So, you have bought your first sex toy… that’s great! As you embark on learning how to use it, exploring your body and the many types of pleasure you gain from your new toy, learning how to properly care for your sex toy should also be a priority on your list.
At Love Not War, we believe passionately in creating long-lasting, eco-friendly sex toys that are kind to the planet and good for the body. Although natural wear and tear happens, like with all products from constant use over a period of time, our repair and recycle scheme ensures that the life cycle of our sex toys are green from creation to end of life, and any sex toys will be replaced so that you have products that work.
However, there are certain things that you can do to ensure proper maintenance in the home so that your products work. In this article, we have set out some ideas for the proper care and maintenance of your sex toys to add to your self-care routine.
First time charging
When you first bring your sex toy home, you may want to use it immediately, however, to do so you need to charge it! Different brands recommend different lengths of time to charge your vibrator for the first time, at Love Not War we recommend charging your vibrator for 2-3 hours.
After that, so that you don’t damage the battery charge capacity, aim to charge your sex toy after every third or fourth use so that you are not charging from 0%, as this can shorten the battery life.
How to store your sex toy
After you have charged or used your sex toy, you want to store it in a place that no prying eyes can find! Many of us have ‘that’ drawer, or if you have plenty, maybe a sex-toy box.
However, it is highly recommended that instead of just leaving them free to roll around, you should place them in a sex toy case or pouch to protect them from picking up bacteria, lint or crumbs that are both unhealthy for you (think of the yeast infection that could cause!!) but also can damage the surface of the toy or get into the nooks and crannies, making them unusable or unchargeable.
Our vibrators come with a bamboo pouch making your sex toy storage, easy, clean, and sustainable. It also has enough space to place the charger beside it, so that you do not have to worry about damaging it or losing it before you need to recharge your vibrator.
Finding the right lubricant
Like wine and cheese, lube is a great pairing with any sex toy, and just like wine pairings, certain lubes should be paired with certain types of sex toys. If you’re using a silicone-based sex toy, like all our vibrator range, then do not use a silicone-based lube.
This is because the friction between the two will cause irreplaceable damage to the material of the vibrator and cause breakdowns or morph the shape so that it can no longer be used.
We recommend buying yourself a water-based lubricant to use with all of our toys or any other silicone-based vibrator.
How to clean your vibrator
Cleaning your vibrator before and after use is essential to protecting the material of the vibrator from build up as well as making sure that bacteria can not be passed along to you. A clean sex toy equals healthy genitalia!
Stay away from hard alcohol based cleaner and use either antibacterial soap or toys cleaners and water. Lather the toy then wash the soap or cleaner off completely. Alternatively, for wands that need to be plugged in, a wipe-based toy cleaner will be safer to ensure the electrical components don’t get wet. Afterwards, leave on a clean towel to air dry until it is completely dry before charging or storing away.
Love Not War toys are unique in that their heads are interchangeable, however, to make sure that there is no water damage, keep the toy sealed.
Taking care of your sex toy should be a part of your self-care ritual for two reasons:
You are ensuring that your sex toy is long-lasting, which increases its eco-friendliness! And secondly, by taking care of your sex toy you are also taking care of yourself. A clean sex toy means a healthy vulva and penis!