My wife and I are increasingly aware of any nasties that might be lurking in any of the toys we may have bought of the years and would be grateful for any advice on what we currently have.
Are any of these potentially worth binning? In particular, we are concerned that items 5, 7 and 8 might contain PVC and might not be worth taking a risk on.
I would suggest checking out the description for each item, as under the specification it will say what material each toy is made of. Off the top of my head 1, 2, 4 and 6 are all made from non-porous/essentially non-porous materials. Others may be fine too, but that’s just a brief check.
The Fleshlight should be fine. They don’t use pvc, only TPE. TPE is porous and so if you don’t make sure you clean it and fully air dry it thoroughly before storing you are likely to end up with bacteria growing inside it. However, it is normally easy enough to see this as there will be dark spots and/or smells. Generally for toys that’s aren’t being put inside you, TPE is considered ok. Technically they may be harbouring bacteria but used externally, most don’t see this as an issue. Using internally may cause more problems so if you have any discomfort after using a toy (and not due to size or other factors), it is probably time to ditch that toy. Same if you notice an increase in UTIs, thrush, bv etc. although this is all down to your own personal risk profile. Some people will use TPE toys for many years and never have a problem, some will encounter issues on the second use.
Anything pvc is more suspect, as it will leach the chemicals out as well as being porous. Again, some people will not have issues with this (and generally the chemicals are things we are exposed to on our daily lives so will using the toy push you over an acceptable limit of exposure? No one can answer that).
Unhelpfully, Lovehoney did change a lot of their product listings to say “soft plastic” and this could be either TPE or pvc. If you aren’t sure, customer care may have the answer (and it does often say on the box if you still have it)
Ultimately, it’s up to you what materials you are happy to use in and on your body. I would say, make sure you do give your toys a thorough clean and air dry after use (as well as potentially before use if it’s been awhile). Check everything over for discolouration or smells and stop using if these occur. Also don’t use TPE or pvc in multiple holes (or share with a partner you aren’t fluid bonded with, and even then, stick with use in the same hole)
I usually advise people to google “body safe sex toy materials” (phallophile reviews and dangerous lilly both have excellent articles on the subject)
And make their minds up for themselves.
This is the bit of the product page you want to be looking at
I would have thought toys in good condition and which are throughly cleaned after use, with an approved toy cleaner, should be okay. Toys also need to be stored appropriately after use to keep them in tip top condition.
Thanks very much indeed for all the advice - feel much better equipped to consider this now.
Having had a closer look at everything I have, the majority is either silicon or hard plastic, which appear to be completely safe.
The Tongue Joy thing - I did not buy from Lovehoney but that looks like it is made from chrome and silicon and so also fine.
The fleshlight, as mentioned, seems safe for external use. I am a bit worried about the fact that the Lovehoney description on item 8 has since changed to state that it is TPE and not silicon - on that basis, I would prefer just to get rid of that and replace with a silicon replacement.
The only other two that strike me as not worth the risk are 5 and 7, which seem to be jelly or PVC. Better safe than sorry, so will stop using those two.
