Hygiene Guide — AdryX Créations

Caring for your accessories means caring for your practice.

The hygiene of a BDSM accessory is not a constraint. It's a condition of pleasure and safety. No theatrics, no moralising: facts, protocols, materials. This guide covers all the materials used in practice, organised around three key moments: before the session, during it (particularly at multi-partner parties), and the next day.

Before the session — arrive ready

Every accessory must arrive clean, dry and inspected. This is not the moment to clean: it's too late.

Check the physical integrity of each piece: no frayed fall, no barb broken into an unintended sharp point, no rust, no visible residue.
Accessories stored without being cleaned after the last session must not leave their pouch.
Provide separate bags or pouches for clean accessories and those that have been used — mixing them after a party is the main source of oversights.

During a party — several partners, same accessory

This is the most demanding scenario hygienically. The basic rule: anything that comes into contact with a person's skin or fluids must be decontaminated before moving on to another person.

Whips, floggers, paddle — leather or paracord

Leather and paracord are porous materials. They cannot be disinfected between two partners within a reasonable time during a party. The realistic options:

One accessory per person: the simplest and safest solution. Each bottom brings or is assigned a dedicated accessory for the party.
Single-use or party-dedicated accessory: some practitioners keep a "party" flogger separate from their personal gear, which they accept will degrade faster from repeated cleaning.

If a fall touches blood, even minimally: this accessory is out of service for the party, whoever the next person is. Blood in a porous material cannot be removed by dry means.

On disinfectant sprays between two sessions

You often see practitioners spray an alcohol solution (ethanol ≥ 70%) on a whip between two rounds. Here's what it's really worth:

70% alcohol is effective against the vast majority of bacteria and enveloped viruses (HSV, HIV, hepatitis B and C) on a non-porous, smooth surface — a metal or hard-plastic handle, that holds up. Two important limits to know:

On leather or rope: alcohol does not penetrate deep into the fibres. It sanitises the surface but not the inside, where blood or secretions may have seeped in.
Alcohol is partially inactivated by organic matter (blood, serum, pus). On a soiled surface, you must first remove the visible matter with a clean cloth before applying the alcohol — without this step, effectiveness is significantly reduced.
Untreated leather can be damaged by repeated alcohol (drying out, weakening of the fibres).

In the case of broken skin (welts, micro-cuts, bleeding), the risk level rises and a simple spray between two sessions is not enough to guarantee decontamination on a porous material.

Conclusion: alcohol between two rounds is better than nothing, and the gesture shows an awareness of the risk. On a leather whip with blood contact, it does not disinfect reliably. The reassuring effect exists, and it is not entirely deserved.

Stainless steel — barbed wire, cilices, blades

316L steel can be disinfected effectively between two users, even at a party:

First remove the visible organic matter: wipe with a clean cloth or a dry pad. This step is essential — alcohol is inactivated by blood and secretions.
Apply 70% isopropyl or ethyl alcohol over the whole surface.
Leave to act for at least 30 seconds, let it air-dry before use.
In case of contact with blood: contact time 1 minute, complete drying.

Hard plastic, ABS, resin — claws, points, clamps, handles

Non-porous material: complete disinfection is possible, provided the protocol is followed.

First wipe off visible residue: clean cloth or dry wipe.
Wipe soaked in 70% alcohol, or spray + clean cloth. Contact time: 30 seconds.
In case of contact with blood or fluids: 1 minute of contact, rinse if possible before drying.
Inspect claws and points during the party: a chipped point or a bent claw becomes a risk of unintentional cutting.

Candles — wax and burns

The candle poses a different issue: it's not the accessory that gets contaminated, it's the wax dripped onto the skin.

Never drip wax onto skin with open wounds, micro-cuts or irritation — even minor ones.
Solidified wax comes off without force: wait until it is completely cold, then gently peel it away. Never scrape irritated skin.
After use: remove wax residue from the play surface to avoid slips.

The next day — full care

This is the moment for real cleaning. Not when you come home exhausted at 3 a.m. — the next day, with a rested mind.

Leather (floggers, falls, handles)

Wipe with a damp cloth (warm water, no harsh soap).
If there has been contact with heavy sweat, blood or fluids: clean with a very diluted Marseille soap or a mild leather cleaner, wipe with a clean cloth, and leave to dry flat in the open air — never in full sun, never near a heat source.
Never immerse leather.
Once dry: apply a conditioner (beeswax, lanolin, neatsfoot oil) if the leather looks dry or dull. Care every 2 to 3 months is enough with regular use.

Leather that has been in contact with blood cannot be fully disinfected. For repeated shared use, prefer a non-porous material or accept a dedicated accessory per practitioner.

Paracord

The first question to ask: is my rope wax-treated? The cleaning protocol differs depending on whether the paracord is raw or paraffin-treated. If you don't know how your accessory was made, ask the maker — it's essential information, not a detail.

Hand-wash in warm water with mild soap.
Rinse thoroughly, dry completely in the open air before storage — a rope stored damp will grow mould.
In case of contact with blood: soak in a bleach solution diluted to 1% active chlorine, 10 minutes, rinse thoroughly, dry. The rope will be slightly discoloured but surface-decontaminated.

Practical note on dilution: Commercial bleach usually comes at 2.6% or 9.6% active chlorine. To obtain 1%: dilute a 2.6% bleach almost equally (1 volume of bleach to 1.6 volumes of water), or a 9.6% bleach at 1/9. Use cold water — heat degrades the active chlorine.

As with leather, the porosity of the fibres limits any certainty of deep decontamination.

Special case: paraffin-wax-treated paracord

Many paracord accessories are dipped in paraffin wax during manufacture — for rigidity, finish, and hold. This treatment changes things hygienically.

Paraffin is hydrophobic: it repels water. A bleach solution, being water-based, does not pass through the wax coating to reach the fibres underneath. Soaking is therefore largely ineffective on a treated rope — the solution beads on the surface instead of penetrating.

This creates a paradox: the paraffin blocks the outer pores (which seems positive), but if blood or fluids seep between the strands on impact, they end up trapped under the wax, inaccessible to any water-based disinfectant. 70% alcohol can clean the waxed surface, but it is a partial solvent of paraffin — repeated use degrades the treatment.

Conclusion: a paraffin-treated rope is even less disinfectable than raw paracord. The "one accessory per person" rule is absolute here. In case of blood contact, the accessory is taken out of service — no exception.

316L stainless steel

Rinse in warm water, mild soap, rinse.
Careful drying — no risk of rust on 316L, but water stagnating in the crevices of buckles or barbs leaves limescale deposits.
Full disinfection if not done the day before: 70% isopropyl or ethyl alcohol, after wiping off any residual organic matter.

Autoclave sterilisation: this is the absolute ideal for anything that may come into contact with blood, and the only way to achieve total decontamination (121 °C or 134 °C, pressurised steam). In practice, very few practitioners have access to it. Reserve it for cases where the context truly justifies it (intense practice, multiple partners, edge play). For regular personal use, 70% alcohol with prior cleaning and rigorous contact time is amply sufficient.

Plastic, ABS, resin

Clean with soapy water, rinse, dry.
Disinfection: 70% alcohol after removing visible residue.
Inspect claws and points: plastic that has taken knocks may have micro-cracks that trap organic residue. If a piece is chipped or cracked, it can no longer be properly disinfected — replace it.

Candles

Remove solidified wax residue from the holder or candlestick.
Charred wick too long: trim to 5 mm before the next use to avoid uncontrolled splatter and excessive soot.
A BDSM practice candle is not a decorative candle: check that it hasn't been contaminated by residue that fell into it during the session.

Summary

Material	Disinfection between partners	Next-day cleaning	Shared use
Leather	✗ Impossible at a party	Leather cleaner + conditioner	Dedicated accessory per person
Paracord	✗ Impossible at a party	Wash + complete drying	Dedicated accessory per person
316L steel	✓ Wipe + 70% alcohol (1 min if blood)	Water + soap + alcohol	Yes, after full disinfection
Plastic / ABS	✓ Wipe + 70% alcohol (1 min if blood)	Water + soap + alcohol	Yes, after full disinfection
Candle	— (single-use in effect)	Wick + residue	One candle per session

A word about the skin

Caring for the accessory goes hand in hand with caring for the skin. Inspect the contact areas after each session: persistent redness, micro-cuts, irritation. Aqueous chlorhexidine (0.05% to 2%) is an excellent skin antiseptic for cleaning a wound or a scratch after a session — it is gentle on the skin and broad-spectrum. It does not replace alcohol for disinfecting instruments, but it has its full place in aftercare.

A clean accessory on irritated skin is still a risk. Aftercare applies to the gear too.

Above all — the person

The gear can wait. The person cannot.

Before putting anything away, before cleaning a single accessory, absolute priority goes to the person who received the session. Even with no visible injury, even if everything went exactly as planned: you take the time. You look. You touch. You ask.

A pass with a disinfectant wipe, an alcohol-soaked compress, an attentive look at the contact areas — it's one minute, not a medical protocol. It's part of the experience just as much as what came before. Aftercare is the continuation of the session, not its administrative epilogue.

The accessories can wait until the next day. A person, never.

One last thing.

At AdryX, we make toys. We are neither sexologists, nor doctors, nor specialised educators. This guide recalls the basics — the materials, the gestures, the priorities — because we believe that equipping yourself well includes knowing how to care for what you use.

To go further — advanced practices, risk prevention, support — there are people and associations specialised in sexual health and BDSM practice. We sincerely encourage you to consult them. It's not our role to replace them.

AdryX Créations — Made to last. Cared for to continue.