Nobody reads the care leaflet. It's the smallest piece of paper in the box, it's printed in six languages, and it's in the recycling before the product is charged. So here is how to clean a toy properly, how to store it so it survives the drawer, and how to tell when one has reached the end of its life — which is a real thing that happens, and not only to cheap ones.
Why the material decides everything
Non-porous materials — body-safe silicone, glass, stainless steel, medical-grade ABS — have no microscopic gaps for bacteria to sit in. They can be cleaned properly, which is the entire reason we only carry them.
Porous materials — TPE, TPR, jelly, PVC, rubber, anything described only as "silky" — cannot be fully sanitised no matter how carefully you wash them. Bacteria survive in the surface structure. This is the one specification worth being fussy about, and it's covered in more depth in our buying guide.
The sixty-second routine
Every time, not most times.
- Warm water and a mild, unscented soap, or a dedicated toy cleaner. Straight after use, not tomorrow.
- Pay attention to seams, grooves and the base of any button. That's where residue collects, and it's the part people rinse past.
- Rinse thoroughly. Soap residue against mucous membrane is a common cause of irritation that gets blamed on the product.
- Dry completely with a lint-free cloth and leave it out for a few minutes before storing. Trapped moisture is what turns a drawer into a problem.
That's it. Nothing about this needs to be elaborate — it needs to be consistent.
What not to do
- Don't use alcohol or alcohol wipes on silicone. It dries the surface and can produce micro-cracks, which is precisely the opposite of the goal.
- Don't boil anything with a motor, a battery, a joint or a seam. Boiling is only for solid, non-motorised 100% silicone, glass or steel — and even then it's rarely necessary.
- Don't put it in the dishwasher. Heat and detergent damage seals and finishes.
- Skip antibacterial hand soap as a default. It's harsher than the situation requires. Mild and unscented is better.
- Don't submerge anything that isn't rated for it. Which brings us to the ratings.
Waterproof ratings, decoded
The IP rating on the box tells you exactly how much water a product can take, and it's one of the few specifications that means something precise.
- IPX4 — splash-resistant. Wipe it, rinse it carefully, don't submerge it.
- IPX6 — handles jets of water. Fine under a running tap.
- IPX7 — fully submersible, typically to one metre for thirty minutes. Bath-safe, and the easiest to clean.
Charging contacts are the usual exception even on waterproof products: dry them before the product goes back on the charger.
Storage, which is where most damage actually happens
Silicone attracts dust and lint with real enthusiasm, and — less obviously — silicone stored pressed against other silicone can react, leaving both surfaces tacky where they touched. Two rules cover it:
- Store each item separately, ideally in the fabric pouch it came with. A cotton bag costs nothing and solves both the lint and the contact problem.
- Avoid sealed plastic bags. They trap residual moisture, and some plastics interact with silicone over time. Breathable is better than airtight.
Somewhere cool and dark, away from direct sunlight and radiators. Heat is the quiet enemy of both silicone and lithium batteries.
Batteries last longer if you use them
Rechargeable products use lithium cells, and lithium cells dislike sitting fully flat for months. If something isn't in regular use, top it up every three to six months rather than leaving it empty in a drawer until next year — a cell left completely discharged for a long time often won't come back.
Charging fully before first use is worth doing. Leaving something on the charger permanently is not.
Sharing, and the rule that matters more than the rest
If a product is shared between people, either wash it properly between uses or put a condom on it and change the condom. Both work; the second is faster.
The non-negotiable version: never move from anal to vaginal use without washing the product or changing the condom. This is the single most important hygiene rule in the category and the one most often skipped.
When to replace something
Good silicone lasts years. It does not last forever, and these are the signs it's finished:
- A tacky or sticky surface that doesn't go away after washing — usually degradation, sometimes contact with silicone lubricant.
- Cracks, tears, nicks or a lifting seam. Any break in a non-porous surface makes it porous.
- A smell that survives cleaning.
- Discoloration or a change in texture in one area.
- Heat, swelling or an unusual smell while charging. Stop using it immediately — that's the battery, not the surface.
Silicone and electronics aren't kerbside recyclable. Many local authorities handle them under small electrical waste; removing the battery where it's designed to come out is the correct step where you can.
Travelling with it
Lithium batteries must travel in cabin baggage rather than in the hold — that's an airline rule, not a discretionary one. Use the travel lock if the product has one, or remove the battery if it's removable. Security staff have seen everything and are not interested; a product in a pouch in a washbag attracts precisely no attention.
Common questions
Is a dedicated toy cleaner actually necessary?
No. Mild unscented soap and warm water does the same job. A cleaner is faster, kinder to silicone than most hand soaps, and useful when a tap isn't convenient — that's the honest case for it.
Can I boil a silicone toy to sterilise it?
Only if it's solid 100% silicone with no motor and no electronics — three minutes is plenty. Anything rechargeable, jointed or seamed should never go near boiling water.
How often should I clean it if I'm the only person using it?
Every single time, before and after. Bacteria don't need a second person to be present.
What about storing it in the original box?
Fine if the box has a fabric or moulded insert and lives somewhere dry. The pouch is still better, because boxes tend to get opened on the way out of a cupboard.
Something smells faintly of plastic out of the box. Is that normal?
A faint manufacturing smell that washes off is normal. A strong chemical smell that persists after two cleans is not, and on a body-safe material it shouldn't happen at all.
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