How to Clean Your Sex Toys

No one likes cleaning, especially sex toys. The last thing you probably want to think about after experiencing the wonderful pleasures of using one is cleaning it out. Understandable. Unfortunately, in order to maintain a happy and healthy sex life (and to keep your toy working well), cleaning after use is essential. And if you are new to the sex toy game? Don't worry! We'll cover the pro tips on how to clean your sex toy in order to continue to get all the wonderful benefits that come with it.

Contents

Why Cleaning Sex Toys is Important

Petri dish full of bacteria

Now we shouldn’t really have to explain why regular cleaning of your sex toy is so important, however for any stragglers out there reading, here are a couple of solid reasons.

  1. Mold
  2. Bacteria
  3. Possible infections

Scary stuff right? Not washing your sex toy can lead to all sorts of nasty stuff and make you pretty sick. In some cases, it can even lead to cases of hepatitis A, B, and C, chlamydia, and gonorrhea. Even more surprisingly, bacteria that usually appear after eating raw meats such as salmonella and E. Coli can even grow on your sex toy if you don’t clean it for a long time.

If that wasn’t bad enough, we haven’t even touched on the idea of mold growing yet! Mold can grow on pretty much any surface that has moisture on it, so your used sex toy is a prime place for mold to grow, especially if your sex toy is kept in a warmer environment. To prevent this, it will be important to dry off your sex toy of any moisture after cleaning, preventing mold from growing.

If any of that was not enough of a reason to clean up after yourself, here is one more. Money. As you probably already know as a sex toy buyer, they cost money. Sometimes a lot of money. And with any purchase, you probably want to get the most for your money. Cleaning your sex toy will help make sure that your sex toy will last longer, so you can get your money’s worth and maybe even more if you are really careful with it.

Hopefully, we didn’t scare you off from trying sex toys. They are still a safe and fun way to experience all sorts of pleasures and sensations. It’s just important to know that without the proper care and maintenance, your favorite masturbator or vibrator can become a Petri dish of all sorts of unpleasant molds and bacteria. With that pleasant image out of the way, let’s get to the actual cleaning.

Preparing To Clean Your Toys

kitchen sink

We can hopefully all agree now that it is important to clean out your sex toy. But how do you actually wash your sex toy? For the purpose of this guide, we are going to be concentrating on reusable elastomer/silicone-based sex toys because that is what most of the TENGA male masturbators are made from. If you are using a similar non-TENGA sex toy, feel free to follow along (but also consider grabbing yourself a TENGA sex toy). Also, if you are trying to clean out one of our many single-use toys, please don’t, because those are designed with the intention of being a one-time-use item.

Now to start off. You are going to want to make sure that the internal details of your toy are out in the open and are able to be cleaned. This is going to vary depending on our toy.

If your toy can be inverted like the TENGA GEO or TENGA 3D:

  1. Invert the toy so that the internal details are on the outside.
  2. If your toy is like the TENGA SPINNER, then only reverse the toy at its insertion point.
  3. Wash your toy under cold or tepid water. Be sure nothing is stuck in the little nooks and corners of your toy during this step.
  4. Once washed, dry off your toy using a clean towel. Now be careful not to leave any moisture. As we said before, moisture is mold’s best friend, so be extra sure that you have dried as much as you can with the towel.
  5. Lastly, if your toy comes with a drying stand (which most TENGA toys do) place your toy on the stand until fully dry.
TENGA 3D:SPIRAL on Drying Stand

How Often Should You Clean Your Sex Toys?

Calendar

This is a very common question that we see asked a lot. The short answer is: every time. That’s right, every time you use your sex toy you should be cleaning it. We understand that this may not always be the case, but you should still try to make it a regular habit to clean after use. Doing so can help prevent the buildup of bacteria, molds, and infections. If you are using a reusable TENGA toy, they are designed to be easily cleaned so that you can keep reusing them with peace of mind.

So please make sure that you are taking care of yourself and your sex toys by cleaning them regularly. Doing so will help you get the most out of your purchase and make sure that your sex toy remains safe and pleasurable to use for as long as possible.

Summary

Cleaning your sex toy is an essential part of owning one. Regular cleaning helps prevent the buildup of harmful bacteria and mold, ensuring your toy remains safe and pleasurable to use. Follow our guide to keep your sex toys in top condition and enjoy all the benefits they offer for years to come.