Not all dicks are created equal.

Dildos come in all shapes and sizes (thank the Goddess of Love), and they come in different textures too. When purchasing a dildo you want to know how to care for your dick without damaging it. Simple soap and water is just as effective as using specialty made cleansing products. When you wash your toy let it dry completely before putting it away so it doesn’t get moldy. You can also use antibacterial soap, just remember to lather it on and let it sit for 2-3 minutes for the antibacterial stuff to take effect. Some dildos (not all) can be disinfected by boiling. Check your dick for specifics.

Soft dildos fall into the porous category. They are soft and flexible and bounce right back into shape once you are done with them. If they are silicone, you can clean them by boiling and/or disinfecting with bleach (mix 10% bleach with 90% water).

Porous means just that: the material has tiny pores in it so bacteria can settle in its little grooves. It’s hard to keep them clean and really hard to disinfect them without damaging the “skin”. The skin is also highly sensitive to wear and tear so you want to use water based lubes with these toys. Vinyl, Rubber, Jelly, Soft skin, Cyber skin, plastic and silicone blended dildo’s tend to be porous. To keep porous materials really clean this cyber HE recommends you use a condom even if you have one partner (fore more on that, see the previous Safe Sexin article in Healthy Resources). You can spread bacteria with these so don’t use your porous dick on someone else without washing it first.

Cyber skin dildos feel pretty real. The skin is porous and delicate. It can be stretched, pulled, popped and/or ripped so you want to make sure to take care of them as best as you can. No boiling cyber skin but you can wash using soap and water. Let them air dry too. They tend to get sticky after cleansing so according to More4Dildos.com, you can powder them down with a little corn starch.

Non-porous dildos are easier to clean due to their smooth texture. Silicone, glass, metal, wood, some plastics and some ceramics fall into this category so make sure you know all about the material your dick is made from.

These hand-made products are made for pleasure and built to last but you have to take a little extra care of glass, acrylic and ceramic because they can get chipped if banged too hard.

There are two types of glass dicks on the market today: borosilicate is the same type of glass used in cookware like Pyrex while soda lime is the type used in jars. What’s the difference? You can bake in Pyrex pans, not in jars. Therefore Borosilicate can take a lot more extreme temperatures, hot and cold, and can be boiled for disinfecting while soda lime can’t take extremes so it’s important to know what type of glass dildo you have. If you aren’t sure err on the side of caution. Treat glass toys like you would expensive glasses of wine; don’t freeze them, bang them, or toss them around. You can always warm them up by submerging either type in warm water (not hot) for 10 to 20 minutes depending on your personal or person’s preference. A little lube goes a long way.

Wood is polished, smooth, hypoallergenic, eco-friendly and water proof! Some can vibrate too. Wood dildos are created the same way other wood products are so they are very well sanded and sealed, no worrying about getting splinters in your private parts.

Metal dildos are not for the novice user. Like all metal materials these dildos are hard and heavy and can cause injury if not handled well. But if they are handled with just the right kind of pressure on the right spot, then they can be a great accessory.

Whether you were born with it or bought it at your local sex shop your dick should be well taken care of and clean. Dildos can cost anywhere between $60 and $300+ so consider it an investment in your L❤ve life. For additional tips check out Good Vibrations, they have a great guide to buying your own dildo.

References:

http://www.more4dildos.com/

http://www.goodvibes.com/