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Used Floggers, Whips and Gags a Health Risk?


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Used Floggers, Whips and Gags a Health Risk? - 11/17/2011 2:17:36 AM   
xxblushesxx


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From: Kentucky
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Someone is selling some used items in the sale or wanted section. She says they are used, some are gently used and some are new.

Number one, with something like that, is it easy to tell?
Number two, what are the risks (if any) of some sort of contamination or infection?
Or can you just wipe these things down very carefully with alcohol and be ok?

I was going to send a friend of mine some used restraints we have (I am allergic to unlined leather restraints, apparently) but was even nervous about that. (not that I have anything, but it just kinda squicked me, yanno?)

_____________________________

~Christina

A nice girl with a disturbing hobby

My femdom findom blog: http://www.MistressAvarice.com

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RE: Used Floggers, Whips and Gags a Health Risk? - 11/17/2011 6:54:27 AM   
MariaB


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I wouldn't buy a second hand gag unless it was surgical steel. I also wouldn't buy second hand canes, didos, butt plugs or anything from a known sadist that can't be autoclaved.
The thing is, you can't or shouldn't wipe leather down with alcohol. Blood is just about impossible to see on a dark leather flogger but the good news is, even culprits like Hep C only survive if kept in a perfect warm damp environment.

Would I buy second hand leather restraints? yes sure I would. To me that is no different than a friend giving me a pair of her shoes.

(in reply to xxblushesxx)
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RE: Used Floggers, Whips and Gags a Health Risk? - 11/17/2011 11:25:33 AM   
xxblushesxx


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Ah, so most of the things she is selling are perfectly safe? I feel pretty silly. (it still squicks me a bit though)

_____________________________

~Christina

A nice girl with a disturbing hobby

My femdom findom blog: http://www.MistressAvarice.com


(in reply to MariaB)
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RE: Used Floggers, Whips and Gags a Health Risk? - 11/17/2011 4:04:25 PM   
LafayetteLady


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From: Northern New Jersey
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If it squicks you out, even knowing it is perfectly safe, then don't do it!

Silly girl.

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RE: Used Floggers, Whips and Gags a Health Risk? - 11/17/2011 5:52:14 PM   
hausboy


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I agree--floggers are safe.  Most of your bad bugs aren't going to live indefinitely on a flogger or restraints....good leather cleaner and condition can help with your "squicks!"  Canes I won't buy second hand at all (more squick than health but you are far more likely to have blood soaked into the reed of a cane than a flogger)   Gags are a no-go 2nd hand---kinda like sharing a toothbrush.

But if it makes you uneasy, go for new! (treat yourself!)  If you need a paddle maker, I get mine from the best in the business....Mr. Walt

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RE: Used Floggers, Whips and Gags a Health Risk? - 11/17/2011 9:03:11 PM   
bemyslut


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Any articles that are going to be passed around, resold or used by a second set of owners need to be thoroughly disinfected. non porous items can be bleached or boiled to destroy any pathogens. Porous items on the other hand are very very difficult to sterilize--unless you boil, autoclave or subject the item to certain ethylene dioxide. The biggest nuisance (viral) to eliminate would be Hepatitis C (as well has HSV)--it is commonly referred to as a fomite since it can persist on objects for very long periods of time and still be infective. the porous nature of leather literally provides billions and billions of tiny crevices for these pesky critters to find refuge. Just something to keep in mind when buying second hand goods

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RE: Used Floggers, Whips and Gags a Health Risk? - 11/17/2011 9:22:12 PM   
xxblushesxx


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Hmmm...any nurses around tonight? Doctors? I'm confused again...

_____________________________

~Christina

A nice girl with a disturbing hobby

My femdom findom blog: http://www.MistressAvarice.com


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RE: Used Floggers, Whips and Gags a Health Risk? - 11/18/2011 12:17:46 AM   
MistressDarkArt


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Blushie, I think bemyslut is a medical professional or at least has a medical background.

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RE: Used Floggers, Whips and Gags a Health Risk? - 11/18/2011 1:07:46 AM   
GreedyTop


Posts: 52100
Joined: 5/2/2007
From: Savannah, GA
Status: offline
"
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 )

_____________________________

polysnortatious
Supreme Goddess of Snark
CHARTER MEMBER: Lance's Fag Hags!
Waiting for my madman in a Blue Box.

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RE: Used Floggers, Whips and Gags a Health Risk? - 11/18/2011 1:53:15 AM   
MariaB


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Hepatitis B (HBV) can remain infectious for up to 7 days outside the body. Longer in a warm damp environment or inside a hollow needle.
Hepatitis C (HCV) can live outside the body up to 4 days. Longer in a warm damp environment or inside a hollow needle.
Hepatitis A (HAV) is the one to worry about (though rare in the western world) as its the most hardy and in the right conditions can survive outside the body for months. It can survive intense heat and some acids and is known to even survive in sea water.

Most viruses tend to be very volatile when outside the human body. HIV for instance dies very quickly when in contact with sunlight. Bacteria however can survive far longer without a host, on dry porous objects by using skin cells for food.


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RE: Used Floggers, Whips and Gags a Health Risk? - 11/18/2011 5:28:26 AM   
bighappygoth39


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I've got a bottle of cleaner that's specifically for toys, and that's very good, so that could help, also. 

_____________________________

I just lurrves me chesticles, I do. :)

Don't judge a book by its cover, it could well be worth a good sniff or two...

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RE: Used Floggers, Whips and Gags a Health Risk? - 11/20/2011 3:11:32 PM   
subspacepilot2


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Joined: 7/24/2010
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I'll agree with MariaB's take on all three Hepatitis

CDC dot Gov has faq's on all of them this is from the one on Hep C

"The Hepatitis A virus is extremely hearty. It is able to survive the body’s highly acidic digestive tract and can live outside the body for months. High temperatures, such as boiling or cooking food or liquids for at least 1 minute at 185°F (85°C), kill the virus, although freezing temperatures do not."

In my opinion the flogger is probably a greater risk than the gag. Minute invisible bits of blood can adhere to the flogger, and the abrasion of the flogger can produce points of entry.

Though the gag might have all sorts of bacteria they are unlikely to be sufficiently pathogenic to infect you. None of the Hepatitis virii would likely be present and HIV is rather fragile and generally not present in any quantity in saliva.

Simple, if you end up owning second hand equipment that you desire to use, stick them in a hot attic for a year.

I have found when someone borrowed a nice flogger and used it in a way that made me suspicious but they thought was harmless that I used a sufficient quantity of hand sanitizer to wet each of the lands. Since that is 63% alcohol, that should be an adequate disinfectant. The alcohol dries quickly and it did not affect the color of the lands or the texture. Some sites say that 63% alcohol will not kill Hep A, however CDC states:

"Good hygiene — including handwashing or use of hand sanitizer after using the bathroom, changing diapers, and before preparing or eating food — is also integral to Hepatitis A prevention, given that the virus is transmitted through the fecal–oral route. "

I'll believe CDC over a few overcautious websites that give no references.

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RE: Used Floggers, Whips and Gags a Health Risk? - 11/20/2011 5:27:09 PM   
MedicineMan


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IMO buying used stuff of this kind is simply unhygienic.

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RE: Used Floggers, Whips and Gags a Health Risk? - 11/21/2011 2:04:59 AM   
xxblushesxx


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From: Kentucky
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Yeah, that's kinda what I thought also.

_____________________________

~Christina

A nice girl with a disturbing hobby

My femdom findom blog: http://www.MistressAvarice.com


(in reply to MedicineMan)
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RE: Used Floggers, Whips and Gags a Health Risk? - 11/21/2011 2:38:55 AM   
Curmudgeonly1


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How many people hesitate to acquire a slave if it's been used? Or put it through the autoclave after yer mates have been playing with it?

Be real, body fluids are exchanged with wild abandon from throat yoghurt to aerosols from a sneeze.

Give it a good clean and go for it. It's no more risky than walking down the road.


_____________________________

"The more defects a man may have, the older he is, the less lovable, the more resounding his success." Donatien Alphonse François

Dummheit straft sich selbst.

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RE: Used Floggers, Whips and Gags a Health Risk? - 11/21/2011 3:28:49 AM   
xxblushesxx


Posts: 9318
Joined: 11/3/2005
From: Kentucky
Status: offline
Which is why I stay inside.
And don't share my "toys" with anyone.

_____________________________

~Christina

A nice girl with a disturbing hobby

My femdom findom blog: http://www.MistressAvarice.com


(in reply to Curmudgeonly1)
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