How to Clean Sex Toys: A Step-by-Step Guide

You know the moment. You're done, you're relaxed, and the last thing you want to do is walk to the bathroom with a toy in your hand. So it goes back in the drawer, and you tell yourself you'll deal with it later.

Later usually never comes. And that's where the problems start: bacteria, lint, dust, and a toy that wears out faster than it should.

Here's the short answer. Wash your sex toy with warm water and a mild, unscented soap or a dedicated toy cleaner, before and after every use. Rinse it, dry it completely, and store it in a clean fabric pouch. Non-motorised toys made of 100% silicone, glass or stainless steel can also be boiled for three minutes for a deeper clean.

Below you'll find the full routine, what to use and what to avoid, plus specific steps for strokers and for vibrators.

How to Clean Sex Toys in 6 Steps

This routine works for almost every body-safe toy. It takes about two minutes.

1. Wash your hands first. Your hands carry more bacteria than your toy does. Cleaning a toy with dirty hands defeats the point.

2. Check the material and the manual. Cleaning depends on what your toy is made of and whether it holds a motor. If you still have the packaging, read it. If not, look up the product page.

3. Rinse with warm water. Not hot. Very hot water can damage seals and soften soft materials.

4. Wash with a mild, unscented soap or a toy cleaner. Use your fingers or a soft cloth. For textured toys, use a soft toothbrush that you keep only for this. Pay attention to ridges, seams, and the base of any suction cup, because that's where residue hides.

5. Rinse until the toy feels squeaky rather than slippery. Soap residue is a common cause of irritation. If it still feels slick, rinse again.

6. Dry completely before storing. Pat it down with a clean lint-free cloth or paper towel, then let it air dry on a clean towel. Moisture is what bacteria need to grow.

What Is Safe to Clean Sex Toys With

Keep it simple. Two options cover almost everything.

1. Mild unscented liquid soap and warm water. A gentle hand soap or fragrance-free body wash works. Skip anything scented or antibacterial. Fragrance and antibacterial agents disturb the natural pH of the vulva and can leave you more prone to irritation and infection.

2. A dedicated sex toy cleaner. Faster, no rinsing marathon, and formulated to be body safe. Look for water-based and alcohol-free. The Kiiroo Premium Toy Cleaner is antibacterial, alcohol-free and triclosan-free, which makes it safe on silicone as well as on electronics that can't be submerged.

What to avoid:

• Silicone-based or oil-based cleaners and lubes. They break down silicone toys and degrade condoms. If you're unsure which lube you're using, check the label: everything in our lube range is water-based and safe on silicone.

• Alcohol, acetone, and household disinfectant sprays. They dry out and crack silicone and TPE.

• Scented or antibacterial hand soap. Harsher than it needs to be, and the residue is the problem.

• Boiling or dishwashing anything with a motor. That's how you kill a toy.

Cleaning by Material

Different materials need different care. This table covers the materials nearly every toy is made from.

Non-porous materials are the ones you can truly get clean. Porous materials hold bacteria inside microscopic holes no matter how well you wash them, so keep those for solo use. If you're not sure what your toy is made of, the product manual states the material and the care instructions that go with it.

Cleaning Toys With Motors, Batteries or a Charging Port

Most modern toys are rechargeable and waterproof, but "splashproof" is not the same as "waterproof". 

• Removable batteries: take them out first. Clean the toy, keep water away from the battery compartment, then let it dry with the compartment open.

• Rechargeable and waterproof: rinse under the tap, wash, rinse, dry. Make sure the charging port or magnetic contacts are completely dry before you charge.

• Not fully waterproof: never submerge it. Use a damp soapy cloth on the surface, wipe with a clean damp cloth to remove the soap, and dry.

Toys with a seam, a cap or a detachable sleeve should be taken apart every time. Residue collects exactly where two parts meet.

Deep Cleaning and Shared Toys

Everyday washing removes most bacteria. Sterilising goes further, and it's worth doing if you share a toy, if you use one both anally and vaginally, or if you've had an infection.

• Boiling. Bring a pan of water to the boil, lower in your 100% silicone, glass or stainless steel toy, and leave it for three minutes. Lift it out with tongs and let it air dry on a clean towel. Never rinse a boiled toy with cold water, because the temperature shock can crack glass.

• Dishwasher. Non-motorised silicone, glass and steel toys can go on the top rack. Run the sanitise cycle without detergent.

• A condom. The easiest option when you're mid-moment, and the only safe option for porous toys. Swap the condom whenever the toy moves between partners or between anal and vaginal use. Use water-based lube so the condom stays intact. The same rule applies to anything you use together, including the couples' sets.

One rule that matters more than any of the above: never go from anal to vaginal with the same unwashed toy. That single move causes more infections than anything else on this page.

Cleaning Sex Toys for Him

Strokers and male masturbators need more attention than a solid toy, because the part you use is a soft sleeve with an interior you can't see.

1. Take the sleeve out of its case or shell.

2. Turn it inside out if the material allows: or run lukewarm water straight through it from both ends.

3. Wash the inside with a little mild soap or toy cleaner. Work gently with your fingers. Don't scrub, and don't stretch a thin sleeve hard.

4. Rinse thoroughly: Any soap left inside will irritate you next time.

5. Squeeze out the water, blot the inside with paper towel, then hang the sleeve or stand it upright so the inside can air dry. Damp sleeves develop odour and mould, and that's what ruins them.

6. Wipe the case and the cap too, and let the sleeve dry fully before you put it back.

Once it's dry, a little cornstarch-based refreshing powder keeps the surface soft and stops it feeling tacky. Never use talcum or baby powder for this.

For a step-by-step walkthrough with our own sleeves, read how to clean your Feel Stroker.

Cleaning Sex Toys for Her

Vibrators, dildos and suction toys are usually easier to clean, but they sit closer to a delicate pH balance, so what you wash them with matters more.

1. Use fragrance-free soap or a toy cleaner: scented soap is the most common cause of irritation after play, and it can trigger bacterial vaginosis or thrush.

2. Clean the whole toy: not just the part that went inside. Handles and bases get handled with lubed fingers.

3. Clitoral suction toys: remove the silicone head or nozzle and wash it separately. The inside of the chamber traps fluid and lube.

4. Rabbit and dual-stimulation toys: clean between the arms and around the joint with a soft brush. Residue collects in the gap.

5. Anal toys and plugs: wash immediately after use, then wash again before the next session. Store them separately from the rest of your collection.

6. Rinse well: dry completely, and store the toy in its own pouch.

If you use a toy during your period, wash it straight away. Blood dries fast in seams and textures. Browse the full range for her if you want toys in materials that are simple to keep clean, like body-safe silicone with a smooth, seamless finish.

Drying and Storing Your Sex Toys

Cleaning is only half of it. Storage is where most collections go wrong.

• Dry completely. Air dry on a clean towel, or pat dry with a lint-free cloth. Never put a damp toy away.

• Use a pouch or a case. A lint-free fabric bag, a washable pouch, or a hard case. A loose drawer means dust, lint, and pet hair.

• Store toys separately. Soft materials can react with each other and stick or melt together when they touch.

• Keep silicone anal toys somewhere breathable. Sealed plastic traps odour.

• Wash the pouch too. A clean toy in a dirty bag isn't clean for long.

• Store rechargeable toys charged and battery-operated toys with the batteries out. Batteries corrode when they're left in.

If discretion is part of the equation, we've written about sex toys you can safely hide and where to keep them.

How Often Should You Clean Your Sex Toys?

Before and after every single use. That's the honest answer, and it takes two minutes.

If you only manage one, make it the wash straight after use, when lube and fluids are still wet and come off easily. Dried lube is far harder to remove, and it's what leaves toys sticky.

Sterilise, by boiling or in the dishwasher, when you share a toy, when you switch between anal and vaginal use, and after any infection.

When to Replace a Toy Instead of Cleaning It

Some toys can't be saved. Throw it out if you see:

• Cracks, tears, or nicks in silicone, plastic, acrylic or glass

• A sleeve that has gone sticky, discoloured or smells even after washing

• A porous toy that has been shared without a condom

• Flaking or peeling coating

• Damaged surfaces can't be cleaned properly, and a cracked toy can cause real physical harm.