If an 8" toy is close to the maximum that she can comfortably take alone than you might want to go a bit smaller for DP, since you're putting two toys right next to each other and your control isn't going to be quite as fine as it is with a single toy. At least for starters you might want to get a shorter and narrower toy to give you a bit of wiggle room. If you can afford it I'd definitely recommend 100% silicone, you'll be getting a toy that you can use for the rest of your lives that can be easily cleaned. Decide on a rough size and what style you want (degree of realism and amount of texture), and think about what you'll be using it for. Then look around - the only thing you need to have is a flanged "harness compatible" base.
You and your girlfriend have a good point - if you're worried about mess it's much harder to have enjoyable anal sex, but you might not have a problem. Many times stuff doesn't hang around in the rectum, and if you're wearing a condom you don't need to worry about UTIs (and she doesn't have to worry about what your semen might do in her rectum). If she's still worried, though, there are several options. Firstly the shouldn'ts: you shouldn't use any chemical laxatives. If you do, her intestines will be irritated for a while.
My advice would be for her to use the toilet, wash off (either with a shower or a wet rag), and then do a trial run with a dildo that's about as long as your penis is (use a condom if you're using a porous or possibly chemical-bearing dildo). Grease the dildo up, work it in, and see if there's a problem (she can do this on her own if she'd prefer). See if there's going to be a big problem. If she still feels she needs to clean out, then your best bet is a rectal douche (small enema). Use only plain water - no soap, no commercial enemas, no other additives except possibly a little salt or baking soda. There is a pretty good discussion here (
link). If you do go the douche route, then I'd recommend looking into either a squeezebulb syringe (or a repurposed Fleet-type bottle) or a Higginson syringe (harder to find but easier to work with). You can also use an enema bag, but you need to be careful how much water you inject (if you get too much in things get a bit more complicated, and it takes longer for all the water to come out).