How to Clean and Care for Your Silicone Toys

High-quality platinum-cure silicone is durable, non-porous and easy to clean, but your toy still needs proper care to stay fresh, beautiful and ready for your next adventure.

The good news? Looking after a silicone toy is simple.

For everyday care, remember four things:

Wash it. Rinse it. Dry it completely. Store it properly.

This guide covers everything you need to know about cleaning, sanitizing and storing your Fiery Faerie toys - including a few extra precautions.

The Quick Care Guide

If you only remember one section, make it this one:

• Wash your toy before its first use
• Clean it before and after every use
• Use warm water and a mild, unscented soap or a cleaner suitable for platinum-cure silicone
• Pay extra attention to ridges, grooves and other textured areas
• Rinse thoroughly so no soap remains
• Let the toy dry completely before storage
• Store it somewhere clean, dry and away from prolonged direct sunlight
• Keep it away from sharp objects and questionable toy materials
• Use a water-based if you are unsure about compatibility
• Give Near Clear toys some extra care — especially around heat and staining

That covers most everyday situations.

Now for the details.

How to Clean a Silicone Toy After Use

For normal everyday cleaning, you do not need anything complicated.

Warm water and a mild soap are enough for routine cleaning in most situations.

Step 1: Rinse

Start by rinsing away lubricant and any visible residue with warm running water.

Cleaning sooner rather than later makes things much easier. Once lubricant and bodily fluids dry inside small grooves and textured areas, they can take considerably more effort to remove.

Step 2: Wash

Apply a small amount of mild, unscented soap or a toy cleaner intended for silicone toys.

Use your hands to work it across the entire surface.

Fantasy toys can have significantly more surface detail than conventional toys, so do not just wash the obvious smooth areas.

Pay particular attention to:

• ridges
• scales
• grooves
• bumps
• knots
• suckers
• folds

Use the pads of your fingers to gently work around those details.

You do not need to attack your dragon with a cleaning brush.

Step 3: Rinse Thoroughly

Rinse the toy thoroughly under warm running water until all soap is gone.

This step matters. Soap residue left in deep texture is not something you want to discover during your next session.

If the design has particularly deep grooves, rotate the toy under the water and inspect it from several angles.

Step 4: Dry Completely

Let the toy air dry completely before putting it away.

Air drying is one of the easiest options because silicone tends to attract fibers from ordinary towels.

If you prefer to hand dry your toy, use a clean, lint-free or microfiber cloth and gently pat it dry rather than aggressively rubbing the surface.

Never store your toy while it is still wet.

Cleaning vs. Sanitizing: What Is the Difference?

Routine cleaning and sanitizing are not quite the same thing.

Cleaning removes lubricant, bodily fluids, dust and other residue from the surface.

For normal personal use, careful washing with soap and water will usually be your standard routine.

Sanitizing goes further and is intended to significantly reduce microorganisms on the toy.

You may want to consider sanitizing rather than simply washing when:

• the toy is going to be shared with another person
• the toy is being used between different body areas
• you want a deeper clean after extended storage
• additional hygiene precautions are appropriate for your situation

One of the useful properties of non-porous platinum-cure silicone is that it can be thoroughly cleaned and, depending on the specific toy and material, sanitized.

Can You Boil Silicone Toys?

For a solid, non-mechanical standard platinum-cure silicone toy, boiling is a commonly used method of deeper cleaning.

First wash away visible residue with soap and water.

The toy can then be submerged in boiling water for a few minutes before being removed carefully and allowed to cool completely.

There are a few important rules:

Only boil toys that are actually suitable for boiling

Do not use this method on products containing:

• electronics
• mechanical parts
• batteries
• components that are not heat-safe
• materials specifically marked as requiring different care

And there is one particularly important Fiery Faerie exception:

Near Clear should be treated differently, and you can learn about it here.

What About Bleach and Dishwashers?

You may see diluted bleach solutions or dishwasher sanitize cycles recommended for platinum silicone toys.

They can be used as sanitizing methods for silicone products, but you should only use the dishwashers without detergents and remember to never heat or boil bleach.

For normal everyday care, you do not need to turn your kitchen into an alchemist's laboratory anyway.

Warm water, mild soap, a thorough rinse and proper drying cover most routine cleaning.

How to Store Your Silicone Toys

Once your toy is completely clean and dry, give it somewhere sensible to sleep.

A storage pouch or clean individual bag makes life easy.

It keeps the toy away from:

• dust
• lint
• pet hair
• accidental spills
• sharp objects
• unknown materials

Store your toys in a cool, dry place away from prolonged direct sunlight.

Prolonged sunlight exposure could afect pigment colors and couse yellowing on Near Clear silicone.

Can Silicone Toys Be Stored Together?

Do not assume that every soft or rubbery-looking sex toy is made from the same material.

If you are not completely certain what another toy is made from, store them separately.

Even if all the toys are from platinum cured silicone the softer ones can potentionaly leak silicone oils into the firmer ones causing swelling of the material.

An individual storage pouch is cheap insurance for a toy you want to keep for years.

Avoid Sharp and Abrasive Surfaces

Silicone is tough, flexible and stretchy.

It is not indestructible.

Sharp objects can cut or tear it.

Be careful around:

• sharp fingernails
• jewelry
• rough storage surfaces
• sharp edges
• blades
• damaged containers

This matters even more with our softer firmness options.

Extra Soft silicone can deform far more easily than Firm silicone, so treat those wonderfully squishy creatures with a little extra kindness.

Do not repeatedly pull thin details simply to see how far they stretch.

Very Soft Silicone Can Take Imprints

Soft silicone can sometimes temporarily or permanently take on the texture of a surface it has been pressed against for a long period.

This becomes increasingly relevant with very soft materials.

Avoid leaving an Extra Soft toy compressed against:

• heavily textured surfaces
• sharp patterns
• rough shelves
• objects pressing into the silicone

Give your softer toys enough room that they are not being crushed during storage.

Choosing a Lubricant

Lubricant compatibility deserves its own guide, but the easiest rule is simple:

When in doubt, use a good water-based lubricant.

Water-based lubricant is the straightforward default.

We cover compatibility, silicone-based lubricants and other options in more detail in our Lubricant Guide for Silicone Toys.

Near Clear Needs a Little Extra Love

Near Clear silicone looks spectacular because of its transparency.

That transparency also means changes that might be barely visible in an opaque toy can be much easier to notice.

Near Clear therefore deserves slightly different care and you can learn everything about it in this article.