Practicing safer sex is a top priority—right along with fevered passion—and that means hygiene practices and preparation. Not just for your body, but your sex toys, too. That indeed means the highly recommended practice of using condoms on dildos and sex toys, even though it might not seem totally necessary. But it's a smart idea!
It's indeed important to use condoms on dildos for safer sex and reducing the possibility of transmitting STI's, sex educator Jamie LeClaire, who holds an executive board position at YES! (Your Empowered Sexuality!), tells Bustle. "If you are sharing sex toys, you should absolutely be using condoms and changing them with each transfer of partner, or if moving from anal play to vaginal play. If you're playing solo, using condoms on dildos mean less cleanup!"
LeClaire says that's important to fully clean and sanitize dildos both before and after use. "If you use condoms you don't necessarily need to go through the same lengths to clean up. Instead, you just need a quick soap and water wipe down to get rid of any lube from the condom."
Furthermore, if you have or had an STI, there is a possibility of reinfecting yourself if you're not properly cleaning your toys, LeClaire says, and condoms add further protection from reinfection.
"Condoms shouldn't be used on POROUS dildos, as it can further degrade the material, but we really should not be using porous sex toys in the first place," LeClaire says. This includes material like PVC, jelly, rubber, TPE/TPR. So, don't forget to look at the ingredients of your sex toys.
"There are plenty affordable 100% non-porous sex toys by trusted retailers on the market, so avoiding porous toys should just be a given!" LeClaire says.
Again, non-porous dildos are what you want to use with condoms, LeClaire says. These include 100% silicone, glass, medical-grade stainless steel, wood or stone with special medical-grade finish, and hard ABS plastic.
"Another important thing to note is the types of condoms are best to use with dildos," LeClaire says. Unfortunately most condoms come pre-lubricated with silicone lube, and silicone lube is not compatible with silicone toys. So, it's best to avoid pre-lubricated condoms completely when playing with silicone toys, and instead use non-lubricated condoms, with a water-based lube of your choice!
Just another thing to keep in mind to maximize your enjoyment and safety!