By Thirdbase Wellness · Updated 17 August 2026 · 13 min read

Nobody buys a toy planning to replace it in eight months. Most people do anyway, and almost always for one of four reasons: the wrong lube, storing it damp, letting the battery sit flat for half a year, or leaving two silicone things touching in a drawer.

All four are avoidable in about ninety seconds of effort. Here's the whole thing — cleaning, charging, storing and when to actually give up on something — with the specifics rather than "keep it in a cool dry place."

The short answer

Wash with mild soap and warm water immediately after every use, dry it completely, and store it in something opaque and breathable — never sealed while damp. Water-based lube only. Charge it to about half before putting it away for a long stretch, and top it up every couple of months even if you're not using it. Keep silicone toys from touching each other.

Cleaning, by material

The single most common mistake is treating every toy the same. They aren't the same, and the differences matter.

Material	Porous?	How to clean	Boil?	Lifespan
Medical silicone	No	Mild soap, warm water, every time	Yes, 3–5 min — only if there's no motor	Years
Body-safe TPE	Yes	Mild soap and warm water, working into the texture	Never — heat damages it	Months to ~2 years
ABS plastic (handles, bases)	No	Damp cloth. Don't soak — it's usually where the electronics sit	No	Years
Glass	No	Soap and water, or boil	Yes	Indefinite unless chipped
Metal	No	Soap and water, or boil	Yes	Effectively forever

Rinse immediately, not later. Lube plus body warmth plus a textured surface is exactly the environment you don't want left sitting for two hours. This matters most for TPE, where the porous surface means anything left behind has somewhere to go.

What not to use, on anything: alcohol, acetone, bleach, antibacterial hand wash with heavy fragrance, or anything abrasive. Mild soap is genuinely enough, and harsh cleaners degrade surfaces far faster than use does.

What IPX6 actually means (and what it doesn't)

Almost every toy sold in India lists an IP rating and almost nobody explains it — which leads to people confidently dunking things that shouldn't be dunked.

The second digit is the water rating. What matters:

• IPX4 — splash resistant. Wipe it, don't rinse it.
• IPX6 — withstands powerful water jets. You can rinse it under a tap. You should not submerge it. This is where most of our range sits.
• IPX7 — survives immersion in up to a metre of water for thirty minutes. This is the "bath safe" rating.
• IPX8 — deeper or longer immersion, as specified by the maker.

So the practical rule for anything IPX6: rinse freely, never soak. The charging port is usually the weak point, and water sitting in it is how a perfectly good motor dies. Dry that area properly before charging.

Battery care — the part that actually kills toys

Every care guide says "charge it fully before storing." That advice is wrong for the lithium batteries in these products, and following it will shorten the life of your toy.

What lithium cells actually want:

• Store at roughly half charge, not full. Sitting at 100% for months puts the cell under constant stress. Around 50–60% is the comfortable resting state.
• Never store it flat. A fully drained lithium cell left for months can discharge past the point where it will accept a charge again. This is the most common way a toy simply stops working after a long gap.
• Top it up every two to three months even if you haven't used it. Ten minutes is plenty. This one habit is worth more than everything else on this page.
• Don't leave it on charge for days. Most units stop drawing current when full, but heat is what degrades cells and a charger left connected in a hot room isn't helping.
• Charge at room temperature. Not in direct sun, not next to anything warm.
• Dry the port first. Charging a damp magnetic contact is a good way to corrode it.

Most of our range charges in about 60 minutes and runs 100–150 minutes, so a top-up every couple of months costs you almost nothing and roughly doubles how long the battery stays healthy.

Storage

Three things ruin toys in storage: moisture, heat, and other toys.

The silicone problem nobody expects

Two silicone surfaces left in contact can react with each other, leaving both sticky, tacky or discoloured. It's a genuine chemical interaction, not dirt, and it can't be cleaned off once it's happened.

So: never leave silicone toys touching in a drawer. Each one in its own pouch, or separated by something. The same caution applies to older jelly and rubber items, which are even more reactive — if you own anything of unknown material, keep it well away from everything else.

Moisture, and the Indian problem

Humidity is a real constraint here in a way it isn't in the guides written for colder countries. Monsoon months in Mumbai, Chennai, Kochi or Kolkata will keep a bathroom cupboard damp for weeks.

• Never the bathroom. The single worst place, and the most popular one.
• Bone dry before it goes away. Inside and out. Damp storage is how TPE gets ruined and how anything develops a smell.
• Breathable, not airtight. A cotton pouch or a box beats a sealed zip bag, which traps any residual moisture against the surface.
• A silica gel sachet — the ones that come in shoe boxes and electronics — thrown into the storage box is genuinely effective during monsoon.
• Away from heat and sunlight. Not on a windowsill, not near the geyser, not in a car.

Discretion, if you need it

An opaque pouch inside something boring that's unambiguously yours — a laptop bag, a camera case, a toiletry kit. Avoid the bedside drawer, under the mattress and under the bed, all of which get checked routinely. If you live with family, our discretion guide covers the charger and delivery side too.

Quick reference

Item	Store it	Avoid
Silicone vibrator	Own pouch, dry, ~50% charge	Touching other silicone; storing flat
TPE stroker or plug	Completely dry, breathable pouch	Any moisture; sealed bags; heat
Glass or metal	Padded, so it can't knock	Hard surfaces, chipping
Lube	Cool, dark, cap closed	Heat and sunlight, which separate it
Charging cable	Separately from the toy	Leaving it attached in storage

Lube: the fastest way to ruin something

Worth its own section because it destroys more toys than everything else combined.

Water-based lube only with silicone and TPE. Silicone lube chemically bonds with silicone toys and degrades the surface — the damage is permanent and it happens on first contact. Oil-based lube damages TPE and is close to impossible to wash out of a porous surface.

Water-based works with every material and every condom. It dries out faster, which people treat as a drawback — but a few drops of water reactivates what's already there, so it isn't much of one.

If you own silicone lube for other purposes, keep it entirely separate and label it. One absent-minded evening is all it takes.

When to replace it

Nobody wants to hear this from a shop, so: these are not lifetime purchases, and pretending otherwise is how people end up using something they shouldn't.

Replace when:

• The surface turns sticky or tacky and washing doesn't fix it. That's the material breaking down.
• There's any tear, split or crack, however small. Broken surfaces harbour bacteria and can't be cleaned properly.
• It has changed colour or developed a smell that survives washing.
• The battery no longer holds charge, or the motor has weakened noticeably at full charge.
• You don't know what it's made of. If a product page never named the material, that's a good enough reason on its own.

Realistic expectations: TPE, months to a couple of years depending on use — it's a consumable and we'd rather say so. Silicone, years. Glass and metal, effectively indefinite. Batteries usually give out before the body does on anything motorised.

The ninety-second routine

1. Rinse with mild soap and warm water straight after use.
2. Pat dry, then leave it to air dry fully — inside and out.
3. Put it in its own pouch, not touching anything else.
4. Store somewhere dark, dry and not the bathroom.
5. Top the battery up every couple of months.

That's it. Everything else on this page is detail underneath those five steps.

Prices correct at the time of writing. Material named on every product page, and a 180-day warranty across the range.

What's next

If storage is really about privacy, discreet toys for anyone living with family covers noise, charging and delivery. For material questions before you buy, 12 sex toy myths has the silicone-versus-jelly comparison. And the stroker guide goes deeper on TPE care specifically.

Frequently asked questions

How do I clean a sex toy properly?

Mild soap and warm water immediately after every use, working into any texture, then dry completely before storing. Avoid alcohol, bleach, acetone and heavily fragranced soaps, which degrade surfaces faster than normal use does. Rinse straight away rather than leaving it for later.

Can I boil my sex toy?

Only if it's silicone, glass or metal with no motor in it — three to five minutes is enough. Never boil TPE, which heat damages, and never boil anything containing electronics. For motorised toys, soap and water is the correct method.

Does IPX6 mean waterproof?

Not fully. IPX6 means it withstands powerful water jets, so you can rinse it under a tap, but you should not submerge it. IPX7 is the immersion rating. The charging port is usually the weak point, so dry that area properly before charging.

Should I store my toy fully charged?

No — around half charge is better for the lithium cells these use. Sitting at 100% for months keeps the cell under stress, and storing it fully flat is worse still, since a deeply discharged cell may never accept a charge again. Top it up every two to three months.

Why did my toy stop charging after months unused?

Most likely it was stored flat and the lithium cell discharged past the point of recovery. It's the commonest way a perfectly good toy dies. Prevent it by storing at roughly half charge and giving it ten minutes on the charger every couple of months.

Can silicone toys be stored touching each other?

No. Two silicone surfaces left in contact can react chemically, leaving both sticky, tacky or discoloured, and it can't be cleaned off once it happens. Store each one in its own pouch. Older jelly and rubber items are even more reactive.

What lube is safe with silicone and TPE toys?

Water-based only. Silicone lube bonds with silicone and permanently degrades the surface on first contact, and oil-based lube damages TPE while being nearly impossible to wash out of a porous surface. Water-based is compatible with every material and with condoms.

Where should I store toys in a humid Indian climate?

Anywhere except the bathroom, which is the worst and most popular choice. Use a breathable cotton pouch rather than a sealed bag, keep it away from heat and sunlight, and add a silica gel sachet to the storage box during monsoon months.

How long should a sex toy last?

TPE lasts months to a couple of years and is genuinely a consumable. Silicone lasts years with sensible care. Glass and metal are effectively indefinite unless chipped. On motorised toys the battery usually gives out before the body does.

When should I throw a sex toy away?

When the surface turns sticky and washing doesn't fix it, when there's any tear or crack however small, when colour or smell changes and survives cleaning, or when the battery no longer holds charge. Also if you never knew what it was made of.

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We make sex toys, not diagnoses — this is a guide, not professional advice. For adults, obviously.