All good things must come to an end. Or do they? Although using a fleshlight is more enjoyable than cleaning it, by keeping your sex toy clean, you’ll get to enjoy it for years to come.
Let me start by stating what is likely self-explanatory: Failing to clean your fleshlight after each use beckons bacteria and mold. It can infect your penis, and in turn, you could pass that infection on to a partner. Needless to say, it’s not a good look.
Now let’s turn to the not-so-obvious: You shouldn’t ever pull open your fleshlight or turn it inside out during the cleaning process. Otherwise, you risk tearing or removing the Superskin orifice, meaning you could destroy your favorite sex toy.
The good news is that fleshlight cleaning isn’t a time-consuming process once you get the hang of it. Keep reading for more insider tips on fast, easy, cost-effective, and even free fleshlight cleaning methods.
How to Clean Fleshlight in 6 Steps
Six steps may sound like a lot for fleshlight care. However, these are best practices that you can get through quickly. Before long, they’ll feel like second nature after masturbation.
Step 1: General Rinse
It might seem like a good idea to turn on the warm water to clean a fleshlight but hold yourself back—it’ll make cum and lube stickier and more difficult to wash off. Therefore, start by running it under cold water. And yes, you guessed it; make sure all visible cum and lube is gone from the interior part before moving on to the next step.
Step 2: Turn Up the Heat
Once all lube and cum clumps wash away, go ahead and turn on that warm water. Make sure you don’t turn up the heat all the way, though, for water that’s too hot can damage the fleshlight’s Superskin material.
During this time, use your fingers to ensure all fluids and clumps are gone. Don’t be shy—sex toys like fleshlights have a lot of crevices and need care.
Step 3: Shake It Up
To ensure all pesky residue is out of your fleshlight toy, fill it up with water, cover the top part with your hand, and give it a good shake. Then drain the water and run some more warm water through it once more for good measure.
Step 4: Use an Isopropyl-based Spray or Fleshwash for Sex Toys
Isopropyl is a type of alcohol and is critical for preventing bacteria from accumulating on your fleshlight. According to studies, alcohols like isopropyl are most effective when used in concentrations of at least 70 percent. It’ll help prevent a yeast infection and other unwanted microbes.
If you don’t want to purchase 70% isopropyl alcohol, another method is to buy FleshWash, which serves as an excellent disinfectant, although it’s usually more expensive.
Regardless if you choose Fleshwash or isopropyl, it’s important to use the spray and then wash it out with water once more before moving on to the next step.
Step 5: Air Dry
Next, your fleshlight will need to airdry. There are several drying methods you can use, which we’ll discuss next. However, for now, you should know that you can either let your fleshlight dry out in the open or use a fan method to speed up the process—even a USB mini fan works.
Step 6: Prepare for Storage
Keeping your fleshlight toy out in the open cannot only serve as an embarrassing conversation point if a visitor stumbles upon it at your house, but it also opens up a greater opportunity for unwanted organisms to grow on it. Therefore, you should tuck it away into the case it came with or any other hard-sided container you have. The key is to prevent moisture from accessing it.
If you don’t plan on using your fleshlight for a while, I recommend covering it in some cornstarch. That way, it’ll prevent the sleeves from sticking together the next time you use it for masturbation.
Fleshlight Case Cleaning
I understand your pain if you rolled your eyes at this one—cleaning your fleshlight after each use can seem like enough work if cleaning isn’t in your blood.
Here’s some good news: You don’t have to clean your fleshlight’s case after each use. However, it’s important for you and your fleshlight’s health to give it some attention on occasion.
Since your fleshlight’s container is usually plastic or another material that doesn’t have sensitive material, it’s perfectly fine to use soap and water on it. I recommend having a dedicated sponge to use on it for when your cleaning kick strikes.
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Some Words of Warning for Cleaning Fleshlights
Although it can feel tempting to throw some soap on your fleshlight sleeve and give it a quick scrub, you can’t clean this sex toy like you do a dinner plate—and you certainly don’t want to leave it lying around your kitchen sink or drying rack. So, below are some common mistakes men make when preparing their fleshlights for future use.
- Don’t use soap, detergents, or hand sanitizer. These substances contain harsh chemicals that will erode your fleshlight sleeve material over time.
- Don’t wait to clean a fleshlight. Waiting until the morning can seem like a harmless method, but it’s more than enough time for mold to settle into its porous sleeve.
- Don’t store your fleshlight toy until it’s completely dry. The same reasoning applies to the second point—a moist sex toy is a mold’s paradise, giving it unwanted life.
How to Dry a Fleshlight Sleeve in 4 Steps
Although it’s tempting to get your fleshlight sleeve dry as soon as you clean it, the reality is that it will have to spend some quality time air drying before you store it to ensure you’re not creating an environment that promotes mold growth that ends up on your dick.
To kickstart your fleshlight’s drying process, follow the steps below.
Step 1: Give It a Good Shake
After you rinse off your fleshlight toy, shake as much excess water out of it as possible.
Step 2: Use a Towel
I’m not talking about just any towel here. A microfiber cloth is the best method since it’ll be gentler on the orifice. However, if you don’t want to go out and buy this cloth, paper towels will do fine. In either case, use gentle pats so that you don’t damage the material, and never force the cloth or towel into crevices.
Step 3: Let It Drip Dry
At the end of the day, air drying is the step that will get your fleshlight sleeve fully dry without the risk of reducing its lifespan. I recommend propping it against something at a diagonal angle. Make sure the opening faces downward and that there’s plenty of room for air to get inside it.
Step 4: Apply Cornstarch
No matter how well you clean a fleshlight sleeve, sometimes the SuperSkin material becomes sticky since it contains mineral oil. Therefore, to prevent this from happening, a great method is to sprinkle a little cornstarch over it.
You can also use Renewing Powder, which is Fleshlight’s powder brand. However, this is a more expensive product for essentially the same ingredient. So, why spend more when you don’t have to?
Other Drying Methods to Clean a Fleshlight
If you’re interested in trying your hand at other fleshlight sleeve drying tactics aside from the microfiber or paper towel technique I covered above, below are some options you can consider:
- Using a hairdryer
- Using a min fan dryer
- Hanging it on a fleshlight hanger
If you use a hairdryer, make sure to put it on a cool setting. Otherwise, the heat may break down the sleeve’s material, making it uncomfortable to use and forcing you to buy a new fleshlight sleeve.
Must-Know Tips for Fleshlight Sleeve Care
Understanding how to care for your fleshlight sleeve is vital for your body. So, before you toss your fleshlight indefinitely on the floor after using it, keep the following tips in mind when you clean your fleshlight:
- Let your fleshlight sleeve thoroughly dry before storing it.
- Store the container itself in a cool, dry place.
- If you notice the skin feeling sticky, apply fleshlight sleeve powder, such as Fleshlight’s Renewing Powder. You can also use cornstarch, which is cheaper and is the main ingredient in Renewing Powder.
- If you notice your fleshlight sleeve material breaking down, it’s better to throw it out and buy a new one. Otherwise, organisms could have even easier access for growing and infecting your dick.
Managing a Smelly Fleshlight
Even if your fleshlight isn’t giving you a yeast infection, there are fewer things as gross as a smelly fleshlight sleeve. The smell is almost always a tell-tale sign that bacteria is present. In fact, according to microbiologists at Newcastle University, bacteria have the ability to smell their competitor’s pungent odor.
So, no matter how well you clean your fleshlight, if your fleshlight sleeve smells really bad, you just might have yourself a case of multiple skin irritants!
That said, more often than not, smelly sex toys happen when you don’t properly clean them (or clean them at all). But I’m not here to judge you, and I’ve already covered the basics.
So, if your fleshlight sleeve starts smelling, douse it in some 70% isopropyl alcohol (I recommend dousing the container, too, while you’re at it).
The isopropyl alcohol should kill anything living and remove the smell. However, sometimes sex toys are too far gone with their wreaking ways. So, if the isopropyl doesn’t work, I recommend buying a new fleshlight.
Ready to Clean Your Fleshlight?
Keeping your fleshlight sleeve clean is crucial for increasing its longevity and keeping you (and any partner) healthy. You don’t need to spend lots of time or money on cleanings, but you should clean your fleshlight after every use. Your future self will thank you when you use it next!
