How to Store Your Sex Toys
If you have a reusable sex toy, there are two important factors for extending the life of the product’ cleaning your toy in the correct way with the right products for the material, and ensuring you store your sex toys in the right way. While this article will focus mainly on how best to store your toys, let’s start with a brief overview of cleaning your TENGA sex toy.
Contents
Cleaning Your Sex Toys
As a quick note, for this section we’ll be looking at TENGA’s products in particular, but our tips can generally be applied to cleaning most sex toys. To ensure the best cleaning, however, be sure to read the manufacturer’s cleaning recommendations for their products.
All of TENGA’s reusable products are designed to be easily cleaned, dried and stored. Here is our advice on how to best clean your sex toys:
For our more stretchable reusable products:
- Invert the insertion point (for the SPINNER, only up to the coil) or invert the product to the original shape (as with the GEO) and wash under running cold or tepid water.
- Dry well with a towel.
- Place the product on its Drying Case to air dry (each product has different instructions on how this is done, so please refer to the manual for specifics).
- Once completely dry, place back in the case for storage.
For products such as our FLIP Series:
- Remove the Slide Arms if applicable, and flip the item open.
- Wash under running cold or tepid water.
- Place on the Slide Arms to air dry.
- Once completely dry, close and replace Slide Arms for storage.
Note we also recommend the following:
■ Use only neutral or mild soap. Soaps high in acid or alkaline content may damage product material.
■ Do NOT wash with alcohol or other cleaners.
■ Please ensure the product is completely clean and dry before storing to help avoid mold and other build-ups.
For more specific information, you can refer to our more detailed blog on how to best take care of your TENGA products here.
How to Store Your Sex Toys
The most important thing about how to store sex toys is that they must be fully cleaned and dry before storing them away. Storing a toy that is dirty, or even still damp from cleaning, could cause bacteria to develop that may lead to skin irritation, product breakages, or even infections when you use the toy next.
Your sex toy storage should keep a clean toy hygienic and safe while it's not in use. Regardless of the type of sex toy, whether it’s a masturbator sleeve, vibrator, bullet or otherwise - if you simply store it in a drawer, or under your pillow, it could leave it exposed to bacteria and airborne contaminants.
Should you decide to store your toy in a cloth bag or storage box, it should ideally be discreet, easy to access, and have enough room for that toy and any other products that have to be stored along with it.
Do I Need to Buy Storage for my Toys?
If you’re thinking of buying storage for your sex toy or toys, you should take note of how big your collection is. For example, if you have only one toy, such as a TENGA product, storing it in a safe, dry cupboard should be sufficient. If you have a variety of different sex toy types and sizes, then you'll want to make sure you know the measurements of your toys. Many storage boxes and bags can only accommodate toys that are up to 7 or 8 inches long, so may not be sufficient for your needs.
Sometimes you may want to store more than your toys safely. For example, items such as lube, condoms, toy cleaners, chargers, etc. might be best stored in the same secure, convenient location. Finally, if you are looking to invest in more sex toys, it would be best to consider storage that allows your collection to grow.
Ideal Locations
There are plenty of options on how to store sex toys, but one of the simplest is a storage bag. Bags can give you additional flexibility for accommodating your more interestingly shaped sex toys, and can be convenient options when travelling too.
An important note here is that a plastic bag isn’t suitable for this purpose, as it doesn’t breathe and can allow moisture or bacteria to fester. Simple cotton or polyester drawstring bags can be a good choice on a budget. There are also a variety of specialised storage bags, that are usually designed specifically for sex toys and are made with antibacterial material (or even featuring UV lights!) to ensure your toys are safe for their next use.
Sex Toy Storage Boxes
If you have a large collection of sex toys, then a dedicated storage box could be the perfect choice, especially if you want to store accessories such as lube, chargers, etc. in one place. You can use a standard plastic storage bin for this, but you should note that in this case, you should also wrap each sex toy individually to prevent material degradation that can happen when different materials are stored together.
If you want something special, then sex toy-specific storage boxes are available! These boxes tend to have antimicrobial features, removable or adjustable trays or pockets to accommodate toys of different sizes and shapes, and even multiple USB ports to ensure your toys are always charged and ready to use. If being discreet is a concern, then many also feature locks to secure your collection away from prying eyes.
Ideal Temperatures
The ideal temperature to store your sex toy in can depend on the material it is made from. Body-safe materials like silicone and stainless steel are very resistant to heat. As they are also non porous, humidity isn’t too much of a problem. As with any toy, you should make sure they are fully dry before storing them away. If you do store them while they are wet or still moist, you should wash them thoroughly before the next time you use them to remove any residual bacteria that may have formed on the surface. This isn’t ideal, however, so should be avoided if possible.
TPE items are different and should be kept out of direct sunlight when not in use, in an atmosphere that is cool and ideally not humid. As this material can be porous, keeping them in humid conditions can cause bacteria to form even with regular and thorough cleanings if the time between use is longer.
Ideally, to be safe, it is best to find a location that is cooler, out of direct sunlight and less humid to keep your toys in optimal conditions.
Prolonging Sex Toy Life
Here are our best tips for keeping your sex toy safe and usable for longer.
- Clean your sex toys frequently and in the method recommended by the manufacturer.
- Don’t use the wrong lubrication with the wrong material. For more detailed information, you can read more in our blog on the right lube to use with your sex toys.
- If your toys use batteries and go without use for prolonged periods of time, removing the batteries can keep your toys safer in case they break down.
- Store your toys in a safe, secure location that keeps them out of heat, direct sunlight and doesn’t allow bacteria to grow.
If you follow these simple steps, your reusable sex toys should have a long life and be around to help safely satisfy you for longer!
Summary
When it comes to the ideal way to store your sex toys, it can vary from person to person in terms of their overall collection of toys, the simplicity of how they wish to store them or even if they may wish to travel with them. There are plenty of storage options out there, however, so if you consider our advice, you’ll be sure to find something that suits your needs. Just be sure to keep your toys clean and safe and they’ll be there for you for a long time to come!
