer even if it’s your designated spot for sex toys. You don’t want that stuff within you. Storage is one of the most important aspects of your home.
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Use the original packaging: Isn’t this easy? It’s easy to preserve your toys from the weather by keeping them in the tiny bags or boxes they came in!
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Get a plastic container: Finn recommends using a basic plastic container to store your sex toys so they’re protected from dust and debris. The JoyBoxx ($44, Amazon) is a dishwasher-safe and lockable plastic container.
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Grab a satin sack: As a last suggestion, Finn recommends acquiring a tiny silk or satin bag. There are bags intended expressly for sex toys on the market, as well as bags that are large enough for your needs. In the end, it’s better for you and your sex toys if you do all of this for an inanimate object than not doing anything at all.
