Recommendations for Cleaning Toys and Equipment

Compiled by The Tom Thom Club
P. O. Box 251,
South Fork, Colorado
Phone: 719-873-5980 Fax: 719-873-5537
E-mail: tomthom@fone.net

The easiest way to prevent the spread of diseases is to only use any toy, on only one person! If a toy is going to be used on more than one person, it must either be sterilized or cleaned and decontaminated, as recommended, if it has come into contact with someone's blood, piss, shit or cum!

Even with clean toys, it is a good idea to put a condom or two on them before use. This also helps facilitate in cleaning. Also, it is a good idea to let the toys air dry for at least 24 hours between uses. Clean toys can be kept that way, if wrapped in separate clean towels and ready for the next use. It is also a good idea to wear latex gloves when using such toys, unless you are sure you do not have any cuts, abrasions or scratches on your hands. Washing hands in rubbing alcohol will usually tell you, but not always!

The methods described below are adequate for decontaminating for HIV, as well as for many other "bugs". Hepatitis B and C are a different matter. Blood-borne Hepatitis virus is very durable and extremely hard to kill. The B virus may reactivate itself, even when the following procedures are performed and the toy air-dried for a few months, if any dried virus remains on or in the material -- say a leather whip! Hepatitis C virus should not reactivate itself, if the toy is cleaned according to the following directions and air-dried for 2 weeks. The Hep C Connection in Denver (1-800-522-HEPC) recommends cleaning, then soaking in the strongest bleach concentration (20%) the item can stand for at least 5 minutes, and air drying for 2 weeks.

Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment suggests using the chemical Glutaraldehyde (brand name "Cidex"), a cold sterilization system used by dentists, according to manufacturer's directions for "High Level Disinfectant Usage". Add a soap/water rinse before final rinse, then air-drying. It is suggested Cidex may have be less irritating and less degrading of rubber/latex, than chlorine bleach. Both need to be used in an area with good ventilation and rinse the hell out of the toy! The Centers for Disease Control has not made a recommendation, claiming the research is not there upon which to make one. We recommend know your Hepatitis status and get vaccinated for Hepatitis A and B, if needed. Do the same for your partners. Do not run the risk of spreading Hepatitis! We further recommend that bottoms who are positive for Hepatitis B and/or C should have their own toys or toys used exclusively on them. Multiple strains of Hepatitis are out there, so don't cross contaminate someone positive with another strain!

Dildos and Butt Plugs, Pool Balls, Enema Equipment, Etc.

Three methods:

1. First wash with soapy water to remove all debris from all "nooks and crannies", antibacterial soap is best. Then rinse and dry with a clean towel. Next, either soak the item in a solution of at least 10% chlorine bleach (1 part bleach to 9 parts water) for 4 to 30 minutes (everyone has their own idea of how long! Personally we go for at least 10 minutes); or soak the item in at least a 25% rubbing alcohol solution (70% isopropyl alcohol is what is usually sold and can be used without dilution and is cheap! It is not recommended to use the 90% solution sometimes sold, as it might only dry and preserve the "bugs"); or use hydrogen peroxide; or a provodone-iodine solution, such as Betadine rinsed off with rubbing alcohol. Next rinse the item well again and dry with a new clean towel. Paper towels work great for the drying process. Bleach is cheap, change after each use!
2. Rinse off then run the items through your dishwasher. Note that your dishwasher must reach a temperature of 135 to 140 degrees F. and maintain that for at least 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Items, which can stand the heat, can be "baked" in the oven at 140 to 180 degrees F. for 8 hours or at 300 degrees F. for 1 hour, after being washed with soapy water to remove any debris. Always let the items cool before you try to use them in/on someone! Remember not all items can withstand this kind of heat but it works well on metal butt plugs, metal "eggs" and such. Please don't melt your favorite late x dildo!

Leather Whips, Gags, Dildos, Etc.

Leather items, that come in contact with someone's blood, piss, shit or cum, must also be cleaned and decontaminated. Since leather is not very forgiving of being soaked in wet stuff or "baked", the problem is a little more difficult than for rubber and latex.

Hydrogen peroxide is not a good choice. Chlorine bleach will discolor some leather, but can be used in a 10% solution, as described above. The preferred method seems to be to wash the item in warm soapy (antibacterial soap preferred) water and dry, pressing out the water in clean towels. Then use the rubbing alcohol solution (70% isopropyl alcohol) to clean all the areas. Be especially careful to clean all the porous parts, such as the stitching in leather dildos (a fingernail brush will help), you really are still not going to get it all and these should be one person toys, or at the very least "bagged" in a condom or three! Rinse and dry the item again in a fresh clean towel.

Next, the leather should be reconditioned. Suggestions include Lexol, Care 4, bag balm (used on chapped cow udders and other veterinary uses) and Dubbin. Ask for recommendations from your leather supplier, for what they consider best. Remember anything going in the body could have adverse effects, a bad taste being only one!

Kelly Thilbault's Leather and Latex Care (Daedalus Publishing Company, 1996) is highly recommended for all you could ever want to know about the care and cleaning of these products. As a disclaimer, leather toys are very difficult to clean, at best, and many health care professionals feel that even the above methods are not completely effective, especially true for the Hepatitis B virus, which is very hard to kill. They strongly advise making them one-person toys! Many tops simply label the bottom's names on these toy's handles and reserve their use on only that person.

Catheters, Sounds, Razors, Knives,
Piercing Needles, Branding Irons, Etc.

All the above items, which enter sterile areas of the body or are intended to draw blood, must be sterilized! The above methods only clean/decontaminate things and do not sterilize! Ideally, these items should only be one time use, not even used on the same person twice, but we all know the reality.

Anytime a sterile area is to be stuffed, cut or pierced, that area of the body needs to be washed with antibacterial soap, rinsed and dried (clean towels only, please), and disinfected with rubbing alcohol, then with a provodone-iodine solution, such as Betadine (use the stain as a pattern or wipe it off with alcohol, if it ruins your aesthetics!). The cleaning pattern should be circular, working away from the area to be "worked on". It is also a good idea to pull a cock through a clean towel with a hole in it before you stuff anything up the cock. Your hands should be scrubbed with antibacterial soap and covered with sterile gloves (available in pre-sealed packets). Once in the gloves, only touch sterilized equipment or skin! After any "procedure", once again, wash the area with antibacterial soap, rinse with water, dry with a clean towel and disinfect with rubbing alcohol, then the provodone-iodine solution, such as Betadine. Needles should be disposed of in a "Sharps Container".

Sterilization methods:

1. An autoclave, using the manufacturer's instructions, or done for you by someone at a clinic with access.
2. The "Pressure Cooker Method" starts with a thorough cleaning, with a brush if appropriate, then rinsing of the item, as above, to remove all debris. Next, the items are placed individually (several piercing needles to be used in one scene may be placed in one packet) in a sturdy paper packet (paper lunch bags are great!). And the packets sealed with something like masking tape. The packets are put in a wire basket or something to keep them out of the water and placed in a pressure cooker. Follow the manufacturer's directions for operation of the pressure cooker and "cook" at 15 pounds of pressure for at least 30 minutes (altitude adjustments are appropriate). Preheat your oven to 225 degrees F. Remove the basket from the pressure cooker, without touching the packets, and place it in the oven to dry for at least 3 hours. Store the packets in a dry place until you are ready to use them. Remember when you open a packet, only handle the items with sterile gloves on and after gloved don't touch anything that is not sterilized!

Recommended Reading (only in the order in which I picked up the stack of books):

The Leatherman's Handbook II by Larry Townsend
Carlyle Communications, Ltd., New York, New York.

Learning The Ropes, A Basic Guide To Safe And Fun S/M Lovemaking by Race Brannon
Daedalus Publishing Company, San Francisco, California.

Leathersex Q&A, Questions About Leathersex And The Leather Lifestyles Answered by Joseph W. Bean
Daedalus Publishing Company, San Francisco, California.

Consensual Sadomasochism, How To Talk About It & How To Do It Safely by William A. Henkin, Ph.D. and Sybil Holiday, CCSSE
Daedalus Publishing Company, San Francisco, California.

SM101, A Realistic Introduction by Jay Wiseman
Greenery Press, San Francisco, California.

On The Safe Edge, A Manual For SM Play by Trevor Jacques with Dr. Dale, Michael Hamilton, & Sniffer
WholeSM Publishing Corporation, Toronto, Canada.

The Lesbian SM Safety Manual edited by Pat Califia
Lace Publications, Denver, Colorado.