The least sexy thing about sex toys is having to clean them, but it is absolutely essential to help prevent giving yourself or a partner a bacterial infection (especially if you're the kind of person who uses a toy then lets it roll under the bed to gather dust...don't do that by the way). Sex toys come in a variety of materials and components, which means that you may need to care for each one differently. Lucky for you, Sex Siopa has put together a quick and easy guide for washing and sterilizing your precious precious toys (even the ones we don't sell).

Silicone: Silicone toys are my favourite and are great because you have a few options for cleaning them. Warm, soapy water and a bit of a scrub does the trick, but you can also boil non-vibrating silicone toys to disinfect them. Silicone is also dishwasher safe, so if you don't mind your flatmates finding your dildo in there, you can put it on the top rack and run it without soap.

Vibrators or anything with an electrical component: DO NOT BOIL! (or put in the dishwasher for that matter). You can do serious damage to your toy that way. Instead we suggest washing it with warm, soapy water, taking care not to get water into the battery compartment if your toy isn't completely waterproof. If your toy uses disposable batteries, take them out first.

Hard Plastic: Hard plastic is non-porous and can be cleaned with warm, soapy water or bleaching. Do not boil or put in the dishwasher.

Elastomer: Elastomer can be porous in varying degrees, and because it's so soft, we recommend that you gently wash it with warm, soapy water only.

Glass and Ceramic: Glass and ceramic are nice, hard, non-porous materials, but can crack under extreme temperatures. With that in mind, only clean it using warm, soapy water or bleach.

Metal: Metal toys can be bleached, boiled or washed with warm, soapy water. Some rinsing agents can be bad for metal toys, so it's probably not best to put them in the dishwasher. Wood: wood toys are usually non-porous and sealed with a body-safe, polyurethane coating. Make sure to clean it with warm water and a non-abrasive soap. Do not try to boil them or put them in the dishwasher.

Jelly: We cannot recommend a cleaning method for Jelly or PVC toys, because of the health risks they pose even after they are cleaned. This is why we do not (and never will) sell Jelly or PVC toys. Instead, we highly recommend that you bin any toys that have a plasticy/chemical smell off them (that is indicative of leaching chemicals including phthalates) and invest in a body-safe, silicone toy like any of our dildos, Jimmy Jane or Leaf ranges.