(It’s Way Better Than What You’ve Been Doing)

Finally, sex toys are becoming a household staple. However, societal stigma still exists.

Conversations free from sex toy embarrassment, stigma, or even shame (!) is key to help spread the important message behind proper cleaning of these items, for the sake of our personal health! Because, it is and can be this serious. 

Sex toys are, of course, fun and pleasurable, but there's more to consider. Toys are often motorized, made with specific materials, and are exposed to very complex and vulnerable parts of our biology. Entire ecosystems of bacteria, both harmless and harmful, are (also) fooling around (see what I did there?). 

Fret not! We're going to cover the ins and outs (last pun, I swear) of sex toy care. Specifically, how best to clean them.

The one skill to master with sex toys isn't how achieve an orgasm (fine, it's a close second) – but, it's actually how to preserve your personal health while enjoying yourself. 

The reality is, our sex toys can spread bacterial infection and STDs if not cleaned properly. No, really. As if we all don't have enough to worry about. Unfortunately, many are unaware of the risks. Some of the ailments most commonly spread by improperly cleaned sex toys are:

• chlamydia
• syphilis
• herpes
• bacterial vaginosis

With some of the sex toys that can draw blood (even in trace amounts), you risk spreading lifelong diseases, such as: 

• hepatitis B
• hepatitis C
• HIV

Exercising good hygiene with your sex toys can literally be a matter of life or death. But, listen.... We’re not trying to scare you! On the contrary, we're trying to help you orgasm a little faster, knowing that you are working with bacteria free sex toys. We're doing God's work, really... 

Let's dive into a variety of cleaning methods....

How to Clean Your Sex Toys

Wipes

While sex toy cleansing wipes are explicitly marketed for sex toys, they are not a thorough or effective sanitization solution. They can rid your toys of a bit of bacteria and visible fluids or gunk – but, they ultimately leave much behind. Not to mention the difficulty with all of the nooks and bends... 

Additionally, wipes are simply not exposed to your toy long enough to actually kill off the bacteria. The best you can hope for is bacterial efficacy rate of well below the recommended 90% and above. 

We would only suggest using wipes as a quick once over before you embark upon your final sanitization solution. Think when you're on the go... or if you're returning it to it's home (like, a bedside table drawer) knowing you'll clean it properly later on... 

Ok, we think you get it.. moving on! 

Boiling Water

While boiling water can effectively kill germs, it's also a pretty full proof method of breaking your sex toys. Not to mention, plenty of motorized toys are not able to be fully submerged in water, let alone boiling water. Materials such as silicone, glass or rubber can also degrade in boiling water. 

For all of you over-thinkers that are constantly one (or ten) steps ahead... pouring the boiling water over your toys simply will not reap the benefits of the full submersion method. Why? Because bacteria has to be fully exposed to boiling water for several minutes, not seconds. The key is to kill off the entire bacteria population. Otherwise, your toys may develop biofilms from the leftover bacteria in between uses.  

Cleansing Gels and Foams

Do sex toy cleansing gels and foams really work that well? Many sex toy manufacturers would like you to believe so as these products create additional revenue channels. The unfortunate truth is, they simply don't work. Similar to wipes, they underperform as the only bacteria killing method for your toys.

When tested against common bacteria found on toys, gels, foams and sprays - had a bactericidal efficacy rate as low as 50%. Meaning nasties such as E. Coli, and Staphyloccocus Aureus (the germ responsible for staph infection) will remain on your toy no matter how many times you've cleaned it with gels or foams. 

Sure, give it a bath before you throw it back in your drawer or bag...but don't rely on this as a means to preserve your personal health. 

Soap and Hot Water

So, you aren't buying any of the wipes or foams or gels. You can easily resort to using water and soap post orgasm, but know that this generates the same results the wipes, foams or gels do. Rendering this method effectively cleaning the visible... but powerless against the invisible. 

To get the most out of sink washing your toys, follow these steps:

1. Use hot water. Wear gloves if you don’t want to hurt yourself and use a gentle soap (this should be a soap safe for sensitive skin, without any harsh surfactants or fragrances).
2. Use a clean towel (straight out of the laundry) to scrub at your toys under the tap or in the sink.
3. Scrub your toys and expose them to hot water for at least 5 minutes each. Make sure you put some elbow grease into scrubbing any bends and nooks.
4. Stand your toys to dry in a clean dish rack to air dry. If you’re in a hurry, use a clean towel to dab them off.

Keep in mind, your toys need to be fully waterproof. Our motorized friends won't be. Additionally, this isn't the best method as privacy can be an issue for some. If you’re sharing your home with family or roommates, washing your toys in a sink can be risky.  Not to mention setting it aside to dry, and forgetting it's there as your guests use your facilities...*nightmare*

It can also prove a tad tedious to line up everything you need – especially if you need to wash your toys after a spontaneous session. 

Hypoallergenic soap, straight out of the laundry washcloths and towels will need to be ready in advance for proper hygiene treatment. Don't use an already-used washcloth or towel unless you want an infection. Dousing your toy in dish detergent instead of gentle soap may create issues for you in your most fragile parts for the next time you use your toys.

All in all, this is probably the best method you can use without having to purchase anything specific to clean your sex toys. If done properly. 

The Dishwasher

Another common way of washing sex toys is by throwing them in the handy dishwasher. This is a top-pick for the laziest amongst us, and at first, it seems to be the answer to all our dirty dildo prayers.

A dishwasher uses hot water and steam, so it is pretty great at killing off germs. After all, it gets your dishes and cutlery ready for eating straight off of – so it must make your sex toys safe, right?

It can work – but only for some toys, some of the time.

The biggest obstacle to overcome with the dishwasher is the temperatures it reaches. It can get sweltering in a dishwasher during a complete cycle, and you may find that the manufacturers of your sex toys warn against throwing them into the dishwasher because of this.

Super high temperatures can ruin or melt a myriad of different sex toys, depending on their material.

The only sex toy types that withstand high temperatures are glass, stainless steel, and high-quality silicone. But even then, the dishwasher can leave your sex toy far from clean and pristine. Not to mention everything else that goes into our dishwashers... 

If the options available to you at home are hand washing or using the dishwasher, go with your hands. You have a lot more control and less of a chance of ruining your toys. 

The Best Sex Toy Cleaner

UV-C Light

That’s right, you can sanitize your toys without exposing them to any soap or water.  What if we also told you that you can clean your toys using light with no effort on your part?

If you’re familiar with the post-orgasm lethargy after a play sesh, then you might love the sound of this.

First of all, let’s explain how you can kill germs on your toys using light alone.

UV-C is part of the UV light spectrum. You’ve probably heard of UV rays before when being lectured about sun protection at the beach or when lamenting over a sunburn or scary-looking mole.

As the term suggests, UV rays come in a full spectrum of components. There are the rays that give you sunburn and skin damage: UV-A and UV-B, but there’s also UV-C – which doesn’t make it through the earth’s atmosphere from the sun, but still has astonishing abilities when utilized.

One such ability is the sanitization of objects, with an up to 99% bactericidal efficacy rate.

How Does UV-C Light Kill Germs?

UV-C rays penetrate the cellular walls of bacteria and destroy them from the inside out. No germ is safe when it comes to UV-C light exposure.

UV-C light is so good at cleaning that it’s used in incredibly vulnerable environments, such as science labs, the food industry, and hospitals.

And now, in the 21st century, you can use the cleaning powers of UV-C light at home, and while you can use an at-home UV-C device for disinfecting all sorts of things (such as your never before cleaned smartphone – absolutely crawling with germs), it’s also perfect for sanitizing sex toys.

The UVee Clean

The UVee Clean is a remarkable device. It’s specially designed for at-home use with sex toys. 

The UVee Clean is a 3-in-1 cleaning, charging, and storage unit for sex toys. 

The UVee Clean purifies objects using patented UV-C light technology, and it charges and keeps them locked up while it does so – making it the perfect sex toy hygiene solution. Oh, and remember that bacterial efficacy rate we keep referring to? The Uvee Clean has a rate of 99%! That's twice as effective as any other method. 

It also bypasses many of the other obstacles aforementioned for other methods:

• It’s perfectly safe for non-waterproof items. An entire Magic Wand could be sanitized from head to toe.
• It takes little effort to perform perfectly, every time. All you have to do is roll over, throw your toy in, and switch the UVee Clean on.
• It gets to the germs in hard to reach places. UV-C light will flood the entirety of your toy, killing all bacteria no matter where they hide.
• It kills close to 100% of all bacteria on your toy, making it the safest method on this list.
• It requires no extra equipment, such as clean towels, safe soaps, an available sink.
• It cleans toys in 5-10 minutes, making it perfect to use when sharing toys during play.

Plus, you can charge your toys with a handy USB cable and keep them securely stored as the UVee System can be locked at your discretion!

You can even get more out of the UVee Clean than you bargained for by starting to sanitize those super germy items you own that never get a wash. Think smartphones. Those things are actually dirtier than a toilet seat. Sorry to say. 

Bottom line is, the UV-C light could achieve gold medal-world record holder status of germ killing. It's a sleek and discreet design blends in seamlessly in any home. 

Stay sanitized and satisfied!