Is It Safe To Bring Toys To The Back Door?

YES!

Absolutely.

Make them quality toys, though, if you please. And make sure they are designed for butt play (see the next chapter).

Yes, I know that toys can be a bit pricey. The good ones are worth it, though.

Basically, there is one really good thing to look for:

Non-Porus Sex Toys

Ideally, this is what you’re going to be buying: silicone, borosilicate glass, metals, and treated natural products.

The reason I and many other sex educators suggest non-porus is because you can sterilize them between uses (which gets them clean and helps avoid recurring infections), between people (safer STD/STI protocol), and most non-porus materials used for sex toys don’t cause allergic reactions.

Because raging hives and chemical burns on your backside bits is not what you’re looking for from your sexy times, amirite?

Speaking of hives and chemical burns:

Phthalates

You’ve probably heard of phthalates. They’ve been in the news a lot lately, especially in relation to food packaging. They’re being banned all over Europe in packaging and as additives because of the nasty things they seem to do to the human body.

Phthalates are what they add to plastic to make it soft.

Which seems like it would be a good thing.

They are also usually very cheap, and it’s tempting to buy a toy you might not be sure about if it’s less costly.

However, they leech off into your body and disintegrate in your drawers (the furniture, not your skivvies), melting and releasing nasty chemical gasses.

Just no.

Phthalates are part of the group of not-so-wonderful sex toys. Here are a few more:

Porus Sex Toys

The opposite of non-porus sex toys, porus sex toys have tiny little holes, like pores in your skin, that trap dirt, body fluids, bacteria and more, and can transfer them from one source to another.

Which is exactly what you don’t want for safe sex, right?

Now, you can use these toys in a pinch with a condom over them, to keep them clean, changing the condom with every use.

However, the toys are still cheap and will off-gas and possibly melt and stick to other toys, even shorting out their own electronics.

Overall, they are generally not the bargains they might seem to be.

Because Cleanliness Is Next To Sexiness.

I don’t know a single person who wants a dirty toy shoved into their…anything, so perhaps it goes without saying, but you know I’m going to say it anyway:

Clean your toys.

Clean toys are important. Even if you only use them with one person, you want to keep your toys clean so that you don’t transfer bacteria.

Even your own bacteria, several days later, can cause not-good stuff to happen.

Clean toys means cleaning your toys when you buy them, after you use them, and before you use them again (unless you’ve kept them covered and dust-and-pet-hair-free).

Non-porous toys are ideal, like those made from glass, steel, silicone, etc. Those that are rated as dishwasher safe are the most convenient, as you can run them through a cleaning and sterilization cycle with little fuss.

Boiling your toys for three minutes (after a good scrubbing to remove any debris) also works.

I like soaking my toys for at least 30 minutes in white vinegar, rinsing and letting them dry, then soaking at least 30 minutes in hydrogen peroxide, rinsing and letting them dry.

And, if you want to keep your toys clean and relatively free of “stuff” of all sorts, consider using condoms over the entire toy.

Condoms stretch amazingly, and you will save a lot of cleaning using them.

Of course, condoms are perfect for toys that get used on more than just one partner as well.

Condoms are not a substitute for all toy cleaning, but they do help speed up the maintenance.

Also: If you do strap-on play, clean your harness as well. It also comes into contact with your fluids and can build up bacteria.

Let’s Discuss!

How do you keep your toys for play clean and free of bacteria and debris?