How to Clean the Rose Toy? PRO TIPS from a Sex Toy Tester!

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet — William Shakespeare

And who can argue with Shakespeare! We are here today to help you keep your Rose toy fresh and sweet-smelling. Our founding sexologist, Sandra Larson, will share her tips and tricks. Read on to learn the best ways to care for your investment.

Every Time? Really?

Yes, really! Think of it this way — your Rose toy and your pleasure center are two of your favorite things in this world, so they deserve to be well taken care of. Keeping your Rose toy clean and in good condition ensures many hours of happiness, so you do need to clean it every single time that you use it. The nooks and crannies that make up the Rose toy can harbor bacteria as well as bodily fluids, so a thorough cleaning every single time is essential.

Steps to Success

Sandra Larson will walk you through everything that you need to know to safely clean your Rose toy:

1. Make sure that your Rose toy is turned off. If it has a travel lock feature, engage that to be extra-sure. Remove any batteries, charging cables, accessories, or attachments.
2. Review the user manual or manufacturer’s website. Is your Rose toy submersible, splash-proof, or allergic to water? What kind of cleaner do they recommend? The folks who made your toy want to help you make the right choices here!
3. Use a soft, lint-free cloth or brush (a clean paintbrush or makeup brush works great!) to gently remove any dust or debris from the surface of your Rose toy.
4. Prepare your cleaning solution (more on that below). If your sex toy is waterproof/submersible, you can fill the sink or a large bowl with warm water and mild, fragrance-free soap. If it is only splash-proof, you can mix up the same solution in a small bowl. You can also use a specialized sex toy cleaner.
5. Thoroughly clean the Rose toy. You’re going to want to remove every bit of leftover lube, bodily fluids, and any other debris on the toy. If your Rose is waterproof/submersible, go ahead and dunk it in the cleaning solution that you have prepared and scrub it well with a soft cloth. If it is splash-proof, wet your soft cloth with the cleaning solution and wipe it down.
6. Rinse off the Rose. If your Rose is waterproof/submersible, rinse it under warm running water until all suds have disappeared. If it is splashproof, wet a new cloth with warm water, wipe down, and repeat until all suds have disappeared. And then rinse it again for good measure, because even a trace of soap left behind can be irritating.
7. Pat your Rose down with a clean, soft, lint-free towel and then lay your toy on the towel to let it finish air-drying. You do not want to put it away until it is completely dry, and the petals can hold on to tiny drops of moisture.
8. Get your Rose ready for storage. Reattach anything that you have removed, check the batteries (if applicable), charge it back up to full (if applicable), and store it with all its accessories in a soft fabric storage bag.

That’s a Lot?

It does read like a lot, but think about how long it would take to write out how to take a shower properly. It’s also just as important as cleaning your own self regularly!

• First and foremost, proper sex toy hygiene prevents infections. When you use a sex toy, you expose it to bodily fluids, lube, lint from your sheets, and a whole host of other potential contaminants. Sex is warm and moist, and that creates a fertile breeding ground for bacteria that cause UTIs and other infections. It is crucial to clean any sex toy thoroughly, and even more so with a product like the Rose where the petals are the perfect place for little nasties to camp out.
• Keeping your Rose toy clean also helps it live longer. Even the highest-quality silicone or hard plastic will degrade when exposed to contaminants, and that becomes a vicious cycle because the microscopic tears can harbor even more contaminants. Proper care keeps both your body and your Rose toy healthy for future playtime!
• Finally, even though this is something that most of us don’t really want to think about too much, cleaning your Rose toy well means that it won’t get stinky. Your body is beautiful, but well-aged bodily fluids mixed with lube, lint, and hair are not the most appetizing way to start a play date. Do future-you a favor and keep that Rose fresh.

Even If I’m the Only One Using it?

Yes, you should clean your Rose toy every time, even if you’re the only one using it. You wash your dishes even when you’re dining alone, right? The same idea holds here. We clean dishes, sex toys, and anything else that can do us dirty, even if we’re the only ones using them. Bacteria don’t discriminate!

Material Considerations

We promised above that we’d talk a little more about which cleaners are best for certain kinds of toys. As always, what’s written in the user manual or on the manufacturer’s website is the ultimate authority — the folks who make the toys know them best — but we’re happy to share some general guidelines developed by our testing team.

• Silicone: Silicone is the MVP when it comes to sex toys in general, and especially Rose toys. It has a great texture and it can hold its shape nicely, even in complicated designs like a Rose toy. Silicone itself is waterproof, so as long as your toy is engineered to keep the innards safe and dry, you can dunk it and swish it and scrub it with gentle soap. You can also use a specialized sex toy cleaner.
• Hard Plastic: These are sometimes not as skin-friendly as silicone, but they are very low maintenance and easy to clean. Any soap or detergent that is safe for your body will also be safe for a hard plastic toy. This means that this kind of Rose toy might be a good choice if it will be shared among multiple partners.
• Jelly Rubber (PVC): We’re including jelly rubber on this list because some Rose toys are made of this material, and some people do like the way that they feel, but we cannot really recommend them. They are porous and this makes them difficult to clean completely, especially considering the complicated pattern of most Rose toys. If you do decide that you want a jelly rubber Rose toy, we advise using a specialized sex toy cleaner that is safe for this kind of material. Be extra sure that the toy is completely dry before putting it away, and check it over before each use.
• Glass: We love glass for sex toys. It feels great and it conducts body heat wonderfully. It’s also very easy to clean! Unfortunately, it’s not really possible to make a vibration/suction toy like a Rose with a glass body — but you can get a pretty little glass rose butt plug!

Storing Your Rose Toy

Cleaning your Rose toy is crucial, but it’s only one part of keeping your toy happy and healthy. Once it’s clean and dry, it needs to be stored away between adventures.

Inspect your Rose toy before putting it away. This is a last check to make sure that it’s completely clean. Also look for any scratches or signs of damage. You don’t want to discover these at an inopportune moment!

Charge your Rose toy before putting it in storage. Most sex toys have indicator lights to let you know when they are fully charged; the light may go from flashing to solid, or from red to green. It’s good practice to keep your tank full, so to speak.

The best way to store sex toys is in soft, lint-free fabric bags. This protects the toy against dust, which is especially important with a toy like the Rose that has places for dust to hide. It also protects against scratches, which again, can be an issue with Rose toys. You don’t want your toy to bump up against any of your other sex toys, because that could damage both toys! Keeping your toy in a storage bag also helps you keep track of the charging cable and any other accessories.

Make sure that your Rose toy is turned off, and engage the travel lock feature if your toy has it. Put it in its bag and put it in a safe place where children and pets can’t get to it. If you have a shared living space, we recommend keeping your toys (in their bags) in a locked chest or drawer.

A little care and maintenance ensures that your Rose toy will be ready to go the next time that you are!

happy vibing!

Sandra

Sandra studied nursing and sexual health and is named one of the world’s top 50 sexologists. She founded My Sex Toy Guide in 2016, where she and a team of experts write about relationships, LGBTQ topics, and other sexuality issues. She has been featured in Men’s Health, Wedding Wire, InsideHook, ThriveGlobal, and more.
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