How to Keep a Toy Clean Between Uses
Two nights in a row is a normal pattern. Two nights in a row with the same unwashed toy is where problems start.
Cleaning between uses takes about 60 seconds if you have the right things within reach, and it's the difference between a device that lasts two years and one that starts feeling off by month three. Here's the short routine and the weekly one.
The Short Answer
Rinse with warm water, wash for about 30 seconds with a mild unscented soap, rinse until clear, then dry it and leave it out for 2 hours. That's the between-uses routine, and it takes roughly 60 seconds of actual work plus drying time. Once a week, do a deeper clean: check the seams and button recesses, and give the whole surface a second pass. If you use it daily, the daily routine alone is enough. If it's been sitting for a month, treat it like a first-use clean before you reach for it again.
What "Between Uses" Actually Means
It means the reset you do so the device is ready the next time, not a full deep clean every single night.
There are really only two states worth caring about. Clean and dry, which means it's ready to use. And clean, dry, and stored, which means it's ready for anything up to a few weeks later. Everything between those two is a short step, and the step people skip is the drying.
Think about the last time you used a glass straight out of the dishwasher and it still had a faint smell. That's moisture sitting in a place you didn't dry. Silicone behaves the same way in the seams around the buttons.
The Sixty-Second Routine
- Rinse first. Warm water before soap. This removes most of the surface residue without spreading it around.
- Thirty seconds of soap. A drop of mild unscented soap, fingertips over the whole body, with a little extra time around seams and the charging port cover.
- Rinse until clear. Keep going until your fingers don't feel slippery. Soap residue left behind is the most common cause of a surface that feels slightly tacky.
- Dry and air. A lint-free cloth, then 2 hours of open air. Overnight is better and easier.
Keep a small towel and the soap in the same place as the toy, and the whole thing becomes a habit rather than a decision. Do it before bed and it stops feeling like a separate task. The friction is what stops people, not the effort.
The Weekly Deeper Clean
Once every 7 days or so, add 5 minutes and check the spots the quick routine misses.
Run a fingertip along the seam where two parts of the body meet. Check the recess around the power button, where residue collects and rinses are least effective. Look at the charging port cover and make sure it isn't trapping water underneath.
For the deeper clean, use the same mild soap but give the whole surface a second pass and pay attention to anything that feels different from last week. Most early problems announce themselves as a texture change before they become visible.
Dry it completely, then store it. If you keep a mesh bag, this is the moment to check it isn't holding dust.
What to Keep Within Reach
The setup is small and it's the reason the routine actually happens.
- A mild unscented soap. Not an antibacterial hand soap, not anything heavily perfumed.
- A lint-free cloth. Two, ideally, so one is always dry.
- A breathable pouch. Cloth rather than plastic, so anything you missed can still escape.
- Water-based lubricant. Kept separately from the toy rather than in the same pouch.
If you've ever cleaned a toy in a hurry with dish soap, you know why the soap choice matters. Harsh detergents leave a film that you'll feel for the next three sessions.
Signs It Needs More Than a Rinse
A surface that stays tacky after two proper washes isn't dirty. It's breaking down. Visible cracks, patchy color, or a smell that returns within 24 hours all point the same direction, and a deeper clean won't reverse any of them.
The other signal is timing. If the charging port cover has stopped sealing properly or the seam feels loose, water can get inside during a wash, and that's when cleaning starts doing harm rather than good.
When You Can Skip a Step
Skip the weekly deep clean if you use the device rarely. There's no build-up to catch, and the 60-second routine is genuinely sufficient.
It's also fine to skip the soap entirely on a night when nothing but water touched it — a rinse and a full dry will do. The honest trade-off is that the full routine costs about a minute and protects a surface that is difficult to repair once it goes. That's worth it on a device you use regularly and completely unnecessary on one you've used twice this year. And if you own one toy and you clean it properly, you don't need a second one as a rotation. Buy a spare only when the first one actually fails.
Clean in a Minute, Every Time
A smooth surface and a simple routine keep the whole thing to under 60 seconds.
- SEX LIPS — a body-safe silicone toy with a smooth, non-porous surface that rinses clean quickly, which makes both the daily and the weekly routine short. Start on the lowest setting, allow 1-2 minutes to adjust, then step up; most people find 10 to 15 minutes at low intensity is where a first session lands.
- Browse the Customer Favorites collection for cleaning accessories and breathable storage pouches.
- Related reading: cleaning between uses quickly and how to keep a rechargeable toy healthy.
- New in this batch: how to make a toy last longer.
Sources
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — general hygiene guidance for personal care items
- U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission — consumer guidance on silicone product care
- GETAUVE Product Care Team — cleaning, drying, and storage guidance for silicone devices
Written by the GETAUVE Editorial Team. This article is general education and not medical advice. Talk with a clinician about persistent irritation or symptoms. Specifications are typical values and vary by unit.
