Safer Sex Includes Clean Toys

Informed Risk Is The Key!

 

Disinfect and Sanitize are fancy words for ‘clean’. ‘Clean’ is a relative term.

• Sanitize: to free from dirt as by cleaning
• Disinfect: The use of a chemical procedure that eliminates virtually all recognized pathogenic microorganisms but not necessarily all microbial forms on inanimate objects. Disinfection is often confused with sterilization, but they are not the same thing. Disinfection does not remove all microbes, nor does it eliminate spores. Disinfection is generally used on hard surfaces (counter tops, etc.), but may not be sufficient for tools/toys that come in contact (including indirect contact) with the body.
• High-level Disinfect: Destruction of all microorganisms, with the exception of high numbers of bacterial spores.
• Sterilize: To destroy all living microorganisms, as pathogenic or saprophytic bacteria, vegetative forms, and spores. Sterile is an absolute; something is either sterile or it is not. There is no in-between.

 

THE BIG THREE

• Hep C: Highly infectious and can survive on dry surfaces and equipment for up to 6 weeks.
• Hep B: Can remain viable on environmental surfaces for at least 7 days, even in the absence of visible blood.
• HIV: HIV is a fragile virus that does not survive outside the body for long. It typically dies within minutes to hours of exposure to air and other environmental factors

 

MATERIALS

LEATHER
Because materials like leather, cloth and hair are porous, they provide a more pathogen-friendly environment for organisms to survive in. Complete sterilization is more difficult, and by hospital standards of real sterility, basically impossible without damage to the leather. Some people recommend wiping leather with a 10% bleach solution (a 10% bleach solution means 10% liquid bleach to 90% water. Liquid bleach both in the USA and most other countries is approximately 5% concentration of the chlorine based bleaching agent Sodium Hypochlorite) but it must be noted that this will not provide sterilization or high-level disinfection to leather. Laboratory studies using bleach and antibacterial wipes to sterilize have been applied to less porous and degradable substances than leather.

TOPGRAIN FLOGGER CARE (General care and cleaning. NOT as disinfection or sterilization)
Floggers made with topgrain leather are fairly easy to identify. Topgrain leather is the uppermost layer of an animal’s skin. One side is fairly smooth, and the other side has a suede-like quality.

 

Keep all toys clean and in good condition. Wipe topgrain floggers with a soft, barely damp cloth after each use. Handle and tails can be cleaned a few times a year with a quality soap used sparingly. Brush the leather with a soft, dry brush to remove all surface dust, etc. Then, soap is worked into a lather with a soft, damp sponge or soft brush (not wet). The lather and only the lather should be applied to the object as it lays flat on a towel and rubbed in a circular motion. The sponge/brush should be rinsed and squeezed out to remove all dirt and water before it is re-applied to the leather. Wipe gently with a damp cotton cloth to remove soap residue. A quality leather conditioner (such as Obenaufs or Huberd’s Shoe Grease) should be used very sparingly as needed. Rubbing conditioner on your hands like lotion and then gently wiping them over the top, smooth side of the leather will help prevent over-conditioning and reduce stretching. When conditioning the tails only apply conditioner sparingly on the smooth, top grain side, not the suede like side. It is normal for flogger tails to stretch a bit and become uneven with use. Trim the stretched tails with sharp scissors. Floggers are best stored hanging.

 

SUEDE FLOGGER CARE (General care and cleaning. NOT as disinfection or sterilization)
Suede really isn't very cleanable. It is too porous and generally you end up having to rub and scrape off the soiled surface of suede to clean or remove stains (Almost like sanding it off a piece of wood). I tend to advise against suede because of this. The thing many people don't realize is that suede will last only about 1/4 as long as a topgrain leather toy of the same type. So, in the long run buying a topgrain flogger is more economical, even if the initial cost is twice that of a suede one.

 

Keep leather toys item clean and in good condition. Let your suede flogger air dry after use, as moisture cannot be removed with a cloth. A special suede brush or suede stone will bring back the nap of the suede and might remove some dirt. Do not use general cleaners, any conditioners or scotch guard on suede. It is normal for flogger tails to stretch a bit and become uneven with use. Hang up a flogger for a day and then trim the stretched tails with sharp scissors while hanging. Floggers are best stored hanging.

 

LEATHER WHIP CARE (General care and cleaning. NOT as disinfection or sterilization)
Continuous care and cleaning of whips is vital for these high priced toys. The intricate and tight braiding will collect dirt, dust and body oils which can drastically shorten the life of the whip. Wipe whips with a soft, barely damp cloth after each use. If possible, change crackers for each partner or soak a non-removable cracker in a fresh sterilizing solution (see below) for the recommended time. Handle/grip and the length can be cleaned a few times a year with quality soap used sparingly. Brush the leather with a soft, dry brush to remove all surface dust, etc. Pay special attention to dirt and grit collected in the braids.

 

Then, soap is worked into a lather with a soft, damp sponge or soft brush (not soaking wet). The lather and only the lather should be applied to the object and rubbed gently in a circular motion. The sponge/brush should be rinsed and squeezed out to remove all dirt and water before it is re-applied to the leather. Mist with fresh water and wipe gently with a damp cotton cloth to remove soap residue. A quality beeswax based leather conditioner (such as Aussie Leather Conditioner or Obenauf’s) should be used very sparingly as needed. After conditioning, roll the whip between your palms for a while to tighten the braiding.

 

WOOD, PLASTIC, METAL AND OTHER MATERIALS
Cleaning is a necessary first step to sterilize because many soils will reduce the effectiveness of a sanitizer or disinfectant. According to the Center for Disease Control: “The actual physical removal of microorganisms by scrubbing is probably as important, if not more so, than any antimicrobial effect of the cleaning agent used”.

 

A mild 10% bleach solution (a 10% bleach solution means 10% liquid bleach to 90% water. Liquid bleach both in the USA and most other countries is approximately 5% concentration of the chlorine based bleaching agent Sodium Hypochlorite) will provide high-level disinfection for plastic, metal, and other non-porous surfaces if soaked for a minimum of 15 minutes after surface cleaning. For a quart of solution this is equivalent to slightly less than a ½ cup of household bleach with the remainder of the quart filled with water. This must be prepared daily and not used for future sanitizing after 24 hours, as the solution will become ineffective. (Note: Informed risk when using these products to supposedly sterilize and/or disinfect dungeon furniture)

 

Even at full strength, bleach does not sanitize wood (ie: paddles). The sterilization quality of bleach is neutralized by the organic composition of wood. Wood paddles without a polyurethane coating actually absorb the bacteria into the wood as do paddles with a chipped or cracked polyurethane coating. After the wood has been surface cleaned and dried, the bacteria near the surface dies. The wood near the surface forms a hostile environment for bacteria to live in. There are lots of bacteria living in the board, but about 1/8” below the surface. This is deep enough that it is unlikely to release bacteria unless the wood splits.

 

Toys made of some kinds of rubber, cloth or synthetic fiber, such as the nylon cracker on a singletail, may stand up reasonably well to up to a 20% or even 25% solution of bleach and water, but will degrade over time. It is a good idea to wash these toys with soap and water to remove traces of the bleach solution after soaking. Some hard material toys (metal specifically) may be autoclaved if real sterility is desired.

 

NOTE: Many drug treatment clinics are moving away from bleach sterilization because some research shows that in some cases it doesn’t kill Hepatitis, and sometimes doesn’t even kill the relatively fragile AIDS virus.

 

'MIRACLE' PRODUCTS

 

ANTIBACTERIAL SOAPS/DETERGENTS
The products usually contain triclosan (Chloroxylenol (PCMX), Quaternary Ammonium Chlorides (Quats), or Alcohols which can damage your leather by sucking out its moisture. Triclosan is also known as Irgasan and Microban. Dishwashing detergents contain fragrances, dyes and preservatives, all which only add unnecessary and possibly harmful substances to your leather. Dishwashing liquids are usually detergents as opposed to soaps. Soaps are made of materials found in nature. Detergents are synthetic (although some of the ingredients are natural). Detergents are made from petroleum products and consist mainly of surfactants, foaming agents and alcohols. Since these chemicals have a disagreeable odor, detergents are usually heavily scented with cheap, synthetic, artificial fragrances.

 

ANTIBACTERIAL WIPES/SPRAYS
These are made to kill staphylococcus aureus and most bacteria on hard, nonporous surfaces. Leather is porous. Directions on these wipes/sprays instruct to thoroughly wet the surface and allow surface to remain wet for 10 minutes before use. In addition, although some of these wipes and sprays are targeted to disinfect (when used as directed) up to 99.9% of Staph and Salmonella and also target cold and flu viruses they may not be capable of destroying other viruses. Pre-cleaning soiled surfaces is also necessary to disinfect properly, since science tells us that many types of soils will deactivate disinfectants. (Note: Informed risk when using these products to supposedly sterilize and/or disinfect dungeon furniture)

 

DISINFECTING AND SANITIZING SPRAYS
Clorox® 4 in One Disinfectant & Sanitizer and comparable products are similar in usage to most antibacterial wipes and sprays. They are formulated to disinfect hard surfaces, among other things, viruses that can cause cold and flu as well as MRSA, HIV and herpes. To do this the spray must contact the hard surface and remain wet for 5 minutes. The product also destroys some bacteria on the surface of soft goods but not viruses. Testing has not been done on leather to determine if it is detrimental to the structure of the fibers or the dyes. (Note: Informed risk when using these products to supposedly sterilize and/or disinfect dungeon furniture)

 

RUBBING ALCOHOL/ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL
Rubbing alcohol will provide low level disinfect some non-porous items but most of the microbes we worry about (things like Hepatitis) aren't going to be killed using rubbing alcohol. Alcohols lack sporicidal action and they cannot penetrate protein-rich materials.

 

STAPHENE SPRAY ENVIRONMENTAL DISINFECTANT
A hospital product for use on non-porous environmental surfaces. It is not a sterilant or high-level disinfectant. It does not kill Staphylococcus epidermis or Hepatitis A, B, C. It must be allowed to remain wet on the surface for 10 minutes and air dry.

 

RELY-ON TACK DISINFECTANT
The active ingredient is isoproponyl alcohol, a low-level disinfectant. It might be used on leather tack by some people but DuPont (the manufacturer of RelyOn) does not claim that it will control disease transmission between horses when used on leather tack. In fact, RelyOn (Virkon) must remain visibly wet on a hard non-porous surface for a minimum of 10 minutes prior to sterilization.

 

MECHANICAL METHODS

 

DISHWASHER
Most household dishwashers heat the water to 140-150 degrees. This is not high enough to kill a significant amount of bacteria, viruses or spores. Even the newer dishwashers that have steam capabilities are not effective to use for sterilization. (Note: Sanitation just means clean. It is not the same thing as sterile). To achieve steam sterility, a holding time of at least 15 minutes at 121 °C (250 °F) or 3 minutes at 134 °C (273 °F) is required.

 

BOILING WATER
Boiling water does not sterilize completely. There are bacteria that form spores that are resistant to boiling and some strains of bacteria that are themselves resistant to heat above boiling temperatures. Boiling in water for fifteen minutes will kill 'most' vegetative bacteria and inactivate viruses, but boiling is ineffective against prions and many bacterial and fungal spores.

 

UV LIGHT
Sterilization via UV light (UV-C as opposed to UV-B which are from the sunlight rays that reach the earth) is often misquoted as being achievable. While theoretically it is possible to do this in a controlled environment, it is very difficult to prove and the terms 'disinfect' and ' sterilize' are used by companies offering this service and/or lights as to avoid legal problems.

 

UV effectiveness and use is influenced by organic matter; wavelength; type of suspension; temperature; type of microorganism; and UV intensity; time under the UV; power fluctuations; and other factors. So, sitting your toys under a standard blacklight or UV lamp in your kitchen or playroom is probably not going to offer effective sterilization.

 

UV-C radiation is able to break down chemical bonds. This leads to speedy deterioration of plastics, rubber and other materials. Note that plastics sold to be "UV-resistant" are tested only for UV-B. There have been no scientific studies done to determine the affect of UV sterilization on leather.

 

AUTOCLAVES AND PRESSURE COOKERS
An autoclave will ruin leather! On the subject of autoclaves…they are not completely interchangeable with pressure cookers for assured high-level sterilization of metal toys. An autoclave operates at a higher pressure than a pressure cooker (about 15 p.s.i. for pressure cooker, 25 p.s.i. plus for autoclave) That fact alone dictates that it would take much longer cycle times to achieve the same level of sterilization with a cooker. It has been proven that an autoclave kills microorganisms and pressure cookers; well, they cook. While it might be possible to achieve proper sterilization with a pressure cooker; failure is highly possible.

 

CHEMICAL HIGH-LEVEL DISINFECTION AND STERILIZATION PRODUCTS/DEVICES

 

CIDEX AND SIMILAR
High-level disinfection in 12 minutes at 20 degrees Celsius (room temperature) with total immersion manual processing. https://www.asp.com/en-us

 

SPOROX AND SIMILAR
High-level disinfection in 30 minutes at 20 degrees Celsius (room temperature) with total immersion manual processing. https://www.dentsplysirona.com/en

 

METREX COMPLIANCE AND SIMILAR
High-level disinfection in 15 minutes at 20 degrees Celsius (room temperature) with total immersion. Sterilization in 3 hours at 20 degrees Celsius (room temperature) with total immersion. http://www.metrex.com

 

CVICIDE/CAVIWIPES AND SIMILAR
A high-level disinfectant wipe for use on non-porous surfaces. It is not a sterilant. It does not kill Hepatitis A. Only effective if there is 3+ minutes of direct contact with the pre-moistened wipe. http://www.metrex.com

 

OZONE
Ozone is a gas that can be used to kill harmful bacteria. However, for ozone to be effective in killing harmful bacteria, it must be present at a concentration far greater than what is considered safe for humans.

 

An ozone air purifier, or ozone generator, (the types called home ozone machines) can only remove certain pollutants in the air…and they are not even great at that. Available scientific evidence shows that, at concentrations that do not exceed public health standards, ozone is generally ineffective in controlling indoor air pollution. The concentration of ozone would have to greatly exceed health standards to be effective in removing most indoor air contaminants. They are not effective on surfaces. (EPA)

 

Effective disinfection and sanitization on the surface of items can be accomplished with closed chamber methods such the ZONO Ozone Cabinet and the CleanZone Sanitizing System but these devices cost thousands of dollars. Also, prolonged or excessive use may cause plastic, rubber, leather, and fabric components to become dry or brittle.

 

 

RESOURCES

http://www.cdc.gov
https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis
https://wiki.bme.com
http://www.issm.info
https://zonotechnologies.com
http://www.osha.gov
http://www.epa.gov

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DISCLAIMER: The information in this article is provided for general information purposes and may not be relied on as a substitute for actual professional medical advice, care, or treatment. This article is not a substitute for professional medical evaluation, advise, diagnosis or treatment.

 

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SAFER SEX INCLUDES HAVING CLEAN TOYS
Copyright Archer & Elegant, Fantasies In Leather, LLC.