How to Clean (And Sanitize) Your Silicone Dildos

featuring the akkoro kamui tentacle

When the fun is over and it’s time to wash up, what do you do with your silicone dildos? What kind of soap should you use? Are your sex toys actually getting clean?

Silicone is a highly hygienic material when it’s taken care of properly. That’s one of the many reasons we love it! Because it’s functionally nonporous (meaning there’s no space for bacteria to penetrate the material’s surface), it’s fully sanitizable. But when is it necessary to sanitize?

In this guide, you will learn:

• How to wash silicone sex toys
• Cleaning vs sanitizing silicone
• How to fully sanitize silicone dildos

How Do You Clean Silicone Dildos?

Getting your silicone squeaky clean is actually pretty straight forward.

1. Use unscented, anti-bacterial hand soap or a sex toy cleaning solution.
2. Work the soap into a lather. If your toy is highly textured, massage any bumps or divots with the pad of your thumb to ensure you’re getting into the crannies.
3. Rinse thoroughly with hot water.
4. Let your toy dry in open air. (If you’re hand drying, use a patting motion rather than wiping, to leave behind less towel lint or paper towel fibers. Rinse again before use.)

featuring the akkoro kamui tentacle

TIP: If you’re leaving clean-up for tomorrow and you don’t want lube and fluids to dry on your toy (which can make washing it more tedious), keep some skin safe wet wipes by the bedside.

TIP: Keeping your toy in an enclosed storage/bag will reduce the chance of it collecting dust, pet hair, and lint. But it’s always a good idea to at least rinse your toys again before use. (And yes – you can store actual silicone toys together!)

Cleaner Than “Clean”: When Do You Sanitize Your Silicone?

In most circumstances, a good soap-and-watering is plenty of care for your silicone dildos. But just like washing your hands vs using hand sanitizer, sometimes you need to go beyond “clean.” (Do not douse your dildos in hand sanitizer – we’ll get to silicone sanitization methods in the next section!)

You should sanitize your silicone dildos before/after use if:

• You’re going to let someone else use it*
• You’re going to switch holes (especially anal to vaginal)
• You’ve recently experienced symptoms of a possible infection**
• It’s sex toy spring cleaning time!

TIP: If your dildo has a lot of texture with crevices, some sanitization methods (boiling and using the dishwasher) might be more effective than just washing by hand.

* If you would ordinarily use a barrier (condoms, dental dams) with someone, you should definitely sanitize your silicone toy before and after they use it. With unbarriered partners, if you have a highly sensitive pH balance, sanitizing toys between sharing can help prevent imbalance/irritation.

** The bacteria that cause certain infections (like bacterial vaginosis, food poisoning / shigella, and UTI’s) can survive outside your body – and on your toys. Luckily silicone is nonporous and can be fully sanitized, since nothing penetrates the surface; if you were using porous materials (like TPE/TPR or “jelly” dildos), you’d have to discard it!

How Do You Sanitize Silicone Dildos?

To remove pathogens and other bacteria from a surface, you can use certain chemicals (something you need to be extra careful of when dealing with an intimate use toy) or expose it to high heat. Silicone is durable and able to withstand high heat – up to 450 degrees fahrenheit, in fact!

There are several sanitization methods (some of which are expanded on below) appropriate for silicone dildos:

• Wiping them down with 70% isopropyl alcohol
• Soaking them in a 10% bleach + 90% water solution
• Boiling them in a pot of water for 1-5 minutes
• Putting them in the oven at 350 degrees fahrenheit for 15 minutes
• Running them through the dishwasher (on the sanitize cycle setting)

TIP: Some of these methods are for non-mechanical, silicone sex toys only. If you’re sanitizing silicone toys with mechanized parts (such as vibrators or thrusters) then stick to 70% isopropyl alcohol wipes. If your mechanized silicone toy is fully waterproof (submersible, not “splashproof”) you can soak them in a 10% bleach + 90% water solution. Do not bake or boil your vibrators!

TIP: After any sanitizing – but especially using isopropyl alcohol or diluted bleach – make sure you rinse thoroughly with hot water after!

BOILING: Fill a pot with water, leaving enough room for the water to rise when you introduce your non-mechanical, silicone dildos. Bring it to a boil. Using tongs to avoid splashing, place your toys into the pot. Boil for about 1 to 5* minutes, occasionally moving the dildos with the tongs to prevent singeing. Let cool before handling.

* Be especially careful of timing when it comes to dual density dildos, which can eventually warp or delaminate from prolonged heat exposure. 

BAKING: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Use an oven-safe pan or baking sheet with parchment paper. Place your non-mechanical, silicone, single density* dildos in a row in the center of the pan. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes. Allow the toys to cool before handling.

* Dual density dildos can eventually warp or delaminate from prolonged heat exposure.

TIP: If your non-mechanical, silicone dildo has an odor (such as from frequent anal use or being stored with fragrant objects), you can try soaking it in a 10% bleach solution. If the scent remains, fully rinse the toy, and then bake it for up to 30 minutes.

(TIP: Remind your pupper that while many dog toys are also made out of silicone, dildos are not suitable chew bones.)

DISHWASHER: To actually sanitize your non-mechanical, silicone dildos, your dishwasher needs to have a sanitize cycle (which uses much hotter water.) Line the toys in the top rack. Skip the detergent/dishpod, and leave those dirty dishes in the sink for later! Let the cycle run, then allow the toys to cool before handling.

This method is the hardest on silicone because of the prolonged heat exposure. Some Uberrime toys have a glossy finish that can lose luster from dishwashing. Dual density models can experience warping.