Nobody buys a toy thinking about maintenance, and then a year later half the drawer is tacky, cloudy, or faintly wrong-smelling and gets quietly binned. Cleaning is the difference between a toy that lasts a decade and one that lasts a season. It takes ninety seconds and the rules change by material, which is the part most people never learn.
Why it actually matters
Porous versus nonporous is the whole game. Nonporous materials, meaning silicone, glass, stainless steel, and ABS plastic, have no microscopic pockets. Soap and water genuinely cleans them. Porous materials, meaning TPE, TPR, jelly, and most soft strokers, have a structure bacteria can live inside. You can clean the surface but you cannot fully sanitize the material.
That is not a reason to panic about porous toys, it is a reason to clean them immediately, dry them fully, and treat them as personal items with a finite lifespan rather than heirlooms.
The rules, by material
Pure silicone: soap and warm water after every use. For a deep clean, boil for three minutes or run it through the dishwasher top rack, but only if it has no motor. Never use silicone lube on it.
Glass and stainless steel: the easiest materials to own. Soap and water, boiling, dishwasher, all fine. Inspect for chips occasionally and that is the entire maintenance schedule.
Anything with a motor: never submerge unless it is explicitly rated waterproof. Wipe the body, wash the head, dry completely before charging.
TPE, TPR and soft strokers: rinse immediately after use, wash with a dedicated cleaner, and dry completely inside and out. Renewal powder keeps the surface from going tacky. Replace them on a schedule rather than sentimentally.
Leather gear: wipe, never soak. Condition occasionally, store flat and dry.
What to use
Plain unscented soap and water covers most situations. A dedicated toy cleaner is faster, kinder to silicone, and the sensible choice for anything porous or anything you would rather not carry to the bathroom sink. All of these are Spicerack Selects, our in house shop, with free discreet shipping.
Toy Care: Free Discreet Shipping
SpicerackSelects
Wicked Cleene: the default
Antibacterial, unscented, safe on every material we sell. The bottle to keep in the drawer rather than the bathroom cabinet.
Wicked Simply Cleene: the minimal formula
Same job, shorter ingredient list. The pick for sensitive skin or if fragrance bothers you.
Wicked Foam n Fresh: best for strokers
Foaming cleaners get into textured internals in a way liquid does not, which is exactly the problem with cleaning a stroker properly.
pjur Toy Clean
Pjur’s characteristically clinical approach to a mundane job. Alcohol free and safe on silicone.
La Nua Foaming Cleaner and the Wicked refill
Larger formats for people who own enough toys that the small bottles became annoying. The 24 oz refill is the cheapest per use on this page by a wide margin.
The ninety second routine
- Clean right after, not tomorrow. Everything is easier before it dries.
- Warm water, not hot, on anything with electronics.
- Pay attention to seams and texture. That is where residue actually hides, not on the smooth parts you can see.
- Dry completely before storing. Damp storage is how a clean toy becomes a problem.
- Store silicone separately. Silicone pressed against silicone can react and leave both surfaces sticky. Bags or a divided drawer.
- Check charge ports are dry before plugging anything in.
FAQ
Can I use rubbing alcohol? On glass and steel yes. On silicone it can degrade the surface over time, and on porous materials it does more harm than good. Use a proper cleaner.
Do I need to clean a toy only I use? Yes. Bacteria and yeast do not require a second person to cause a problem.
How do I know if a toy has gone bad? Tackiness, cloudiness, a smell that survives washing, or any change in texture. Any of those means retire it.
Dishwasher, really? For motorless pure silicone, glass, and steel, top rack, no detergent. Genuinely fine.
Browse all toy care products, and see our lube guide for what pairs safely with which material.
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