How To Clean and Maintain Your Sex Toys Written by: Mistress Tracy, 02/18/2009
So you saw a show where the Mistress stuffed her adoring slave's ass to the breaking point with a large steel ball and then got it right up inside another slave's pussy later on in the show. Maybe the show included a facial or genital piercing where helpless pussies and cocks were skewered with long, thin pins. Maybe you just saw the famous backstage video of Mr. Lifto when his Prince Albert was yanked out when he tried to lift a chair with it. Whatever it was that caught your eye, you're curious and want to get started with your favorite partner on dildos, piercings, restraints and more. Of course there are questions, but you're an adult. You know the risks of doing piercings, needlework and using metal and other toys outside a salon environment, right? Well, for everyone out there who wants to take a deep breath before ordering an autoclave for their own personal use, take some time to familiarize yourself with what you're getting into.
First up are run-of-the-mill sex toys. It might seem like something you should already know, but with the sheer amount of materials out there to choose from, it's a good idea to understand how they should each be cared for before introducing them into your body. Why? Well, not to put too fine a point on it, STIs can be transferred between partners using messy toys as can blood-borne pathogens. You can wash some toys, but others need to be boiled or sterilized. Remember, any type of ass-to-mouth play or new uses for butt plugs, like face-fucking, should definitely be considered carefully before you get right to it. The best place to get started is the instruction manual that comes with the toy itself. These usually give you great advice on how to properly clean and care for your toys, which should always be done between uses and before being used on other partners. Regularly check the surface of your toys for scratches and cracks (yes, even the soft ones), since these are the most likely places to breed bacteria and capture STIs to spread around. It's a good idea to treat penetrative toys like the human body: Put a condom on it and change it between partners and orifices.
Here's a great video about the care and cleaning of sex toys from Great Sex Games:
So what do you do when you're using a penetrative toy that isn't shaped for a condom? Some extremely fun toys aren't, so it's important to keep them spic and span. Medical fetish toys, like speculums, sometimes have detachable heads, sometimes not, so be sure to keep the ones you use disinfected. What about food? We all know that some of us love getting messy with our kitchen slaves, inserting carrots and cukes into naughty anuses and making a sub stand in the kitchen garbage when they've been willful. You could probably get a condom onto a parsnip, but you risk tearing and you'll lose the smell that can be an important part of the fantasy. The best thing to keep in mind is that your toys should be ready to go no matter what they're made of. That means washed, peeled, lubed, cleaned - the works. It's useful to have a separate refuse near your play area that you can tie up right away when you're done. If you're into needle play and piercing, invest in some biohazardous disposable containers when you purchase your equipment. It's a worthwhile expense that will keep your bodies and playgrounds safe for everyone. Many pharmacies provide a biohazard container free of charge. When yours is full, you bring it back to them and they will give you a new one.
So, the toys, foods and dildos are cleaned, slathered up and ready to go. How about restraints, chains, gags and so on? Think about it this way: If you're using a crop or whip or any other delightful instrument that is supposed to break the skin, go ahead and mark it as someone's personal territory. The last thing you need is to be sharing blood via whip ends and chain lengths. Some outdoorsy types might like to cut their own birch twigs or make their own switches. Feel free to do so, but remember to throw them away immediately afterward or only use them on the same slave. These small, personal touches will only enhance your relationship, particularly when you have your best sub cut his/her own instruments down and present them to you before you start swinging! Gags, particularly the ones that leave a ball in the mouth, can easily transmit bad breath at best, cold sores at worst. Designate these for only one person and try to get something that can be taken apart for proper cleaning. There are tons to choose from.
For apparatuses, it's important to say a few words about what's out there in terms of websites and movies. You might see loads of people using the same ropes even after the skin has blistered and broken, the same cuffs, metal bars, etc, used on sub after sub. It's best to take these fantasies as inspiration rather than instruction. Hemp, nylon and other types of rope are absorbent, as are leather straps and thongs. If you're a switch or often have play parties where there's more than one person, then there are still things you can do to keep things hygienic. Use wood and leather cleaners regularly. Pledge won't do it. Instead, get yourself an organic cleaner such as Method, which can remove organic stains instead of polishing them into the wood. If leather becomes irrevocably stained, take the hit to your wallet and have it replaced. Pieces of wicker or bamboo can splinter over time, so check them over regularly for smoothness and don't skimp on varnish or wax when you overhaul your larger toys. WD40 is great for your metal items, but not for the human body. When you're done lubricating, sealing and rust-proofing, buff and dry it before it goes on or in anyone. Be sure to give everything a good once-over after any breakups or changes to your play partners.
More extreme play can start at hot wax and run the spectrum to branding, scarification and carving. Each of these types of play irritates or breaks the skin, so it's very important to understand how to purchase, use and sterilize your tools. A word on decorative implants: Never do this on your own or with an unskilled partner. This is a surgical procedure that creates a pocket under the skin, inserts an item to create a design and closes the pocket with stitches. Go to a certified cosmetic surgeon for anything like this, because your piercer or partner may have nothing but good intentions, a hygienic autoclave and a proper room, but no defibrillator or antibiotics or lab with which to do blood work should you have an allergy that you don't yet know about. Make sure the doctor you choose is part of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons or an equivalent group in your country. In many areas, unskilled surgeons with improper equipment, such as dentists or dermatologists, are performing these procedures and causing irreversible damage. It's not hardcore to take on more than you can handle. It's dangerous and shouldn't be taken lightly.
Back to branding and scarification: the more experienced your partner, the better. See if you can get pointers from a professional whose work you enjoy and don't be afraid to ask around on Body Mod or at fetish clubs and workshops near you. There are lots of ways to mark your body and play with pain with a partner. Chemical scarification, abrasive scarification, cold branding and strike branding are just a few different ways these techniques can be applied. Remember that everyone's body heals differently and everyone has a different pain threshold. Listening to your partner is a key factor in making your pain play a worthwhile experience. The equipment used for this is largely medical, like scalpels and lasers, while branding equipment is often self-made. Due to preference of the artist, there are too many to list, but here are some definite don'ts when it comes to making and caring for your branding and scarring equipment. Exacto and hobby blades are a bad idea. They aren't made of the same grade of metal as scalpels and actually rip the skin surface rather than cut cleanly. Golf-ball initial branders will leave an amateur-looking brand similar to a cigarette burn. Don't use a cigarette to burn yourself or your partner. Soldering irons and other wood-burning tools don't stay hot long enough for a reliable cautery brand. This causes unnecessary pain for the partner when you have to keep starting and stopping, not to mention that "on, then off, then on, then off" can ruin any kind of naughty fun.
Piercing play is another form of play that requires a good cleanup ritual. Both long and short thin skewers can be applied almost anywhere and that's part of what makes it a point of concern for some. When you're ready to embark on a piercing expedition of your or your partner's body, familiarize with some best practices and be sure to purchase safe needles. Never reuse any injection item under any circumstances. Some extra careful body players might even ask if you're vaccinated against Hepatitis before you get started. This is because they love their bodies as you should love yours. Even small drops of blood can get in eyes and mouth, often transferred by the back of a hand, in even the cleanest of conditions, so vaccinations are definitely worthwhile for the enthusiast.
Get started with needles or lancets, either hypodermic or acupuncture, and if you're going to insert them down into the skin instead of focusing on the surface, be very careful about depth of penetration and where you're sticking your needles. Get yourself a copy of "Grey's Anatomy" or speak to an artist first. You don't want to be causing permanent nerve or organ damage to your best play pal. Here are ten great tips for temporary needle play from Needleplay 101:
1) Do not attempt to temporarily pierce a person without proper training and education. Also, have everything you need set up BEFORE you start. Once you are sterile and gloved, and your bottom is flying on endorphines, you do not want to have to stop the scene because you just realized you were out of something or can't find something.
2) The piercer(s) should always wear latex or vinyl exam gloves and change them frequently. Always wear new gloves for each person pierced in a group scene to avoid cross-infection. Some have latex allergies. Vinyl gloves are more expensive, but have excellent quality without the powdery gunk. Be safe, double-glove. Learn how to remove the gloves without touching the bloodied part outside the gloves. Blood-bourne pathogens are numerous and will result in discomfort at best, death at worst. Remember: You are more likely to contaminate the Dom - the sub is giving blood, not receiving it.
3) Use antibacterial soap to prepare the skin before play and use antiseptics immediately before and after piercing. Wash your hands for as long as it takes to sing Happy Birthday and get under those nails no matter how short.
4) Always use brand new sterile needles, usually 18-25 gauge, one inch or longer is recommended. I'd go with 1.5 inches if you are doing 22 gauge. For beginners, 22 gauge is a good start.
5) All the biohazardous waste (needles, gloves, swabs or alcohol preps) should be disposed of in a biohazard container.
6) Prep the area to be pierced with alcohol and (clear) betadine or iodine. Remove the iodine with iodine removal pads. Make sure the sub is comfortable and ready. I would recommend telling the sub to take a deep breath right before inserting the needle and then slowly releasing it as you pierce through.
7) The needle should travel just underneath the surface (the subcutaneous layers) of ordinary skin to emerge through the skin a short distance from where it was inserted. Be cautious of shallow piercings if they are intended to stay in. They can easily be ripped out and tear the skin.
8) Don't pierce wrists, hands, internal organs, bones, eyes or the spine. Avoid the armpit, sternum and areas with many veins.
9) Check-in with the masochist often. Is she/he faint, going pale or shaking? These are common reactions to the flood of hormones and neurotransmitters circulating throughout the body. Have water, a first aid kit and blankets nearby. Never pierce somebody alone. If you both pass out, what then?
10) Aspirin and alcohol enhances bleeding and should be avoided if blood flow is not desired.
11) You can glue feathers to your hypodermic needles inside the plastic cap on top if you wish to make pretty patterns, such as angel wings, eagle wings, etc. Negotiate the patterns and number of needles ahead of time.
This is a great place to start and there are plenty of resources out there for pierce players with more questions. Nursing and pregnant players should note that their immune systems are lowered and while the risk of allergic reaction or infection is low, it isn't zero, so be aware that even small reactions for you can get to your placenta and breast milk. For those fluid lovers who enjoy drinking from lactating ladies, this is as important for you as it is for your little one.
So now you're educated about insertable and piercing toys and instruments. You've chosen your equipment wisely, you have a space set aside and your checklists are ready. What happens when your new Dom/me invites you to his/her dungeon for the first time and suggests a very advanced form of play? Of course it's exhilarating and wonderful to have your body so fetishised by another person, but how do you know he/she has the same safety concerns you do? All good forms of play are based on trust, so keep in mind that you have the right to refuse play you're not ready for and ask your partner to build up to something more extreme over the course of your relationship. Also remember that before your body is committed to any kind of restraint, you should look over the equipment available, the cleanup process and be sure to have a conversation about past experiences. If you're calling in a specialist who wowed you at a show, ask for references and testimonials. Any professional should be willing to discuss their equipment and procedures with you before any skin is broken.
Here's a compendium of more resources to check out for your next session of extreme body play. Play safe with your toys, tools and each other! Always remember: SSC!
