Anal Toy Maintenance

[bitbucket]

I’m not really sure where this belongs, so I’m just putting it in “General”. If there’s a better place, please let me know.

I’ve got silicon anal toys that I really like. After use I always clean them with mild soap and water, but they do tend to retain a distinctive smell.

1. Is it OK to soak silicon toys in a bit of water and bleach to help neutralize the smell? 

2. Are there other oils, e.g. peppermint that I could rub them with? Some lubes smell like clover, but they are usually not silicon friendly.

3. Should I just ignore the smell and move on?

I appreciate any tips here. Thanks!

[ErosWired]

I would avoid rubbing oils on any plastics where you don’t already know what the result will be. Some plastics degrade badly when exposed to oils. You also need to be cautious in storing different types of plastics together, as some will react chemically with each other and cause melting and deformation. Some types of silicone products are like sensitive fucking orchids that need to be pampered and stored separately. Whenever possible, be sure to read the documentation and care instructions that came with your toys and know what type of polymers you’re dealing with.

Generally speaking, warm soap and water should suffice in most cases, but take careful note if any of your toys were molded in such a way that small bubbles or other voids occurred in the surface that may trap material - if there are, you may have to treat these areas manually to ensure hygiene.

I would not use bleach. It’s a powerful oxidizing agent that may weaken chemical bonds in plastics and cause them to degrade. In addition, if your toy is colored by pigments, it may suffer from undesirable discoloration.

Edited June 30, 2023 by ErosWired

[bitbucket]

Thanks for the tips!

[Loveitraw]

As stated above its worth keeping toys separated by material type just because some do react badly together. For example silicon causes TPE to melt. 

For my toys I stick to soap and water for the firmer ones and that has proven sufficient for long enough that I only get rid of toys because of wear or they don't hit the sides any more😈.

For the softer ones I follow up a clean with a light pat down with fine unscented talcum powder. This has kept them all good so far.

If you have several it can seem like a chore but its worth it as some of the toys out there can be pricey.

[bitbucket]

I tend to wash my silicone toys in a mild soap, rinse them, then dry them with a cheap hand towel from IKEA and them wrap them in the hand towel so they don’t come in direct contact with each other. I have heard that storing them together (touching) can cause them to melt, and I don’t want that. 

[Pozguyinchi]

My favorite toy got into contact with a favorite plug and they melted. Now I wrap them in separate towels. I have had no issues.

[funpozbottom]

Toy materials can be divided into two broad categories. Things like metal, glass, and pure silicon are non-porous. Pretty much anything else should be considered porous.  This makes a difference in how well a toy can be cleaned. With non-porous materials, anything that comes in contact with it stays on the surface, so they are easy to wash off with soap and water. Non-porous toys can be sanitized by boiling or steeping in hot water for a few minutes. They can also be sanitized with bleach as long as you don't use too much. (You only need like a teaspoon to a half gallon of water to sanitize.) But unless you are sharing toys, simply washing in mild soap and water should be sufficient.

Unfortunately, most toys are made from porous materials. Since the surface is not completely solid, lube and body fluids, etc, can slowly be absorbed into the toy's material. This is why it's recommended that toys are cleaned immediately after use to prevent any funky goo from infiltrating your toy.  Toys should be washed using mild soap and water. If you want a deeper clean you could try steeping in hot water, however, depending on the material, you may risk melting your toy. Porous materials cannot be completely sanitized, so it's recommended that those materials are not shared. If toys are shared, they're supposed to be protected to prevent transfer of bacteria. (That's right, you might like it bare but your sex toys would prefer a condom. 😉  )

One more note about materials: Some sellers market toys as being "silicon" but aren't. Unless you are absolutely sure they are 100% silicon, then assume they are something else and treat them as porous materials.

So, on to the issue of lingering smells. Non-porous materials shouldn't have any strong smells after being cleaned and any light odors should dissipate quickly.  Porous materials can retain odors since whatever is causing the odor is infused into the toy material and can't be completely washed out.  If you have a toy with an odor, I would not use bleach or apply scented oils. You could risk degrading the toy material, or, those chemicals could leach back out of the toy when it's in your ass.  All you can do is try to prevent odors by making sure your hole is super squeaky clean before you play or cover the toy with a condom to prevent contact with odor causing substances.

There are commercial toy cleaners, however I've never used one so I don't know how well they work or if they have any effect on odors.

Long story, short, if the toy has an odor, either ignore it or buy a new toy.

Edited July 1, 2023 by funpozbottom

[backdoorjimmy]

On 6/29/2023 at 3:35 PM, bitbucket said:

I’m not really sure where this belongs, so I’m just putting it in “General”. If there’s a better place, please let me know.

I’ve got silicon anal toys that I really like. After use I always clean them with mild soap and water, but they do tend to retain a distinctive smell.

1. Is it OK to soak silicon toys in a bit of water and bleach to help neutralize the smell? 

2. Are there other oils, e.g. peppermint that I could rub them with? Some lubes smell like clover, but they are usually not silicon friendly.

3. Should I just ignore the smell and move on?

I appreciate any tips here. Thanks!

I wouldn't soak in bleach, as others have said. It can't be good for the silicon, especially as a regular practice. I wash my plugs and other toys with warm water and Dawn. Then I let them air dry. If they still smell, I just give them another wash.

Not too long ago one of my friends slept over and used my favorite plug. When he gave it back washed, it smelled like Tina and I had the worst time getting it out. So I used 91% rubbing alcohol on it and the stink went away.

[ErosWired]

3 hours ago, funpozbottom said:

Toy materials can be divided into two broad categories. Things like metal, glass, and pure silicon are non-porous.

While this is generally true, even non-porous materials can have small - even tiny - voids in the surface due to manufacturing methods. For instance, a non-porous plastic may nonetheless have developed some micro-bubbles on the surface during molding that rupture on de-molding, leaving tiny pitted areas. While not a ‘porous’ quality of the material that would cause a general issue in use or treatment, you should carefully inspect toys for such spots as they have the potential to trap undesirable material, and warrant additional attention in cleaning.