We all want to get down and dirty, but dirty is one thing your sex toys should never be.

Bacterial infections and the spread of STDs are anything but sexy, but many may not know the proper steps to staying protected.

 So let’s talk about adult toy cleaners, how to keep our toys clean, and how to clean a vibrator, even when our minds are all about getting dirty.

 

Most of us already know the importance of keeping our intimate toy collection sanitized. Hygiene can mean the difference between contracting an infection or staying healthy. But cleaning your vibrator, dildo, or any of your adult toys is not as simple as washing them in the sink with some detergent and hot water.

There’s a lot to consider when tackling sex toy hygiene: the material of your toy, whether it’s got a motor, or twists, turns and crevices, and so forth.

A mind-blowing vibrator or toy can set you back quite a bit of money, so it’s obviously important not to damage it with your cleaning regime. (And remember, having a better “O” can make you live longer!)

Another thing to consider when choosing cleaning methods is whether you’re using chemicals that are safe for your own body. After all, sex toys come in intimate contact with ourselves and our partners – so we don’t want to use cleaning agents, such as harsh chemicals, that we know could do bodily damage.

If you’re overwhelmed by all the info out there on sex toy maintenance and hygiene, or you’re not sure just exactly what your unique vibrator needs, then sit back and relax – because we’ve got your back.

In this article, we’re going to cover the different options for cleaning your vibrator and discuss what bacteria and STDs you’re fighting against when you upkeep hygiene. Remember: knowing the risks is half the battle.

If some of these methods for cleaning your sex toys seem anything but sexy and incredibly inaccessible when you just want to roll over in bed and fall right asleep, then don’t worry – the tech world has answered our prayers. We’re going to introduce you to breakthrough toy cleaning technology that will save you time and stress.

Lastly, for those of you with no time to waste, you can skip down to our TL;DR, handy-dandy list of the most commonly used vibrators and how best to clean them.

Why We Clean Our Sex Toys

What is cleaning your vibrator meant to protect you from?

Bacteria, such as:

• Escherichia coli
• Staphylococcus aureus
• Streptococcus sp.
• Gardnerella vaginalis
• Lactobacillus acidophilus
• Candida albicans

All of these bacteria may sound scary. Trust us, they are. They are known for hanging out and breeding on un-properly cleaned toys, which could spell disaster for those who like to play dirty but keep things clean downstairs.

These bacteria can cause both vaginal and anal health issues. If you’re looking to have fun with your vibrator without a painfully itchy or chafey drawback, then it’s essential you thoroughly clean it immediately after use.

These bacteria can grow on all sorts of toys, regardless of their shape, function, or material. Whether your vibe or dildo is made out of silicone, glass, plastic, or jelly rubber, these bacteria love to make a home out of it – no toy is exempt from collecting harmful bacteria.

Many us understandably just roll over and take a snooze after a fun session with a toy and leave the clean-up for later. Unfortunately, leaving your sex toy alone before cleaning it can result in the formation of a biofilm: an ecosystem of bacteria over the entirety of the toy, especially in those hard-to-reach nooks and crannies – gross!

This biofilm even makes your toy even harder to clean between uses thoroughly and leaves you vulnerable to bacterial infection, even with standard cleaning methods.

STDs

Sex toys aren’t just for use alone. For those of us sharing our toys with a partner (or partners), it becomes even more important to clean our toys in between uses to protect against the spread of disease. In this case, you’d much rather be safe than sorry.

Non-sanitized sex toys can transmit the following STIs:

• Chlamydia
• Syphilis
• Herpes
• Bacterial Vaginosis

Now that we’ve covered the unsexy, bad-kinda-dirty side of why you should keep your toys clean, it’s time to delve into how. We’re going to cover both common, old-school, and new ways of cleaning and storing your toys, as well as cover which methods are best for which materials.

What’s Your Favorite Vibrator Made Of?

Your toy is either porous or non-porous depending on the material of your toy. Porous toys, such as those made from plastics and jelly rubber, will more readily absorb bacteria, making them harder to clean. Alternatively, nonporous toys, such as those made from silicone, glass, or stainless steel, won’t absorb bacteria past their surface.

Thus, nonporous toys are generally safer to use and more hygienic – but if your toy is porous, consider using a condom with it to help keep things clean, especially if you’re sharing the toy with a partner (or partners!).

If you’re not sure what your toy is made of, check the packaging or Google the product name. You absolutely must know the material of your toy to best effectively sanitize it.

Protecting Your Vibrator

Before we jump into how to clean your vibrator, let’s talk about protecting it. (And in case you need to know how to use your vibrator, here you go!)

Cleaning your vibrator is one thing, but if it’s not stored correctly, all that elbow grease spent on scrubbing and soaping will have been for naught. A vibrator that bounces around loose in a drawer will pick up dirt, crumbs, hairs, and skin flakes, no matter how clean it is. Sex toys stored together can also cause problems; certain materials can damage others if left in contact.

Make sure to store your vibrators and sex toys separately. The most accessible options available are either soft material bags or rigid containers. Of course, you could always splurge on sex toy-specific storage if you want the best for your vibe.

The critical thing to remember is to avoid plastic bags, Tupperware, etc. These plastics can leach chemicals into your toys over time (especially the porous ones).

Ways to Clean Your Vibrator (And Other Sex Toys)

Dishwasher

Truly a classic and a accessible form of sanitization for your toys, dumping dildos in the dishwasher can be a hassle-free way of getting them squeaky clean. Of course, a lot of electronic toys (namely vibes and wands) might not pull through an ordeal in a dishwasher, so check the fine print on your toys before throwing them in with your dishes.

Certain materials also don’t do well in hot water and can melt or become malformed if subjected to a full machine wash cycle. It’s also not a very discreet cleaning method if you’re sharing a home with kids or roommates.

It’s easy to ‘set and forget’ when it comes to the dishwasher. Unless you’re watching it like a hawk as it goes through its final rinse cycle, an unsuspecting guest or family member could be searching for a cup and come across your vibrator! Clearly, the dishwasher method is less ideal for those with busy homes, forgetful minds, or frequent players who don’t want to up their water bill by running the dishwasher all the time.

These adult toys like it:

• silicone
• pyrex
• stainless steel

These adult toys don’t:

• battery operated
• electronic toys
• glass
• porous toys

Hand Washing With Soap

A no-brainer method, hand washing your toys with warm water and gentle antibacterial soap is an accessible and easy way to clean your sex toys.

We recommend using a hypoallergenic soap or a sex toy cleaner, guaranteed not to irritate your bits.

When dealing with non-waterproof vibrators, like the Magic Wand or Womanizer, you will obviously want to forgo holding them under running water or submerging them completely. Opt for using a damp cloth and a bit of soap instead.

While this is the most accessible and easy way to clean your sex toys, there are some downsides. Hand washing isn’t very thorough. For toys that can’t be fully submerged in water and have hard-to-reach crevices, bacteria and other nasties can increase in those missed places.

Also, washing sex toys or allowing them to soak might not be super easy for those of us who share a house with nosey roommates or even nosier family members. If you like to keep things private, washing your toys in a communal sink might not be ideal. But we love how fast and easy this method is!

These adult toys like it:

• porous and nonporous toys
• (go easy with the hot water on the porous toys)

These adult toys don’t:

• non-waterproof toys
• toys with nooks and crannies

Using Alcohol or Other Chemical Disinfectants

While alcohol and disinfectants are great at killing germs, they’re also pretty harmful to both you and your toys.

Porous materials may melt, or become disfigured if doused in alcohol, and though you may rinse the alcohol off after cleaning, remnants of alcohol can wreak havoc on your most intimate body parts. It’s safe to steer clear of alcohol or harsh disinfectants completely and opt for toy-friendly soaps, or other recommended cleaners.

However, if you’re cleaning leather intimate items, such as holsters, and whips, some watered-down rubbing alcohol will do a good job of sanitizing them. Just make sure to follow up with mink oil or another leather conditioner to keep the leather from drying up or cracking.

These adult toys like it:

• glass
• stainless steel
• leather accessories

These adult toys don’t:

• Porous toys

Boiling Water

While most germs and bacteria can’t survive boiling point, killing them requires more prolonged exposure (think minutes, not seconds). That’s what makes boiling water an inefficient cleaning method for your vibrator and dildos.

Pouring boiled water over toys is also ineffective as the water cools down when removed from the stove. And while boiling water will clean your toys, they need to be fully submerged for at least a couple of minutes – a surefire way to break your vibrators, melt your porous and glass fun-buddies, and heat your stainless steel to the point where you’ll need to remove it carefully.

You can see this is another method we don’t recommend. It’s easy to do incorrectly and ruin your favorite adult toys.

These adult toys like it:

• Stainless steel

These adult toys don’t:

• motor operated toys
• Magic Wand
• Womanizer
• non-waterproof toys
• porous toys
• glass toys

The Best Way to Clean Your Vibrator: The UVee

We’re living in the future, folks – and if there are self-driving cars, there are better ways to clean your adult toys than what we’ve listed so far. We’ve found a new way to keep your vibrator super clean, with minimal effort, and with maximum efficiency.

Introducing The UVee, a revolutionarily new way to clean your sex toys.

Ever wanted to clean, charge, and store your vibe securely all at once?

The UVee can do all that and prepare your vibe for immediate use in under ten minutes.

For those of us who like to chill out after a play session, the UVee is a godsend. It allows us to throw our toys in the one container where they’ll be thoroughly cleaned and charged while we sleep it off.

UVee is the only all-in-one cleaning, charging, and locked storage system for your vibrators. If you love your vibes as much as we love ours, you know they deserve a home as good as the UVee.

How Does The UVee Clean Your Vibrator?

The UVee cleans your vibrators and toys using UV-C sanitizing light. This tech kills 99.9% of all bacteria exposed to it; making it the most effective cleaning method on this list.

Regardless of the material, porosity, motorization, or amount of crevices, the UVee can clean your toy and it can clean it well.

The UVee also securely stores our toys. This ensures they’re not only cleaned between uses, but are kept private. The UVee can be locked via a pin code, making sure that any nosey roommates, or family members won’t accidentally come across your intimate collection.

Lastly, the icing on the cake for us with the UVee is its built-in charging dock. Gone are those nights (or days) when you’re ready to get buzzing and your vibrator is dead and dusted.

When you place your vibe in the UVee, simply plug it in, and it’ll also charge up while being cleaned. The UVee gives you direct access to immediate fun times whenever you want them!

Most toys fit inside the UVee, so this really is a one-size-fits-all solution.

TL;DR!

Here’s a brief list of the five of the most popular vibrators and how to clean them:

How to Clean The Magic Wand

The Magic Wand is not waterproof. However, the head is the only part of the wand that you need to sanitize since that’s what sees the most action.

To clean the Magic Wand’s head, grab a cloth, run it under some warm water, and wring it out, so it’s just damp. Squirt a pea-sized amount of gentle, fragrance-free soap onto it. Then simply scrub the head of the wand to clean it.

The better way to clean your Magic Wand is to use the UVee as a cleaning and charging dock. Since the UVee uses UV-C light to sanitize your wand, it won’t cause any water damage, but it’ll still kill 99.9% of germs!

The UVee HOME Play Unit is designed to fit the Magic Wand.

How to Clean a Womanizer

Cleaning the Womanizer can be a little tricky. It has two parts; the head and the body. You can remove the silicone head to sanitize it, but the body of the womanizer is not waterproof and is made from a different material (hard plastic).

To clean the silicone head, remove it from the toy, and wash it thoroughly with toy-friendly soap and warm water. Use a damp cloth to wipe down the plastic body.

Of course, this method won’t thoroughly clean the Womanizer, so we recommend using the UVee in this case. It will clean both the head and the body of the Womanizer without using any water.

For those of you sharing your Womanizer with a partner, you should have a spare silicone head that you can swap out in between uses! This makes it way easier to share, and you don’t need to worry about cleaning until after you’re done.

How to Clean an Eva

The entire body of the Eva is made from medical-grade silicone. You can safely wash it with water and antibacterial soap.

The Eva doesn’t do well at extreme temperatures, so make sure to use warm water – not too cold, not too hot. As the entire body of the Eva is silicone, remember to store it securely and on its own – helping to prevent damage and bacteria spreading.

How to Clean the Minna Limon

The Minna Limon is tiny and entirely silicone, therefore, easy to clean. Simply use water and soap or disinfectant wipes. If using a disinfectant, try to use something toy-friendly. Harsh chemicals and alcohol can not only harm your toy but your body as well. Lastly, the Minna Limon should be stored separately from other toys to prevent damage.

How to Clean the G Spot Vibe

The G Spot Vibe is waterproof and can be submerged fully in water, meaning you can wash it thoroughly under a running tap or in the sink. Use a toy-safe cleaner or gentle antibacterial soap. It’s vital to wash the G Spot Vibe directly after use and definitely between uses when sharing.

If you’re not wanting to ruin the mood by taking your toy to the kitchen or bathroom for a scrub, consider getting a UVee; have it next to the bed ready to store your vibe as soon as you’re done. The UVee will disinfect it in 10 minutes using UV-C light. If you’re sharing your vibe, you can make sure it doesn’t run out of juice by charging it as it cleans. Find a way to pass the time (get creative), and in 10 minutes, your vibe will be clean, charged, and ready to use on your partner.

Clean Your Vibrator The Right Way

A vibrator can spice up your solo and partnered sex life, adding a buzz and a kick to any play session.

As adult toys can bring so much joy into our lives, it’s important to take care of them in return, ensuring their longevity and protecting our health and safety. Improperly cleaned toys can result in the spread of infection and disease, a high price to pay for fantastic orgasms.

Make sure you learn how to clean a vibrator the right way! Learn how to clean your sex toys in the most efficient way possible, and make getting down and dirty a clean, safe experience for you and your partners.