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GreedyTop -> RE: Used Floggers, Whips and Gags a Health Risk? (11/18/2011 1:07:46 AM)
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Cleaning Toys
It's a good idea to clean a toy, even if it’s not shared, not only for basic hygiene reasons, but also to prevent an STI in one part of your body from being spread to other parts. It's also important not to transfer feces from the rectum to the mouth or the vagina by using a sex toy first in your ass and then in other parts of your body, because this can lead to infections. This is particularly important if you are trans and have had recent surgery to create a vagina and are using a vibrator or dilator as part of the healing process.
Remember: there is no way to guarantee that your toys are completely free of STIs.
There are medical surface cleaners, such as those that contain both isopropanol and butyl cellosolve, that do not provoke skin irritation, so you might want to use one of those instead of hydrogen peroxide. Be sure to check the material safety data sheet of the product before using it. HCV, in particular, is hard to completely remove (should you get blood on a toy). Using medical grade surface cleaners that expressly indicate they will kill HCV may pose problems when they are used on toys, because it is unclear what these cleaners will do to the materials from which sex toys are made. So, in the process of cleaning the toy, you may also be damaging it.
It is not advisable to get these medical grade cleaners onto vaginal, oral, or anal mucosal membranes. If the cleaner is not properly flushed from the toy, you could end up inflaming these body tissues and aggravating them to the point that they are more susceptible to transmission of HIV, hepatitis, or other STIs.
So, make sure any toy with cum, blood, or feces on it, or anything that’s been in someone’s rectum or vagina, is properly cleaned.
You’ll need these things to clean your toys: ■Soap and hot water,
■One part household bleach to nine parts water (note: bleach does not kill herpes immediately; any surface requires at least ten minutes of exposure to bleach to render herpes inactive. Bleach does not kill HCV at all), and
■10% hydrogen peroxide solution (hydrogen peroxide kills herpes immediately).
Make sure you get any bleach and soap off the toy by flushing it well with clean water.
Leather toys are a bit different:
There is no way to sterilize leather, but you can clean it.
To clean a leather toy (like a whip, flogger, or leather dildo), first wash the tips or ends with a strong foaming cleaner using a hard bristle brush to get at nooks and crannies in the leather; then spray the tips or ends well with hydrogen peroxide, wipe away the excess with clean towels, and let them air dry for at least a few hours (preferably overnight) before using them. Cleaning dries out the leather, so your toy should be treated with a leather conditioner immediately after it has dried, or it could become brittle and crack.
If you know the material the sex toys are made of and the material’s properties, you can determine the best way to clean them and how much you can reduce the risk. For example, remember that silicone toys are more expensive, but they are dishwasher safe. Be aware of recommendations and follow the manufacturer's instructions.
Finally, most sex toys are sold as novelties. This means they don t meet any specific sanitary regulation. It's a good idea to establish a relationship with a trusted supplier, in order to talk about pros and cons of any toy you may purchase. "
(taken from this site: http://www.actoronto.org/home.nsf/pages/bdsm#%5B%3Cdiv%20class%3D%22header1%22%3E%5DSucking%2C%20B )
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