You won’t believe what happened to these silicone sex toys after 5 months in a jar!
When I continue to see people warning others that their silicone sex toys need to be stored in separate containers, I get a little twitchy. I mean sure, it won’t hurt, but it’s not necessary. We need to reassure people that silicone is 100% safe, not scare them with false facts! Cured silicone is pretty damn stable! So to help me prove my point, months ago I cut up some pure silicone sex toys and put them in a mason jar, just like I’d done with a bunch of TPR/PVC toys. I let this closed jar of toy bits sit in the one room of my two-story house that is not air-conditioned. It got pretty hot up there this summer! Even without the benefit of heat, though, my first jar full of gross sex toys had a reaction. I never had to subject it to heat. Those toys reacted to each other because the oil-based chemicals that help soften them also kill them – as one toy started to break down, the oils from it would be the catalyst to starting a nearby material to break down and it gathered like a snowball rolling down a bank. Yet I wanted to put the silicone sex toys to harsh conditions, to dissuade anyone from having a doubt.
To clear up confusion: as I mentioned above and will show below, yes, I had to cut up most of these into smaller pieces. I do not own a huge glass jar nor do I have room for one . Cutting the sex toy into pieces doesn’t affect the results (in either jar).
So how did we get here? Why do some still think that silicone can have the same reaction as TPR/PVC/Jelly? Because just a few short years ago many of the big-name manufacturers were trying to scam us, and would call something silicone that was absolutely not silicone. We still see this here and there, but not nearly to the degree of past years. Screaming O is a big offender, their cheapie disposable (crystal clear, burns like a damn oil lamp) vibrating cock rings are labeled as silicone or some weird creative “silicone elastomer” fake material name. And so, because these toys were falsely labeled as “silicone” and they were in fact a very unstable, gross material…..they had reactions. But pure silicone will not.
To ensure variety, I included three types of Tantus silicone – a cross-section from an O2 dildo, a portion of firm silicone from the Flex and the Panty Play which is made overseas and is a silky-soft silicone. Oh and part of a Protouch, I’m not sure if that’s the same silicone as the Flex or not. There’s a portion of a very inexpensive CalExotics toy; I don’t remember the name of it, it seems to be discontinued. I did flame test it though, and it passed. Also included is a piece of a Doc Johnson silicone dildo that is very cheap; it too passed the flame test.
It’s been 5 months….what will we find?
Want some updated photos of the Original Jar of Horrors? There’s been some activity! Gravity? Further decomposing? Using the markings on the jar I can point out what’s happened. When you view the original photos you can see that the bright blue thing (a masturbation sleeve) once was mostly above the Ball logo. And there’s a dark purple bit, that used to be partially behind the Ball logo on the lower half. There also appears to be a lot of liquid but it’s a slow-moving heavy oily liquid. I can’t tell just how much material has settled at the bottom of the jar so I don’t know how much displacement there is with the liquid or if there’s more liquid….or just a changing landscape of melty TPR.
Eugh. /shudders violently at that TPR jar
Can I ask if you’ve ever tried this sort of thing with VixSkin? I noticed a few times last summer that mine left an oily-looking damp patch in the paper-lined box that I store it in… No visible melting of the toy itself, but I’m storing it on its own, now.
Nope, I didn’t have Vixskin at the time I made the jar. That said, I’ve never noticed anything with the two I do have now.
*laughs* I like your tone in that video. XD I’m curious are you going to keep that jar hanging around for the really hard to convince people?
Good point, I probably will, yes. Not like I can do anything else with those bits and pieces, lol.
I’ve actually never experienced this “damp spot” thing, not with any of the many silicone toys I have. What brands do you have that have done this? If I know the brands I can ask some of my contacts what might be the cause.
Oh! Thank you so much, Ress — that is super helpful! I’ll try dusting it over with corn starch (and washing it off, of course) to see if I can absorb up the rest of whatever it is. :)
i was just wonder if have done bad dragon sex toys ? if so please tell me
I only made one jar, the one in this post, so no. I don’t own Bad Dragon items, but many other bloggers do, so hopefully someone can reassure you. I don’t see why it would be a problem, since they are a high quality silicone.
I’m just sad that you cut up Tantus toys. :(
I do like that you did the experiment though!
If it makes you feel any better, one was sent to me specifically for experimentation, it didn’t pass QC (the Cush) and the other two were butt toys that I had no use for, and nobody else had wanted them. IN THE NAME OF SCIENCE THEY DIED A GOOD DEATH. :)
Re: this “oily” residue people talk about: I asked Jenna formerly of Tantus, who I consider to be an invaluable resource on many things material related, due to her experience at Tantus and all of the Tantus toy owners she spoke to her in time there, and this is what she had to say:
Me: Have you ever heard of an oily “residue” on the Tantus super soft toys?
Jenna: No. Not once they’re washed. Although lube residues are fairly common. I saw it a lot with people who used oil based lubes, particularly with folks who use boiling as the preferred method. Oils polymerize at high heat, so lots of times people would boil, the oil would float up to the top of the pot but then stick to the toy again when it was pulled out.
This is why I love dishwashers….
It’s similar to the way cast-iron pans get seasoned – oils get sticky & plasticky when heated. That said – I don’t know that it would be enough to soak into a brown paper bag like was mentioned. And I had toys on my bookshelf forever on paper and nothing ever leached.
I’d also like to note that I’ve sent off an email to Vixen and Bad Dragon, who hopefully will respond with more information.
I’ll also be testing out my two Vixskin dildos on paper to see if I spot an oily residue. neither has been boiled. One of them has been nestled next to a standard Vixen item for a few months now, hanging out in the same pocket of my shoe-tree-sex-toy-holder, with zero “activity”.
thank you
Also, did you notice the oily residue before or after you boiled, and what lube do you use?
Thanks for the update Lilly, the posts about oily silicone toys was getting a bit unnerving. You said you don’t boil so I’m assuming you use bleach to sanitize instead?
Also I’ve never boiled before but for those who do perhaps tipping the top layer of water out (and hopefully the oil with it) before getting out the toy would help. If you did this while the water is still hot and the oil hasn’t had the chance to really settle on the top yet, it might make it even easier. Just an idea. :)
Just think of it as proof in the making. XD Thanks for sharing. :)
As someone who owns a few Bad Dragon toys (along with Exotic Erotics, Frisky Beast, Damn Average, Beast Lab and Gespent’s Fantasy Gear toys) and stores them all together in a box together I can attest that there are no reactions between any of my toys.
OK, that makes me feel a little better then. ;)
Another Update: I’ve now heard back from both Vixen and Bad Dragon.
The general consensus is that they say their soft silicones are not going to react when stored with other high-quality platinum-cured silicones but both companies are also taking a “better safe than sorry” route and saying to store alone. Both have said that the super soft silicones are basically sweating something akin to silicone lube and it’s completely body-safe and won’t harm anybody.
I’ve got one comment of someone with Bad Dragon silicone that has been stored with other quality silicones, and no reactions. I’ve got a Vixen Vixskin right now tied in a bundle next to Evolved Novelties silicone and a Tantus silicone to see if anything happens. So far, nothing has happened.
I did put my Vixskin in a cardboard box and did notice a bit of a “damp spot” now finally, but the dildos look fine and feel fine.
I have a feeling that they’re being overly cautious, which is fine, that’s what we do these days with warnings and whatnots. I think that they could potentially harm non-silicone toys and that it’s possible that when a customer said “this melted my silicone toy” said customer didn’t know their dildo wasn’t truly silicone. Just a hunch.
Vixskin IS a bit softer than Tantus O2, so would have a little more of the lube-like silicone in it. I’ve never seen the Tantus O2 sweat and of course it didn’t melt any other silicones in the jar.
Cutting up the dildos. For science!
I’ve gotten the “damp spot” or “grease stain” effect from many of the incredibly soft shore silicones- the outer layer of VixSkin (or the Mr. Right which is pretty much solid that bit), Bad Dragon’s 1-5, and a few others. It’s due to the high volume of silicone oils.
I have experienced storing VixSkin touching a Fuze dildo to create “swelling” points similar to what I showed you on a Tantus Ryder a few years ago (which had been caused by silicone lube). I’ve never experienced these items “sweating” though. I believe I have a photo of the swelling marks on the Fuze dildo, I’ll see if I can dig them up.
I’ve got a little bundle of silicone going on right now to see if anything happens, a Vixskin a Tantus and an Evolved, where the Vixskin is touching them both. So far, nothing is going on, but I’ll leave them like that for a month.
Did the swelling on the Fuze go down or was it permanent?
Permanent. I’d chucked them all into the sink to wash (not after use but after being dumped out on the floor to rummage/show/lend shit, so no lube in play here) and didn’t get around to going to wash them for about a week or so, at which point I had more things which needed washing so I moved it all into the tub. Spotted the swelling points from where the Fuze had lay wedged between two VixSkins then. There is some Deep Science, deeper than that which I go into in my silicone guide, which is involved here. Email me and I can explain it to you. Cliffs notes is: it has to do with the chemistry of the two specific samples of silicone that are in contact. There are (obviously) different recipes for making platinum silicone, so not all will react the same in the same environs.
I *do* store most of my silicone jumbled together in bins, but the softer stuff I do bag up rather than just toss it it, largely in part to the varying chemistry of stuff in my bins, and also because these softer silicones are more prone to friction or pull-tear damage anyhow.
I’ve been informed that the “damp spot” is nothing to be concerned of, is nothing more than silicone lube and I’ve been told this by more than 1 silicone manufacturer. Even Metis Black. I’d say they’re safe, but take caution on storage.
They are, I don’t think there’s cause for worry
I advise to keep silicone toys in separate storage bags, to keep their life a little longer. As I see below, some people have noticed a ‘wet spot’, I’ve had this with the softer silicone products. Plus keeping them in dust type bags, helps keep them a little cleaner. Ye, I do keep my toys clean but I’m also a stickler for not letting dust settle. Good article
thank you
Thank you for doing this. I’ve been away from regular sex blog reading for about 3 years. I still wondered until today if my real silicone is safe in storage touching.
My favorite use of click bait title ever. Also, i don’t watch a lot of videos so I don’t recall hearing your voice before buut i love it!