If you own a couple of sex toys, there are three things you might want to pay attention to, when you are storing these: discretion, accessibility and hygiene. After all, you don’t want them to be out there for everybody to see, but you do want to be able to get them quickly when you want to. And you want your toys to last for a long time, without getting dirty or brake. Read all you need to know about storing your favorite sex toys.

A tidy bedside table = a tidy head

With sex toys, it’s like with chocolate bonbons and cats: you can never get just one. Before you know it, you own a complete collection. And that’s awesome, because sex toys increase the fun, both solo and together with your partner(s). Certainly if you have kids, or room mates, or a cleaning lady, or a nosey mother in law, stowing your collection is something to give some more thought. And not just because of this. If you take good care of your toys, you can enjoy them for years, if not a lifetime.

Unfortunately, most sex toys come without a storage pouch. I’ve been annoyed by that for ages. Especially because more and more toys are supplied with a charging cord that only fits that one toy. Before you know it, your bedside table will be a tangle of toys and cords. Try finding the right cord for the right toy!

Tuck away, but just not too far

When you don’t want to run the risk that others will come across your toys, it is important you tuck them away. Just not too far away, because they should be within reach if you need them. As long as you have only one or two, you can easily store them in your night stand drawer, but once your collection starts to grow, you’ll need some more space.

When you start looking for storage solutions, keep in mind that you want to find your individual toys easily. A large deep treasure chest is never a good idea. Rather have shallow drawers with separate compartments.

Plastic bags are never a good idea. They often contain phtalates (softening agents) and not all materials can deal with that. Rather have storage materials such as wood, carton, or non fluffing cloth (like a bag with a string). As long as you don’t have too many toys, you might want to store them between your clothes or in the drawer of your underwear (providing that it is in close proximity of your bed). But even then it is recommended to put your toys in a box or bag, to prevent them from catching hair, dust or dirt.

When you have a wardrobe in your bedroom (I assume that is the place where you most likely use your sex toys), consider organizing part of that for your toys. At Ikea you can find great boxes of cloth with drawers or compartments. And if you, just like me, have a shoe fetish, you might also use the shoe boxes. They are inconspicuous and fit easily in, on, or under your closet.

Do-It-Yourself shops also sell great storage solutions. Think of tool boxes. This way, you have all your toys at hand and you can also grab them and take them with you, for instance when you are going on a date. Just be creative.

Fortunately, more and more toy manufacturers ship their toys with storage bags or boxes.

Storing toys of different materials

When you are looking for storage solutions for your sex toys, not only do you have to take discretion and accessibility into account, but also the different characteristics of your toys itself.

Jelly, rubber, venyl and PVC

These materials are generally seen as non body safe. Products made of jelly, PVC, venyl and rubber often contain phtalates and are above all porous, which makes them vulnerable for bacteria and yeast. When your toy has a strong chemical smell, it often means it contains substances that are not only bad for your health, but can also be harmful for other toys when you store them in a way they touch each other. You rather not buy these articles, but if you already have some, just keep them away from other toys. Put them separately in a fabric storage bag.

Thermoplastic elastomer (TPR)

TPR is a kind of rubber that is ‘sold’ as ‘realistic material. It is a mixture of plastic and rubber. It is less bad as jelly , but it still attracts dust and hair. That’s why it makes sense to keep these toys in a non fluffy fabric bag. Because these toys are generally soft, you should not store heavy objects on top of them, because that will deform your toy permanently.

Silicone

Until recently , it was said that toys made of silicone would have a chemical reaction if you placed them next to each other. Meanwhile, there are however high quality types of silicone available (like ‘medical grade’ silicone) that don’t have this issue. Read more about that here. If you really don’t now what type of silicone is used for your sex toy, keep it separate from other toys, just in case. A storage bag is never a bad idea for silicone toys, because they attract dust.

Glass, metal and wood

Toys made of these hard materials are great to use. They are perfectly safe and can not create any chemical reaction whatsoever. If you still want to take good care of these toys, make sure they cannot be scratched. Glass can also ‘chip’ if heavy objects fall on it. Always keep these toys in a box or in a bag made of thick fabric.

Your personal drug store

Toys really become fun if you use the right personal lube. But before you know it, you have a collection of bottles, flasks and tubes laying around in your drawer. Unfortunately, you can hardly prevent some of it leaking or accidentally opening. Put them in a plastic drawer, that you can clean, or in a fabric basket that is washable.

You might also have condoms, gloves, dental dams or other ‘safe sex’ articles. Keep these articles in preferably a cool, dark and dry place. Make sure it is easy to detect the expiration date. The same goes for erection pills or libido enhancers.

Storing BDSM toys

When you own BDSM toys, like a flogger, mask, rope, cuffs, collar, paddles, etc., it takes some extra care. Of course this is also depending on the type of material and its quality.

If you own floggers of lesser quality leather or synthetic materials, make sure the strands do not get folded. It could create folding lines, which not only makes your flogger ugly, but also useless. Best is to hang your flogger, for example at the inside of a closet door at the loop that is sometimes at the handle.

Paddles are easy to store. Just make sure there are no sharp objects that could scratch them. Some paddles can be hanged (next to your flogger), but you might also just lay them in a box or drawer.

Articles with belts and buckles, such as collars and cuffs, should be stored untied. With that I mean that you take the belts from the buckles. This will keep your material from getting some ‘memory line’.

Gags are best kept in a storage bag, because you wouldn’t want dust and hairs getting attached to it. Nevertheless, you should always wash it before use anyhow. You don’t want dust or hairs getting in your mouth.

Do you have suggestions or ideas for storing sex toys? Please put them in the comments below.