How long do viruses surive on sex toys?

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Hi,
I have some weird fears. They prevent me from buying toys.
I have been to shops and looked at toys. Most are wrapped in a way which makes it possible to take them out without breaking anything.
Every trimmer or razor machine today is wrapped better in a way which makes it really hygienic and impossible to take it out without breaking anything,
Why are sex toys not wrapped in such a way?

I know these fears may appear strange but just think about it. What if someone bought a toy online, tested it and then put it back and refunded it and the
seller thinks it's unused and sells it again? This is crazy.

That's why I'm scared of toys.

Welcome to A2A, lilstu.

It depends on the virus and the surface, but it may be hours or days or a few weeks. See for example http://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/how-long-do-bacteria-and-viruses-live-outside-the-body.aspx

Often, though the DNA of the virus is still there, if it has dried out it is unlikely to be infectious.

Wow that is really scary.

I talked about this on another forum and people made fun of my worries and acted like washing a toy with soap and water would be enough.
How silly is this? I mean imagine the case that a toy really has been used before and someone had it in his vagina or ass and this person has an STD then
washing with soap is totally useless.
In this case you needed a real medical desinfection spray but these sprays usually are harsh and toys made of plastic probably would get damaged.
I guess in this case sex toys are simply too risky for me.

I wouldn't say that washing with soap and water is useless. I think in most cases it would effectively remove viruses. If you want something stronger, mild bleach or alcohol will each remove viruses very effectively.

But toys which are made of plastic like vibrators probably also don't tolerate bleach or alcohol. There are special "toy cleaners" but they only remove bacteria they do not kill viruses
like real medical desinfection sprays.

Nearly all plastics will tolerate diluted bleach.

But how do I know how much bleach I need to kill viruses and how long it has to be in the bleach?

And where do you buy bleach? I mean are there different strengths of bleach in the supermarket?

Any bleach from the, grocery store can be used as a disinfectant. Carefully add 1 part of bleach to 10 parts of water. Even easier is to purchase the disinfectant wipes.

I have never seen desinfectant wipes with bleach. I'm not sure if we have them here.
There are wipes which they contain alcohol.

And how long would you have to soak the toy in the bleach to kill viruses?

Bleach is very quick. Just a wipe or a quick rinse should do it.

@lilstu = In the US, we have them made by several different manufacturers. Try the cleaning aisle of your grocery store. If you have them. that's where they would be.

You mean it kills viruses that quickly? Are you sure?

Cause the medical disinfection sprays which I have at home for example say on the instructions that it takes at least 30 seconds or more to kill viruses.
This would mean that bleach is even stronger than these medical sprays.

Bleach is commonly used as a disinfectant. Wiping an item down with a bleach solution, and then letting it dry, should take care of your worries.

@lilstu Bleach is powerful stuff!

But is bleach all the same in all countries? I mean what if the bleach in America is different from the bleach in Europe?
Do I need a certain strength or concentration? And do you need to wear glasses and gloves to protect yourself?

Anytime you handle a corrosive chemical (like acid, bleach, or drain cleaner) you want to be careful not to get it on you. Safety glasses and proper gloves are a good idea.

But if bleach is corrosive then will it not also damage glass dildos?

Btw, I emailed the company which makes the glass dildos and asked them wether I can disinfect them with medical disinfectant and these
idiots didnt even reply. This doesn't make a good impression. Why wouldnt they reply?Do they have something to hide?

I just thought of something.

In a youtube video the chick said you can boil the dildos.

Would boiling them also kill viruses like HIV etc? I wonder if this has been tested and if yes how long and how hot you'd have to boil an object.

I think boiling would be effective, but you might have to boil for ten minutes.

Why exactly 10 minutes? I mean do we clearly know how long you'd have to boil something to kill viruses?

I also read on a website that you could rub the glass dildos with bleach but this website was only a website which sells these toys it's not
the manufacturer. Now I'm not sure what would be best. Bleach, medical disinfectants or boiling.

My concern is what if I for example soak the glass dildo in alcohol or bleach or boil it and then the surface somehow gets damaged or absorbs
the chemicals and when I then stick it in my ass it could leech chemicals. I don't know how likely this is.