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There’s no denying that much of the world has been confined to their homes lately amidst the COVID-19 global pandemic. While we may be facing unpredictable and unknown times, Stag Shop is here to help keep your sex life thriving.

From now throughout the month of April, we will be bringing you TWO new blog posts each week featuring some fun and sexy ideas meant to satisfy while stuck inside!

In addition to cleaning out your closet, cleaning windows, and sorting through another year’s worth of stuff, don’t forget about your sexier collection too! No, not just your browser history, but your collection of sex toys, sex liquids, and/or lingerie!

Why Do I Need To Clean Out My Sexy Collection??

It’s a good idea to go through your fun collections every now and then to assure that they are being treated their best. After all, some of this stuff can be expensive and we want to ensure you’re getting all the bang for your buck! Things like how often they’re cleaned, how they’re stored, and how often they’re used can all affect the life of your products.

Even if not being used on the regular, toys and lingerie can take on some wear and tear just by sitting in your drawer, closet, etc. Besides that, it’s just hygienically a good idea to take everything out, give it a good clean, and then have them ready to go again!

By taking the time to go through all of your sexy stuff, it can help you to get a better idea of what all you actually own. Did you forget about that plug you used to play with so often? Well, give it a good clean and store it properly so that you can start using it again ASAP!

In addition, it can help you to realize what your collection may be missing. You might notice you own many impact toys but are missing a crop, or that your favourite vibrator is missing its charger.*

*Some companies sell the accessories to their products on the side or offer warranty programs. Be sure to keep the packaging/manuals of all purchases in case this ever happens!

What Stays & What Goes?

When going through everything, it may be difficult to decide what you should keep and what needs to be thrown out.

Lingerie:

Just as with any other article of clothing, if your lingerie has any stains or holes, it’s time to say goodbye. Another thing to look for is the fit. Since many pieces of lingerie are meant to be form fitting or are structured in certain ways (for example with cups), try it on and see if it still fits you properly.

Things like corsets are adjustable and may just need to be re-tied to fit your current body. Try to remember how you first felt in that lingerie and see if it still brings you that same feeling. After all, lingerie is a tool that is meant to be used to enhance and bring out your already existing confidence, beauty, and sex appeal!

Toys:

With sex toys, there’s a little bit more to it than physical appearance and how it makes you feel.

Firstly, ALL toys should be properly cleaned before AND after each use! If this isn’t being done, there’s a good chance that that old product has some lingering bacteria on it. Even after a good, deep clean, there still may be some bacteria left over. Especially with products that have ridges, holes, nubs, etc. these are all little spots for hard-to-get bacteria to live. If it’s truly one of your most beloved toys and you aren’t ready to part with it just yet, try using a condom on it to create a barrier between you and the toy.

Speaking of using condoms on a toy, this is just your friendly reminder that you should NEVER be sharing sex toys! Especially things that are inserted into the body, this can make it easier for bacteria and fluids to be transferred from one person to another.

Since bacteria can’t be seen, make sure you are giving your toys a proper physical check as well. Are there any scratches or tears in the material? If so, unfortunately it’s probably time for it to go. As mentioned above, these tears provide a hiding area for bacteria to live - even when being properly washed.

Shop all toy cleaners here!

Lastly, and for some most obvious, if it doesn’t work anymore or is broken in any way, throw it out! Especially for toys that feature technology like vibration, rotation, app compatibility, etc., if these malfunction, it should then be considered broken. No DIY fixes here, instead maybe consider upgrading to a better version of the product you had. There could be a reason it broke on you; cheaper quality products often means a shorter life span of play.

Liquids:

For all things lubricants, massage oils, stimulants, etc., the task can be a bit easier as many have expiration dates already on the product themselves. Be sure to be checking for these dates regularly so you can become aware of just how much time you have left with that yummy flavoured lube.

Alternatively to an exact expiration date, many liquid products indicate how long they are good for after opening. These icons look like a container being opened with a number in them - indicating how many months it’s good for. Many are between 12-24 months!

Proper Storage For Another Year

Now that you have gone through everything, cleaned it all up, and gotten rid of some things that no longer serve you, let’s make sure they will continue to last you as long as possible.

How you store your sex toys, sex liquids, and lingerie is important and definitely impacts their use. Throwing them all into your nightstand drawer may seem like an easy and convenient idea but there's actually a lot more to it than just that!

Regardless of how you want to store your sexy collection, the main things to think about in terms of toy storage is avoiding extremities of hot and cold (so don't leave them out basking in the sun all day), avoiding exposure to dirt and bacteria, and making sure that the way the toy is stored is not going to break it (like having a toy with a cord tangled and caught on other toys).

There are many other specific storage options to consider and they can all be read about in our previous blog post “Where Should I Keep My Sex Toys!?”