Can you get an STI from a used sex toy ?
Do you mean when sharing a toy during sex, or when buying a used toy ?
Good news - time can be on your side when you´re buying a used one.
¨…most pathogens that cause STDs cannot live outside of the human body for very long without deteriorating. Once bacteria and viruses start to break down, they are no longer able to infect human beings…¨
Source: www.human.com.sg
Buying vs. Sharing
Buying a sex toy second hand is quite a new thing, so most of the current answers you read online are all about the risks of sharing a toy in the heat of the moment during a sex session, not about buying one second-hand – one that has been cleaned first, disinfected or sterilized, and then packaged up, and sent by post to you.
Everyone has an opinion, or an agenda.
If you ask everyone, you´ll get answers all the way from a yes depending to a no depending. And still, you´re none the wiser, really. Believe me, we have circled the internet and asked around – everyone has an opinion, or an agenda!
And are you even asking the right questions ? This article is about buying a used sex toy, and we´ve used the officials and experts to provide the answers, but if you want to know what they say about the risks of sharing one during sex, jump to the answer here. We have a couple of blog posts that might be useful – What makes a sex toy body-safe, and an FAQ covering some of the more common questions.
Myth vs. Fact
In the great echo chamber that is the internet, some detail gets lost, and a general opinion just hangs around with no real purpose. And we´re left asking – are the risks actually real any more, or just perceived ? When discussing this very subject, verywellhealth.com states the difference for us.
¨A perceived (or theoretical) risk is one that is based on belief rather than fact and persists despite the unlikeliness of the event ever occurring. By contrast, a documented (or actual) risk is based on statistical evidence of something actually occurring. Where a perceived risk is about theory, a documented risk is about the fact.¨
Source: verywellhealth.com
We all take risks with germs every day, and more when we go to public places, to hospitals, or have any invasive procedures. So the medical community have this covered, and are monitoring it all the time. Like a dog with a bone, we were determined to get to the facts.
Ask the right questions. Get the full story. Listen to the experts.
If we´re all grown-up enough to play with sex toys, we need to get practical about this really important subject.
We´ll get right down to the nitty-gritty here, with some really specific questions, to see what the medical specialists, the official government or health organisations say about this.
This answer tells us first, that if you´re buying one, use TIME to be on the safe side.
Question: How Long Can STD Viruses or Bacteria Survive Outside the Body?
Answer: ¨Most STDs cannot survive for very long outside of the human body. Let’s look through some common sexually transmitted diseases and take note of how long each can survive without a human host.
Chlamydia: This STD can only survive outside of a human body for two or three hours. Since it requires particularly humid conditions and can’t live for long without a host, it’s unlikely that chlamydia could spread via contact with clothing or other surfaces.
Gonorrhea: The gonorrheal bacteria can only survive for a few minutes without a human host, so it’s extremely unlikely for gonorrhea to spread through contact with affected surfaces or shared clothing.
Hepatitis B: The Hep B virus can survive for as long as a week without a human host. During this time, a non-infected person can contract this disease.
Hepatitis C: The Hep C virus can actually live for up to three weeks without a human host, as long as the environment is hospitable to it (around room temperature). This disease is among the easiest to contract without the need for sexual contact between an infected and non-infected person.
HIV: The HIV virus cannot survive very long without a human host and the ability to reproduce. After minutes or hours, HIV will die on an inanimate surface.
Syphilis: This disease can only survive for very brief periods of time outside of the human body. Syphilis most commonly spreads through direct sexual contact.
HPV: Human papillomavirus cannot survive for very long outside of a host, so it’s nearly impossible to contract this disease from contact with a toilet seat or similar surface.
Source: Rapidstdtesting.com
Let´s go deeper – take any risk away – make it clean and sterile
Why ? Because the right cleaning, disinfecting or sterilizing can get rid of any possible germs too. So, even we´ve looked at sexually transmitted infections / diseases, and how the experts say you can kill them off surfaces. Remember always clean first, then sanitize, then disinfect, then sterilize. Also, remember that toys made of non-porous materials ( e.g. silicone, glass, metal ) will be easier to clean thoroughly. You can jump to our HOW TO CLEAN A USED SEX TOY post for more details.
Shop simply | Search easily | Buy securely | Delivered discreetly
and grab yourself a bargain !
How to avoid getting germs from a sex toy.
1. Know the possible STIs. Face it, even if the risk is tiny.
2. Learn how long they last outside the human body.
3. Discover what kills them ( if time has not already done the job for you ).
What are the STIs / STDs ?
The two terms tend to be used interchangeably but one stands for ´sexually transmitted infection´ and the other stands for ´sexually transmitted disease´. Let´s name them.
¨STDs can include bacterial, viral and parasitic infection. Bacterial STDs include chlamydia, gonorrhoea, and syphilis. Viral STDs include HIV, genital herpes, genital warts (HPV), and hepatitis B. Trichomoniasis is caused by a parasite.
The germs that cause STDs hide in semen, blood, vaginal secretions, and sometimes saliva. Most of the organisms are spread by vaginal, anal, or oral sex, but some, such as those that cause genital herpes and genital warts, may be spread through skin contact. One can get hepatitis B by sharing personal items, such as toothbrushes or razors, with someone who has it.¨
Source: doctorxdentist.com
BACTERIAL :
This type of germ lasts the shortest time, but washing your sex toys with warm water and unscented soap, or with a specific sex toy cleaner, then rinsed and air dried is good practice to keep your toy clean here.
Chlamydia
Chlamydia
How long it can last outside the body.
¨It can survive on surfaces for 2-3 hours under humid conditions.¨
SOURCE: Govt of Canada (Pathogen Safety Data Sheets: Infectious Substances: Chlamydia trachomatis)
Gonorrhoea (the clap)
How long it can last outside the body.
¨It cannot live outside the body for more than a few seconds or minutes.¨
Source: Medecinenet.com
Syphilis
How long it can last outside the body.
¨It can survive only briefly outside of the body; thus, transmission almost always requires direct contact with the infectious lesions.¨
Source: Intechopen book on the STI fundamentals
VIRAL :
This type of germ can last longer so level 2 or preferably a level 3 disinfectants or sterilization like bleach seems to be the way to get rid of these. Read on for the detail and references.
HIV
HIV
HOW LONG IT LASTS OUTSIDE THE BODY
¨In general, the virus doesn’t live long once it’s outside of a human body. Studies show that HIV grown in the lab, when placed on a surface, loses most of its ability to infect — 90% to 99% — within several hours.¨
SOURCE: webmd.com
¨Under specific conditions, HIV can survive outside of the body for hours or even days if the temperature, humidity, UV exposure, and pH balance are all just right. It is a very unusual set of conditions but one that is, in fact, possible. ¨
¨Unless all of these conditions are satisfied, an HIV infection simply cannot occur¨
SOURCE: verywellhealth.com
HOW TO GET RID OF IT ON A SEX TOY
Use a level 2 (intermediate) or 3 (high level) disinfectant.
¨EPA-registered tuberculocidal disinfectants are best for cleaning surfaces contaminated with blood.
Disinfectants that kill the bacteria that cause tuberculosis can also kill HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C viruses.¨
Source: cdc.gov
( Note: there are 3 levels of disinfectants – the one referred to here are level 2 / intermediate level.)
“The EPA has a web site listing all EPA-registered tuberculocides and disinfectants that are effective against HIV and HBV.”
Source: infectioncontroltoday.com
HBV
HBV
Also known as Hep-B
HOW LONG IT LASTS OUTSIDE THE BODY
¨Can vibrators and sex toys spread hepatitis? That’s possible, because the hepatitis B virus can survive outside the body for a week or more. Immersing the vibrator in boiling water may reduce the risk.19 Jun 2020
SOURCE: webmd.com
HOW TO GET RID OF IT ON A SEX TOY
¨Bleach is a wonderful disinfectant, and effectively kills HBV, and other pathogens.¨
Source: hebB.org
(Note: This source also goes on to tell you exactly how to perform the bleaching operation !)
¨EPA-registered tuberculocidal disinfectants are best for cleaning surfaces contaminated with blood.5Disinfectants that kill the bacteria that cause tuberculosis can also kill HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C viruses.¨
Source: cdc.gov
¨The CDC recommendation for high-level disinfection of HBV-, HCV-, HIV- or TB-contaminated devices is appropriate because experiments have demonstrated the effectiveness of high-level disinfectants to inactivate these and other pathogens that might contaminate semicritical devices.¨
Source: cdc.gov
HSV
HSV
Also known as genital herpes.
HOW LONG HSV LASTS OUTSIDE THE BODY
¨SURVIVAL OUTSIDE HOST: HSV virus survives for short periods of time outside the host 3. It can survive on dry inanimate surfaces (survival ranges from few hours to 8 weeks). They survive longer at lower humidity 14¨
Source: Canada public health services
HOW TO GET RID OF HSV ON A SEX TOY
Ethyl alcohol, at concentrations of 60%–80%, is a potent virucidal agent inactivating all of the lipophilic viruses (e.g., herpes, vaccinia, and influenza virus).
Source: CDC
HPV
HPV
Also known as genital warts, or Papillomavirus.
How long HPV lasts outside the body
¨HPV is resistant to heat and drying, and is able to survive on inanimate objects, such as clothing and laboratory equipment, that have come into contact with infected patients. The precise survival time is unknown, however. HPV has been shown to retain infectivity even after dehydration for 7 days (Roden et al., 1997).Sep 29, 2016¨
How to get rid of HSV on a sex toy
3 references showing that bleach or other level 3 disinfectants will do the job.
” It is resistant to drying and heat and able to survive on clothing and laboratory equipment although exact survival time is unknown. HPV is susceptible to a variety of disinfectants including “… 90% ethanol for at least 1 minute, 2% glutaraldehyde, 30% Savlon [chlorhexidine gluconate and cetrimide], and/or 1% sodium hypochlorite can disinfect the pathogen….”
Source: pediatriceeducation.org
¨ A follow up study showed that high concentration sonicated hydrogen peroxide was an effective disinfection to deactivate HPV on ultrasound probes
Source: ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
“Unless bleach or autoclaving is used in the hospital setting, human papillomavirus is not being killed,” said Craig Meyers.
Source: news.psu.edu research article
PARASITE :
“Trichomoniasis is the most common non-viral sexually transmitted disease (STD) in the world. Most people call the condition trich. Its name comes from the parasite Trichomonas vaginalis that causes the disease.” Quote from source: Clevelandclinic.org
Trichomoniasis ( Trich )
HOW LONG IT LASTS
Trichomoniasis parasites are very sensitive to drying, but can survive for several hours in various body fluids or on moist objects such as sponges or towels. Source: http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/dhsp/Trich.htm
Symptoms can come and go, but without treatment. The infection can last for months or even years according to CDC.gov. Once you’re infected, you can give trich to someone else through intercourse, anal or oral sex and even genital touching (skin-to-skin contact without ejaculation).
¨In rare cases, it may also be possible to get trich from contact with personal items, such as a wet towel, that a person with trich has just used. The trich parasite cannot live on objects for long, so it isn’t usually spread this way.¨
SOURCE: cigna.com
HOW TO GET RID OF TRICH
In rare cases, it can go away on it’s own but this isn’t ‘normal’ so it’s best to get it treated.
It’s usually treated quickly and easily with specific antibiotics that can kill the parasite off. NHS UK has a good article on it here.
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