Important Sex Toy Safety Tips To Always Keep In Mind
Sex toys are a lot of fun, but using them safely should always be a top priority.
So you’ve just bought your first sex toy, in which case – congratulations!
You are taking the first step to finally being able to fully control your own sexual satisfaction.
(And if you didn’t buy one yet, check out all of our high-quality sex toys to get up to speed with the rest of us).
However, with a brand new sex toy in hand, comes a plethora of other health concerns.
While using a sex toy is an amazing experience, there are still various aspects of owning a sex toy to consider.
Ones that directly affect your overall sexual health when using your toy.
Below we’ll list out the most important tips when it comes to sex toy safety.
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Only use safe sex toy materials
This tip takes ultimate precedent when it comes to sex toy safety.
Because if you purchase a toy made out of an unsafe (i.e. toxic) material, you are putting yourself at risk every time you use it, no matter what.
Although we do have a comprehensive guide on sex toy materials, when it comes to avoiding unsafe sex toy materials, it basically comes down to avoiding phthalates - at all costs.
These are predominantly found in "jelly" sex toys, but can potentially be found elsewhere.
We here at 199SEX only sell sex toys made of 100% safe materials, but when it comes to other sellers, always check what the toy is made out of before purchasing from them.
Wash your sex toys – often
This is the most import tip of all, hands down.
Not only from a safety perspective, but also from a maintenance one.
Every time you use your sex toy, you are getting all sorts of fluids onto your toy.
And while most of your internal fluids are not dangerous outright, if left untouched it can led to bacteria growth.
Meaning the next time you use your unwashed sex toy, you are putting your body in contact with all sorts of nasty bacteria.
This is especially true of toys that primarily are insertally anally - toys like butt plugs and anal beads.
But even residual vaginal or seminal fluids, or even saliva are full of bacteria.
Just about all sex toys can be effectively washed with simple soap and water.
You can’t get much simpler than that, meaning you have no excuses for not washing your sex toys often.
How often is “often”?
The simple answer is to make sure you wash your sex toy in between every use.
Whether that means just before you are planning to use them again, or just after you finish using them is up to you.
We personally at 199SEX recommend washing it immediately after every use.
(Or at least within a few hours of use – do not let the sex toy sit unwashed overnight).
This is because the other alternative, while perfectly safe for your own sexual health, can be somewhat unsanitary in general.
Just knowing that your unwashed sex toys are a breeding ground for bacteria to develop should convince you to wash them ASAP.
But again, it really all depends on you personally.
As long as you are always have a clean sex toy before every use, you are taking care of the most important aspect of sex toy safety!
Do NOT share your sex toys
This is somewhat of a follow-up to our first tip above.
You see, in a perfect world, if the sex toy is perfectly cleaned before or after each use, partners could share sex toys without any issue.
The problem is that in the real world, things never play out that way.
One of two things could potentially happen if you share your sex toy.
First, he or she may simply not wash the toy well enough after they are done.
They either aren’t used to sex toys and don’t know how to properly wash them.
Or they simply don’t care enough since they know it is not their sex toy to wash.
In either case, you leave yourself vulnerable not only to bacteria, but now potentially STIs as well.
The only time possibly would condone sharing sex toys is if the following applies to your significant other:
- He or she is completely free of any STI's.
- You know outright or trust completely that you are his or her only sexual partner.
- You trust that he or she will wash your sex toys thoroughly each and every time he or she uses it.
If all of those apply to your partner, then you risk for sharing sex toys is relatively low.
But in all other cases, you should keep sex toys for your own personal use only.
Note that this isn’t to say that you can’t use your sex toys together during sex.
But rather that the sex toy should only be physically used on yourself.
The One Exception - Condoms
If you really want to share your sex toys between partners, using condoms is a viable option.
All you need to do is cover your sex toys in a condom before each use.
While this is a solid workaround, because of constant need for new condoms with every use, it should ideally be just a temporary option.
But it sure can come in handy if necessary.
And most importantly helps keep your and your partner safe with every use!
Battery Safety
If you aren’t using sex toys that run on battery power, then you can potentially skip this section completely.
(i.e. if you only use dildos or simple anal toys like anal beads).
However, if you are more of an avid sex toy user, you probably have at least one battery powered sex toy in your collection.
In which case, you should keep in mind all of these various safety tips when handling such sex toys:
Only wash the outside of your sex toys
This tip is for sex toys in which you manually have to insert and replace batteries into the device.
Even if the sex toy is completely waterproof, this does not include the internal components of the device.
And even if the batteries are removed from the sex toy beforehand, washing the inside can cause corrosion and will simply damage your sex toy.
Just don’t do it.
Keep your sex toy sealed before washing it.
Speaking of which…
Ensure a tight seal before submerging your sex toys underwater
For toys that are actually waterproof, this is just about the only caveat you need to be aware of.
If the sex toy is cracked open even slightly, water can slowly seep in.
And similar to above, this can lead to irreversible damage to your sex toy.
Not to mention a potentially dangerous situation assuming that you are also submerged in the water with your sex toy.
Make sure your sex toys are completely dry before recharging them
This is the one tip battery related tip specifically for rechargeable sex toys.
Before you plug your charging cable into the device, always make sure that your sex toy is completely dry.
Especially around the hole where the charging cable plugs into.
Again, when you are messing with electricity and charging, you need to make sure that there is no water that can cause an electrical short.
Not only damaging your sex toy, but potentially yourself as well.
This applies to both after washing your sex toy, as well as after using your sex toy in the shower or the bathtub.
Simply make it a habit to check your sex toy for any moisture, and dry it accordingly before bringing your charging cable anywhere near it, and you should be good.
As you can probably tell, all of our battery-related tips are specifically tied into water.
Which should make perfect sense, since water and electrical components do not go together.
So while you should definitely be comfortable using battery-powered (waterproof) sex toys in general, there are a few scenarios that must always be considered.
Follow our tips above and you’ll be all set to use battery-powered sex toys in a 100% safe manner!
Store your sex toys in a cool, dry place
When you aren’t using your sex toys, you probably already have a “secret” spot to store them until they are needed next
Somewhere that your friends and family would not be able to find easily.
However, something that you should also be considering is to keep your sex toys in a relatively cool place.
This is because if you leave your sex toys in a warm environment, they may start to deform over time.
Potentially causing them to provide you with less sexual pleasure, or even worse – making them unsafe to use completely due to their extremely deformed shape.
So keep your sex toys away from the sun and away from any heaters or other sources of heat.
In addition, you should also make sure that your sex toys are in an environment that is relatively less humid.
If your sex toys are constantly subjected to moisture, over time they can deform your sex toys (slightly) as well.
And for battery-powered toys, the higher humidity could even potentially be another source of corrosion.
High humidity isn’t typically an issue with most homes, but can be a problem in older homes with thinner walls.
In any case, making sure that the physical storage conditions of your sex toys are just as important, if not more important than where they are actually stored from a secretive point of view.
Use the sex toys as they were intended (more or less)
Our last tip in this guide is at the end for a reason.
And it is simply because it doesn’t (and shouldn’t) apply to most of you guys.
Basically, to ensure that you are safe when using your sex toy, you need to make sure you aren’t getting too crazy with how you use them in the first place.
For example, when using a butt plug, always make sure to keep the lip outside of your body, to keep the toy from slipping inside of you completely.
Or if you are using a vibrator, don’t try sticking the wrong end of the vibrator into you.
Or (depending on the size and shape of the vibrator) into the wrong hole as well.
If you don’t know how your sex toy works, make sure to check out our comprehensive sex toy guides to learn more about using them properly.
A lot of this is common sense, but definitely bears mentioning just to be extra cautious.
And while there is room for experimentation, don’t overdo it and always think about how safe it would be to do what you are doing with your sex toy.
What may seem like a fun kinky experience now could potentially end up ruining your night, or even something much more serious.
Don’t let that happen to you.
Safely Using Your Sex Toys is an Absolute Must!
As easy as it may be to focus only on the pure bliss that your sex toys will bring to you in the bedroom, it is important not to overlook how to use said sex toys in a safe way.
This will first and foremost ensure your own physical safety in the long run.
But using your sex toys in a safe manner can also prolong the life of your sex toys in general.
Meaning that instead of replacing your sex toy after just a few months, you will be using your sex toy for multiple years!
Especially when it comes to the pricier sex toys, it’s definitely a good feeling knowing that you are truly getting the most out of your purchase before having to replace it.
So never forget the importance of using your sex toys safely.
And follow our tips above to ensure that your sex toys are a fun and safe way to get yourself off!
