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Body-Safe Sex Toys: The Guide

You're careful about the food you put in your body, right? It's just as important to pay attention to what's in your sex toys.

If pleasure was a priority in the U.S, the FDA would regulate the sex toy industry. When an industry isn’t regulated, it leaves people feeling like it’s illegitimate and taboo.

To shed light on body-safe safe toys, here's what you need to know:

Quick body-safe toy tests

Porous surface

Sex toys that are porous are more prone to bacteria growth.

Nonporous sex toys are smoother and water-resistant. These materials do not harbor bacteria and can be sterilized with boiling water or in a dishwasher.

If you choose to use a porous sex toy, always use it with a condom.

Smell

A handy trick for checking unsafe materials is the smell test.

If a product has a strong "new car" smell, that's a good indicator that cheap, unsafe materials like phthalates were used to make it.

Price

The cheaper the device, the more likely that it's made from porous material.

It’s tempting to purchase devices in the $10-$20 range, but you'll generally need to shell out at least $20 for body-safe toys.

Safe materials

Silicone

Silicone is used to make sex toys more bendy. Though it's soft, silicone is a safe non-porous material, and is generally more expensive than other less durable, porous materials. Silicone transfers vibrations well and is often used for vibrators.  

Care: A good silicone product can be cleaned by boiling or in the dishwasher (as long as there's no motor). Make sure to avoid silicone-based lubricants that can break down silicone toys.

Stainless Steel

Stainless Steel is a sexy material is not only nice to look at but easy to clean since it isn't porous. Just stick it in the dishwasher, or in boiling water.

Care: No special precautions are needed for stainless steel sex toys, all of which are resistant to almost everything including food and beverages. For lubrication, you can use any type, including water, oil, or silicone.

Glass

Glass, or borosilicate glass in particular,  is perfect for sex toys because it is neither porous nor toxic, and it doesn't change form in high temperatures. These toys can also be warmed or chilled before use.

Care: To clean, just stick it in the dishwasher next to your stainless-steel sex toy.