Cleaning your sex toys - Why you should not use soap

Porous materials - just like your skin

Cleaning your sex toys is incredibly important. Not only for hygiene and safety reasons, it also extends the lifespan of your sex toys! For many people, it can feel difficult to navigate which cleaner is suitable for which material, but it is actually not that complicated.

Before we get into the actual cleaning, it may be useful to clarify one thing.

Sex toy materials come in many different forms and combinations; we will not cover all materials here, but they can be divided into two groups: porous and non-porous. So what does this mean?

Porous materials have larger pores. Just like our own skin, dirt and bacteria can collect in these pores. If sex toys are not cleaned properly, bacteria can take hold and begin to grow. When this happens on our skin, we usually call them pimples; imagine that happening to a sex toy. If bacteria begin to grow and multiply in the material, we can conclude that it is not very fresh or good to let it rub against your skin or mucous membranes, right? To avoid unnecessary irritation, cleaning specifically designed for this purpose is therefore recommended.

Non-porous materials have very small pores, but they are so small that bacteria cannot take hold. What can take hold if you neglect cleaning, however, is odor and discoloration. That is why cleaning is still just as important - in every angle and crevice - so that remaining dirt and bacteria do not spread.

Porous materials:

• TPE, latex, cyberskin, leather, PVC, vinyl, silicone

Non-porous materials:

• ABS plastic, glass, metal

Can I clean my sex toy with soap?

Soap itself is not the problem - as we all know, it works brilliantly for washing your hands. Unfortunately, soap is not compatible with sex toys because their materials can be damaged. Depending on the material, the damage can appear in different ways, but unfortunately it often begins very subtly and gets worse over time. This means that you may have used a sex toy that has collected dirt and bacteria without noticing. Sex toy materials can, for example, dry out and develop tiny cracks where bacteria can collect, the structure of the material can change so that it “swells,” or the surface layer can be destroyed.

What about intimate washes? They can be used on your most delicate areas, so surely they should work with all types of sex toys? No. Intimate washes often contain oil, which can be very harmful to sex toy materials. In particular, it can dissolve the sex toy material, and the most common result is that the material becomes glossy and “soaks up” the oil. This means that the material may begin to attract bacteria.

What about sterilizing alcohol?

All the cleaners in our range are alcohol-free. Alcohol is very strong - far too strong for most materials. In addition to damaging the material, the alcohol can be absorbed and remain in the so-called pores, which means it may later dissolve in or on you - neither pleasant nor especially good for, for example, mucous membranes.

Cleaners designed for sex toys contain no harmful substances for you or your sex toys, while also disinfecting and neutralizing odors, unlike many soaps.

What does cleaning have to do with complaints?

Sex toy manufacturers usually specify which type of cleaner should be used for the product. If you ever need to make a complaint about your sex toy and have used a different type of cleaner, the claim may be denied - even if the soap or alcohol did not cause the damage.

Some manufacturers occasionally state that you can clean the toy with “mild soap,” but they have great difficulty defining what they mean by this “mild soap.” As mentioned above, intimate wash is not a mild soap in this sense, for example. Since there is no exact definition of what this means, this can also result in a denied complaint.

Your sex toy may be the cause of an imbalance

Have you experienced recurring problems with pH imbalance or something similar? It may, but does not have to, be because you have been careless about cleaning your sex toys.

Many people often think it is okay to be careless about cleaning and only rinse the toy in lukewarm water - since you are the only one who uses it anyway. Do you also wash your used underwear in only lukewarm water before wearing it again? No, good. The same applies to your toys!

Imagine the situation: you use your adult toys, are a little tired, and fall asleep with one in the bed. Then, a few days later, you rinse it in a little lukewarm water when you are going to use it again. By then, it may have had dried residue on it, perhaps picked up more debris from the bed, and nothing has been used to actually wash it clean. Not a good recipe, right?

So how do I clean my sex toy in the best way?

We have broken down the most important things to remember.

Wash your sex toy after every use

Yes, it may feel tedious, but it does not need to take longer than 5 minutes if you do it correctly. If you do not clean your toys, you risk creating a bacterial culture that is not only uncomfortable but potentially dangerous if things go wrong. Washing your toys is considerably less troublesome than a urinary tract infection. Right?

Follow the instructions in the manual

It is important to use the right product for the right material. If you have lost the manual for your toy, the information is usually available on the manufacturer’s website. Otherwise, you can call the store and they will be happy to help you find the information. A safe choice, however, is always Mshop Care Clean:IT, which works with most sex toys.

Usually, you wet the toy, spray it with the cleaner, and let it work for 30 - 60 seconds before rinsing it thoroughly again. Let it air-dry or pat the toy dry with paper towels or another lint-free material, then store it in a sanitary, cool environment away from direct sunlight.

Store your sex toy hygienically

It may go without saying, but cleaning is completely pointless if you then dry the toy with a dirty towel and put it in the sock drawer. Most toys come with a silk pouch for storage, but you can also use a clean toiletry bag or something similar. The most important thing is that the material does not shed lint or absorb moisture.

Some materials benefit from a little extra care, such as...

Fleshlight products are made of a special Superskin material that can dry out and crack if it is not handled correctly. When you have used your Fleshlight, remove the sleeve from the case and rinse lukewarm water through the entire canal. Then spray Fleshwash on both the inside and outside to clean it completely; do not use soap, dishwashing detergent, or alcohol gel. Once the spray has dried in, sprinkle a thin layer of Fleshlight Renewing Powder over the sleeve and put it back in the case.

Fleshlights are made from a material specially developed by their creators, which makes cleaning more specific so that the product retains its original feel. The safest option is to buy cleaning products from the same brand.