Are You Playing Safe with Your Sex Toys?

Sometimes sharing isn’t caring.

Photo by Gwen Mamanoleas on Unsplash

We had been dating for several months—pretty casual, hardly serious. Although we’d known each other for years, I was sure that this was as good as it was going to get.

He was attractive, funny, and damaged. He was the kind of guy you call after the party but would never invite. Not because he wouldn’t get along with your friends—but because they’d want to keep him around long after his expiry date.

The sex was good — not great, but good.

He had stamina and a can-do attitude, which made pleasure possible. But again, this was no love connection.

One night, as we were recovering from a particularly robust round of sex, he pulled a dildo from the bedside table, fully intending to jump-start round two.

At first, I was a bit excited at the prospect of adding a little spice to our normal repertoire—until I playfully asked, “Have you been shopping at the naughty store?”

That’s when he told me it was a little “something, something” that he liked to play with “every now and then.”

To his credit, he was honest about the fact that he’d used it with previous partners. And while he seemed to be pretty good about cleaning it after every use and storing it correctly — he had no idea that STIs, bacteria, and even yeast can be transmitted via sex toys.

And he’s not alone.

Sex toy maintenance and hygiene are not something people talk about much. Conversations about toys center on usage and pleasure — which is fantastic.

But you know what’s hot? Safe toy sex!