There are different degrees here. Alcohol is only disinfecting - it doesn't kill anywhere near everything, most noticeably Hep. 10% bleach is sanitizing - it kills most things, but there is the occasional beastie that slips through, especially if proper cleaning methods haven't been followed. Boiling is the same - it kills almost everything. but there are microbes that can survive at 100C.

Absolute sterility is hart to guarantee. Classically, you need to first clean off all organic matter, since it can get in the way of sterilizing, especially if you opt for a chemical method. Secondly you need to autoclave at high temperatures, although boiling in a pressure cooker at 15PSI will also work if you do it for about 20 minutes. Chemical sterilization generally uses gluteraldehyde solutions, which are toxic, or provided you have the means you can also expose the item to strong ionizing radiation.

All of these (with the possible exception of the pressure cooker) are difficult and rely on uncommon materials/equipment. For most of what you'll come across thorough cleaning followed by bleach or boiling for about 10 minutes will be fine, unless you live at a high altitude. Most human communicable diseases will be destroyed by these methods, and their use renders the likelihood of contracting one about the equivalent of using safer sex practice.

If I were given a silicone toy from someone unknown I would feel comfortable using it after the pressure-cooker technique, provided it was something nonporous (silicone, metal, etc.). I would be more comfortable with pressure-cook (or indeed clean/boil) then condoms, since things can get around condoms. less

The fact that we've got this thread going with so much good info in it makes my geeky soul happy.

I guess we all need to be a little more careful about terminology, since many of us use disinfect, sanitize, and sterilize interchangeably. Most of the methods we recommend just sanitize.

Yes, Darling Dove, HIV is extremely fragile. If you, say, get a drop of blood on a table, the virus is dead by the time the blood finishes drying. It's Hep you really have to worry about; that's one terribly tenacious virus.

I'd like to add something to the bit about dishwashers. Some newer ones have a "sanitize" button. For those that want to use dishwashers for cleaning, these are the ONLY ones you can count on to actually achieve this level of microbe destruction. As ScottA said, they are NOT sterile.

For materials that can withstand fire, I've heard soaking in rubbing alcohol, then burning the alcohol off will sterilize a surface. I think it was Cynthia/Miss Cinnamon who mentioned this? That it's used for sterilizing glass slides and such in some labs? (I've seen surgical needles torched before use, but I don't know if that sterilized them or not.) I'm not solid on the details, though, someone will have to ask her. less

I've also read that soaking something like glass in isopropyl alcohol and letting it evaporate is a good way to sanitize? Hm. I think I'm going to have to start using sanitize in my reviews (and working my way back through to replace "sterilize" with "sanitize" eesh!) less

At high altitude, water boils at a lower temperature. You'd need to increase the pressure (say, by putting a lid on the pot or something) to get it to boil at the same temperature. It's not a huge difference in terms of killing microbes, though, so increasing the time should be ok. less

I've also read that soaking something like glass in isopropyl alcohol and letting it evaporate is a good way to sanitize? Hm. I think I'm going to have to start using sanitize in my reviews (and working my way back through to replace "sterilize" with "sanitize" eesh!) less

I've always assumed the following were true, because it's generally regarded as common knowledge: isopropyl alcohol of a strength of 70% or higher can sterilize (if left on an item and allowed to evaporate) and bleach (like Clorox) in a solution with water at a ratio of 1:9 will similarly sterilize. Obviously this only pertains to non-porous materials.

But I've been reading and I keep encountering those who say that neither bleach nor rubbing alcohol are truly effective against all microbes (namely Hepatitis and even HIV). I have read in numerous places now that both of those viruses can survive bleach and rubbing alcohol, which makes me feel really uncomfortable recommending these methods.

Does anyone know for sure if this is true? Additionally, how do those of you that have stainless steel/aluminum toys that can be damaged by harsh chemicals go about sterilizing your materials? Dish washer? Boiling?

Thanks everyone. I just had a mini-freak-out because I started thinking I could potentially be doling out advice that allows for the communication of a deadly virus --all under the heading of "sex positivity" as well. less

The fact that we've got this thread going with so much good info in it makes my geeky soul happy.

I guess we all need to be a little more careful about terminology, since many of us use disinfect, sanitize, and sterilize interchangeably. Most of the methods we recommend just sanitize.

Yes, Darling Dove, HIV is extremely fragile. If you, say, get a drop of blood on a table, the virus is dead by the time the blood finishes drying. It's Hep you really have to worry about; that's one terribly tenacious virus.

I'd like to add something to the bit about dishwashers. Some newer ones have a "sanitize" button. For those that want to use dishwashers for cleaning, these are the ONLY ones you can count on to actually achieve this level of microbe destruction. As ScottA said, they are NOT sterile.

For materials that can withstand fire, I've heard soaking in rubbing alcohol, then burning the alcohol off will sterilize a surface. I think it was Cynthia/Miss Cinnamon who mentioned this? That it's used for sterilizing glass slides and such in some labs? (I've seen surgical needles torched before use, but I don't know if that sterilized them or not.) I'm not solid on the details, though, someone will have to ask her. less

At high altitude, water boils at a lower temperature. You'd need to increase the pressure (say, by putting a lid on the pot or something) to get it to boil at the same temperature. It's not a huge difference in terms of killing microbes, though, so increasing the time should be ok. less

A lid won't make much difference unless it locks on (i.e. pressure cooker).

Alcohol does not reliably inactivate hep or many other beasties. Don't trust it with your life.

At very high altitudes (i.e. Colorado) I wouldn't trust boiling if I had a toy that was used on an infected partner unless it was with a pressure cooker. The boiling temp is be under 200F. less

It's also important to keep in mind how big of a risk it really is. I don't worry too much if it's my toys to be used on myself, just a quick run-over with soap and water and they're fine. If I'm going to be going from by bottom to my wife's vagina I'm more careful, and will bleach or boil. That gets rid of almost everything, and for most instances of partner sharing (even if you're not exclusive) it should be fine, and there won't be enough of whatever-it-is left to get you.

If I were sharing with someone known to have hep/HIV/some other real baddie I'd probably pressure-cook the toys. less

As far as the alcohol and biology lab benches, it's optimal to clean with a 70% solution because the others evaporate too very quickly thus killing fewer organisms (since the alcohol is evaporated and not on the bench). This might not be an issue with sex toys, and i never use alcohol so I can't comment any further. less

Posts like these are what we need to have available for people who are curious or in relationships where extra care is needed. I would also add that while sanitize is really meant to be used in the food service industry in this case if it's good enough for you to place food on it and ingest it it's probably safe enough for sex play. By that I mean it's a better word than sterilize simply because it's a word people understand and they relate to meaning "clean". Perhaps we could simply say "to be safe" or "to clean effectively"?


It might be an idea to have a section where safety and cleaning proceedures are more thoroughly discussed in articles designed to improve our knowledge base? With so many interested and conscientious scientific types in our community it seems a waste not to ask for their imput in a way to reach as many people as possible. It would also cut down on the amount of repitition in reviews (though I happen to think that sometimes the only way to drum safer sex practices into people's heads is to DRUM in in). That's my 2 cents anyway! less