In my search to find information about how to best store my toys, I visited many blogs, news sites, as well as other toy seller's websites to see what they had to say. There was some amount of conflicting information from credible sources. Still, there was a great deal of consensus. Certain toy materials react on a molecular level, creating a "melting" effect. Dangerous Lilly's article about her experiences with melting toys captures this phenomenon perfectly.


Photo Credit


Here are my top rules for sex toy storage:

1) Pure silicone toys are safe to store together
As long as the silicone is high-quality, pure silicone, there shouldn't be any problems. However, toys that have other materials mixed into the silicone may cause trouble. Keep in mind that some toy companies may claim to use medical grade silicone only to use cheaper, non-silicone materials instead. If you want to be safe, you may want to store "silicone" toys separately.

2) Glass, metal, wood, and ABS toys will not react
If your toys are made out of glass, metal, wood, or ABS plastic, they will be safe to store touching each other. Be warned that such toys, especially glass and metal toys may scratch each other in storage.

3) TPE/TPR, silicone, jelly, and rubber react
These materials have been known to react with one another. Store these items separately and make sure they do not touch. The melting sex toys from the picture above were made out of PVC, TPR, and jelly materials, to give you an idea of what can happen.

4) If a sex toy reacts, get rid of it!
If a sex toy develops a strong smell or feels uncharacteristically gooey and soft to the touch, throw the toy away. As much as you may be tempted to save your favorite toys, your body is more important. Do you really want the toys to break down inside of your body?

5) Store lube separately
Lube, whether it is in a bottle, packet, or tube, can leak. The last thing you want is for your lube to spill all over your toys. Keep in mind that silicone lube does not mix well with silicone toys*. Oil does not play well with latex (including condoms)**. If you are unsure how a lube will react, look it up online and do a patch test***.

6) Store your toys in a cool, dry place
When exposed to heat, your toys may deteriorate, discolor, or even melt. It's best to let your toys dry completely before tucking them away. While hot and wet are great adjectives to describe wonderful sex, they are also words that describe the perfect environment in which bacteria grows! Yuck!

7) To be safe, remove batteries before storing your toys
Batteries can leak. The last thing we want is for a leaking battery to ruin a toy. Remember, sex toys often go inside our bodies! We don't want leaking batteries to absorb into our skin. Plus, some toys can drain the batteries even when they are not on. Save some money and stay safe by remove the batteries after playtime!

* Molecules in silicone lube can bond to silicone toys. This creates small holes in your toy that make the material susceptible to bacteria and make the surface unsafe for use. This combination of silicone lube on silicone toys can also break down the toy, making the material look melted or gooey.
** Oil-based lubes weaken latex. If you want to see what happens to latex when rubbed with oil, check out this video of a balloon popping!
** A patch test is when you take a small amount of lubricant and dab it onto the toy to see if they are compatible. If a silicone toy is not compatible you will likely know immediately as the material will appear gummy.


Don't know what your toy is made out of? Check the seller's website. The material should be listed. EdenFantasys lists the materials on each product page. To be safe, I recommend storing toys wrapped in a cotton, acrylic, or silk towel, clean sock, or toy bag separating each toy. I would not recommend storing toys in plastic bags, especially if they are wet since it is easy to create a bacteria breeding ground. To be safe, do not store toys in plastic containers as certain plastics can react to your toys.

Sex toys can be expensive. When you invest in a nice sex toy, make sure you get your money's worth by storing your sex toys properly. By following these rules, your toys will be more likely to provide pleasure for years to come!