The reason I am putting this in GQ is because I am looking for factual answers, whether from actual cites/sites or from personal experience.
My wife has gotten a string of Urinary Tract Infections. Although I know there are many reasons she could have gotten them (and from reading once you get a few, you are more likely to get them more often), the doctor said that it is possible the sex toys we use are causing them.
I started a thread about this a while ago, but more along the lines of “Can toys cause UTI’s?”. Now I am looking for the best ways to clean the toys.
Usually we wash the toys in warm soapy water after sex (the big cleaning) and before sex (quick cleaning because we are in a little hurry to start using them). But I just read one website which stated that soap might not be the best thing to use (because too much soap in her vaginal area might not be good). Last night we were talking about getting alcohol wipes, but are worried it might cause a little soreness.
I understand that there are some products made specifically for this purpose. I don’t know the names.
My suggestion is to wash well with soap or alcohol or whatever, rinse well, and let dry. You shouldn’t have to wash it off again before use – you can probably just rinse off dust or whatever. Then you won’t have to worry about soap or alcohol.
Be cautious with what you wash certain toys with as some items can be damaged by certain cleaners and such. Be sure to read any directions that may have come with the product (if there were any).
I won’t post the link because it’s nsfw-ish, but if you Google how to clean sex toys, you will find several very informative links on the topic. One of the best is from babeland.com.
You might consider a baby wash gel instead of, say, antibacterial dishsoap. Probably more sensitive to the nethers. For hard plastic and silicone toys, you should be safe pouring simple boiling water over them to kill most of the bacteria that might cause a UTI.
[UThIjack]Eating a cup of blueberries a day is a good UTI preventer, as well. They have a lot of the same active ingredient that cranberries do, but they’re easier to incorporate into most people’s diets. (Dried sweetened cranberries, while yummy, are too high in sugar to eat in that quantity.)
First, consider the material that the toy is made out of. Silicone, hard plastics, pyrex glass, and metal toys are generally considered the highest quality because they are non-porous. This means that you can safely disinfect them with warm, soapy water. I wash mine with regular anti-bacterial hand soap and haven’t had any problems with that as of yet, but, as always, YMMV. For any of those materials you can also put them in the top shelf of your dishwasher, or, for silicone and glass, you can boil them.
For toys made out of a jelly type material or cyberskin, you should be aware that they are porous and some sources believe that bacteria will stick around on them no matter how well you wash them. I’m not sure if this is correct as I have heard both views from seemingly reliable sources, but I recommend doing some research and forming your own opinion on the matter. Simply slapping a condom on porous toys is the easiest way of ensuring bacteria is not transmitted. I’ve never owned a cyberskin toy, but I heard something about using cornstarch to powder them and keep the material feeling realistic. If you own one, I would definately follow Lips_Obsession’s advice of reading the package instructions.
Gfactor mentioned babeland.com, and I would also recommend checking out their FAQ section. They’re one of my favorite online sex toy stores and they are also amazingly informative. I believe (I’m on a university computer, so I can’t check) that goodvibes.com also has reliable information on keeping toys clean.
Not directly asked by the OP, but seems relevant:
Be sure to wash your hands with soap before attempting to use the toys - and brush your teeth, as well, if the circumstances are appropriate.
Brush your teeth?
I appreciate EVERYONE’S responses so far. Everything seems good. How about alcohol? Does anyone know if it would hurt my wife if dried?
A friend’s GF works in the Adult Boutique. She usually tries to put them in the dishwasher for 2 cycles, 3-4 times a year. She does the first with vinegar, which is better than soap for her UTIs, and then with nothing, so just make sure they’re rinsed off. She DOES, however, scrub and sterilize them about every week on her own, and always lets them dry standing up on a counter. Much mockery ensued when I went over there the first time and saw the Rack O’ Dildos ™.
I thought there was a kind of sterilizing gel you could buy?
Anyway, FMG, your wife might try taking cranberry pills, they’re at any pharmacy. I take 'em like candy afterwards, and hardly ever get UTIs any more (my first in 3-4 years was a couple of months ago–I used to get them all the time).
One way to possibly minimize UTI’s in your wife is to tell her to pee after sex. It helps flush any bacteria and whatnot out of her urethra that may have become crammed in there during your raucous hanky-panky.
Also, Fmr Marine Guy, is there any indication that she may be allergic to any of the materials in the toys you use? Just something to consider.
BTW,
I thought once a Marine always a Marine? What’s with the “former?”
The doctor told her to pee after sex, and every site on UTI’s I read say the same thing. Definitely good advice.
I don’t believe she is allergic to any of the materials in the toys, as we never had problems before. I am not even sure the toys are causing the UTI’s, it is more of a precautionary measure.
It is never EX Marine. Marines always use the term former. When you figure out the true difference, please let me know. (No, she is not my ex-wife, she is my former-wife.)
The only reason I might know the answer to this is because a caller on a radio show corrected the host, who had introduced him as an ex-marine:
An EX-Marine is one who was dishonorably discharged.
A FORMER Marine is one who served his time in the branch and was honorably discharged.
My husband and I use alcohol most of the time and warm soapy water some of the time. I’ve never had a problem with UTI’s. Whether it’s because of our methods of cleaning or because I’m just not susceptible, I couldn’t tell you.
Alcohol swabs after sex, because it loosens up anything that may have tried out (gross, I know, but it happens if we abandon one toy in favor of another), and then a rinse-down with baby soap and water. Rinse well and dry.
JUST using alcohol might irritate her if enough residue is left over - it does me. I need to use the alcohol for my peace of mind, because the idea of not sterilizing sex toys squicks me out big time. But I have to wash it off afterwards simply because if I don’t, I hurt next time we use them.
