How to Care for Your Latex Sex Toys
Our latex sex toys provide us with immense pleasure, which is why they deserve our devotion and respect. If you own some latex sex toys, it’s important to care for them as best as you can to maintain their longevity, protect your health, and keep the fun going.
We’ve put together this helpful guide on how to care for your sex toys. This guide is focused on latex, but we added some tips on caring for other types of toys, as well. Whether you’ve purchased a latex dildo or butt plug, this guide will help you keep your shiny toy in excellent shape!
Latex Sex Toy Basics
Latex toys are a lot of fun. They have a great flexible feel that makes them very comfortable to use, especially if you’re into the idea of using something inflatable. They’re also amongst the most affordable adult toy options. Latex is considered a body-safe material and latex toys are also free from some of the harmful chemicals that can be found in PVC or vinyl toys.
However, latex does have its drawbacks. Some people are allergic to latex, which excludes them from being able to use latex sex toys as well many condoms. It’s also slightly porous, which means that latex toys don’t have as long a “shelf-life” as costly non-porous toys and they cannot be shared as easily. That’s why it’s extra important to keep a latex sex toy clean.
How to Clean Your Latex Sex Toys
Latex is quite easy to clean, which is important since forgetting to clean it can cause all kinds of issues.
It is important to choose a latex-safe cleanser that’s free from oils, to ensure that it doesn’t degrade the material. For best results, we highly recommend Viviclean because it’s designed to clean the latex safely as well to kill bacteria.
Here’s how to actually clean your latex sex toys, step by step.
- Clean your latex toy immediately after using it, since bodily fluids can break down the material.
- Pour a bit of a mild, oil-free detergent into lukewarm water.
- Submerge your toy in the water for a minimum of 1 minute or up to 30 minutes.
- If necessary, rub it well with your hands to remove any debris.
- Finally, rinse your toy under the tap to remove all cleanser residue, and pat it with a soft cloth to dry.
- Leave it somewhere dry, cool, and dark to finish air drying.
How to Care for Your Latex Sex Toys
There’s a little more to caring for latex sex toys than just keeping them clean. Here are a few more important tips to keep your latex in great shape!
- Use only water or silicone-based lubes with latex, as oil-based substances will break it down. If you want to be certain you’re using the right product, pick up our water-based latex- and body-safe Chez Noir Lube.
- Store your latex toys in a cool, dark place away from sunlight and moisture. Exposure to sunlight or heat can degrade this delicate natural material.
- Latex is very hard to sterilize so if you want to have some fun with a partner, make sure to use a condom on your latex toy before sharing.
General Tips for Caring for Sex Toys
Here are a few more tips for cleaning and maintaining dildos, vibrators, and buttplugs no matter what they’re made of.
- Make sure your toy is waterproof BEFORE you immerse it in water. Water resistant is NOT waterproof and you don’t want to get a nasty surprise the next time you power on your freshly cleaned vibrator.
- Store any battery-operated toys without the batteries inside. This will prevent the batteries from wearing down unnecessarily and any possible battery leakage from damaging your toy.
- Store all toys separately from each other to avoid any issues of discolouration and melting. You may want to wrap each toy in a breathable fabric so they are not touching.
- Always remember to clean your sex toys when sharing with multiple partners or different orifices, and before and after every use.
- If cleaning seems like too much of a pain and you still want to use your toy with more than one person, you could always just a latex condom (or latex glove, in the case of some large latex sex toys) over your toy and discard the glove or condom when you’re done.
- Remember to use a new condom each time you switch from one person to the next or from one orifice to another.
Caring for Sex Toys Made of Other Materials
Caring for sex toys made of other materials can be a little different, so here are some specific tips.
Silicone
Silicone is non-porous and easy to clean. Do not use silicone-based lube with a silicone toy as it can break down the material.
Cleaning: Run it through the dishwasher, on the top rack, or boil it for 3-5 minutes to sterilize.
Jellies
A translucent, soft, and flexible substance that looks like it contains air bubbles. These toys tend to be the cheapest but do not fare very well with usage and are very easy to rip, tear, or damage.
Cleaning: This material is a non-porous form of rubber that can be cleaned with mild soap and hot water.
Cyberskin
This material is soft and supple. It looks and feels remarkably like skin. We recommend heating up any material to ensure the best realistic experience. Simply submerge it in warm water for a few minutes before using.
Cleaning: Rinse with hot water, or disinfect by putting alcohol onto a cloth and lightly rubbing (avoid soap or harsh detergents); to keep the silky feel, sprinkle with cornstarch or pure talc.
Vinyl
Vinyl toys are light in weight, easy to clean, and come in many different forms and colours. Though, much like jellies, these toys are not very durable and can rip and tear easily. Plus, they can contain phthalates which may be harmful to your health.
Cleaning: Vinyl products are non-porous, and can be washed with mild soap and hot water.
Glass
Glass toys provide the benefit of being able to use a microwave or warm water to increase their temperature, or a freezer to decrease it. But like all glass be careful as this material is brittle and a slip or fall can spell the end of these toys.
Cleaning: Glass toys are non-porous and can be cleaned using warm water and soap.
So that's it - that's everything you need to know about how to care for your latex sex toys. If you still have any questions, you can always reach out to us at Chez Noir!
