Sex Toy Hygiene

What is sex toy hygiene?

Sex toy hygiene (Dutch: speelgoedhygiëne) is cleaning and storing your sex toys so they stay safe to use. A non-porous toy is easy to get truly clean, a porous one is not, and poor cleaning can cause an infection. The basics: clean before and after every use, and never share an unwashed toy.

How to clean sex toys

The right method depends on the material. According to the SHE Health Clinics, you rinse a toy with warm water, clean it with a mild, fragrance-free soap or a dedicated toy cleaner, and dry it well. A non-porous silicone toy can often even go in boiling water or the dishwasher, as long as it has no motor; a toy with a motor must not get wet. Avoid antibacterial wipes, because they leave harmful residue behind. Porous materials never come fully clean, and those are exactly the risk: bacteria settle into the microscopic holes.

Why sex toy hygiene matters

What is at stake is your health. According to the SHE Health Clinics, poor sex toy hygiene can cause a vaginal infection, bacterial vaginosis, or a bladder infection. So for you, cleaning well means your pleasure comes with no bill afterward. For a shared toy it means you pass nothing between you, as long as you clean it in between or put a condom over it. What it does not fix: a porous toy does not become safe just because you cleaned it. If it smells chemical or feels sticky, you are better off replacing it.

What you can do yourself

• Clean every toy before and after use with warm water and a mild, fragrance-free soap.
• Choose non-porous material (silicone, glass, metal); that gets truly clean, and silicone can often even be boiled.
• Never share unwashed, and with a shared toy put a condom over it that you replace for each person.
• Store toys clean and dry, apart from each other and away from heat, because bacteria thrive in warmth.

What sex toy hygiene is not

“Rinsing with water is enough.” Usually not. Use a mild, fragrance-free soap or a toy cleaner, and dry the toy well before you put it away.

“Solo use does not need it.” Wrong. Alone too you move bacteria around, and the SHE Health Clinics link poor hygiene to bladder and vaginal infections.

What I see myself

I work as a gigolo, and hygiene is no side issue with me. What strikes me is that people think hard about which toy to buy and little about how to keep it clean, while that second part is what makes the difference for your health. I am not a doctor, but a toy that cannot be gotten truly clean has no place with me. The rest, whatever you enjoy, is up to you.

Further reading

• Sex toy explains which material is body-safe, the basis under good hygiene.
• Safer sex places sex toy hygiene in the wider practice of handling sex safely.
• Cleaning and maintaining sex toys from the SHE Health Clinics lists the steps in order.

Where this fits on this site

I do not sell toys and I give no product advice, but hygiene and your boundary are a given with me. If you are curious how a meeting goes and what gets agreed beforehand, take a look at intimate togetherness. Talking first is always an option, and it commits you to nothing.

Sources

• How to best clean and maintain sex toys?. SHE Health Clinics. Provides that you clean toys with warm water and mild fragrance-free soap, that motorless silicone can be boiled or go in the dishwasher, that antibacterial wipes leave residue behind, that you never share unwashed, and that poor hygiene can cause infections.
• Effects and Mechanisms of Phthalates’ Action. Hlisníková et al., 2020. Provides that porous, soft materials can contain phthalates, an extra reason to choose non-porous, easy-to-clean material.

Related terms

• Sex toy. The object this hygiene is about, with material choice as its basis.
• Safer sex. The wider practice that sex toy hygiene is part of.
• STI. A shared, unwashed toy can contribute to transmission.
• Barrier method. A condom over a shared toy is part of protection.