Soft material in 18+ articles: TPE cleaning, drying, powdering, and storage
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by Verpakkingdeals.nl
6 min reading time
Soft materials like TPE require different maintenance than glass or silicone. Here's how to clean, dry, powder, and store skin-like 18+ products, and which lubricants are suitable.
A hard material item will tell you pretty quickly if it's clean: glass and metal dry visibly and don't retain odors. Soft material doesn't. A TPE stroker or sleeve will still feel damp after rinsing, remain sticky on the outside, and eventually develop a slightly musty smell that soap won't remove. This isn't a defect and usually not a sign of poor quality — it's the material behaving differently than people expect.
This buying guide covers those soft materials: how they differ from silicone, glass, and metal, how to clean and dry them, why powder is sometimes necessary, and where to store them. Factual, without health claims — if you have doubts about skin reactions or irritation, a general practitioner or pharmacist is the right place to go.
Where Soft Material Behaves Differently
Most skin-like items are made of TPE or TPR: thermoplastic elastomer, a soft plastic also found in other products. There is also soft silicone, which feels like soft-touch but behaves differently chemically. Three properties determine maintenance.
The material is more porous. The surface is not entirely smooth at a microscopic level, so moisture and residue remain longer than with glass or metal. That's why thorough drying is more important than thorough scrubbing.
It remains sticky. Without powder, the surface attracts dust, lint, and hairs. Two items touching each other can stick together and even transfer color.
It is sensitive to the wrong combination. Silicone lubricant does not belong with silicone material; for TPE, water-based lubricant is almost always the safe choice. The product page indicates what material is used — read that before choosing a bottle.
Cleaning: Lukewarm Water, Mild Soap, or a Toy Cleaner
The basic routine is simple and short. Rinse the item immediately after use with lukewarm water. Not hot: too hot water makes soft material limp and can permanently affect its shape. Then use a mild, unscented soap or a product specifically made for these materials.
A toy cleaner is primarily convenient in practice: it's dispensable, rinses off easily, and you don't have to worry about perfume or dyes. The Odorless Toy Cleaner 120 ml costs € 7.95 and is odorless, which is useful if you are sensitive to perfume. The Toy Cleaner Spray 150 ml Clean & Play costs € 8.95 and is a spray bottle, allowing you to work more precisely on a surface.
What you should avoid with soft materials: boiling, putting in the dishwasher, using alcohol or all-purpose cleaner, or scrubbing with a sponge. Boiling and disinfecting with strong agents are for glass and silicone, not TPE. For items with electronics or a battery, only the part specified as waterproof should be rinsed under the tap — check the product page for information on waterproofing.
Drying: The Step Most Often Skipped
Nine out of ten complaints about musty-smelling or sticky soft material are due to incomplete drying. Soft material dries slower than you think, especially with a closed shape like a cup or sleeve where water can remain trapped.
Shake out excess water and pat the outside dry with a lint-free cloth. Paper towels leave fibers on sticky material.
Air dry the inside. For an open model, you can turn the item inside out if suitable; for a closed cup, stand it upright with the opening facing down so water can drain out.
Allow several hours, not ten minutes. Do not place the item on a heater or use a hairdryer: heat deforms soft material.
Only when completely dry should it go into its storage bag or box. Trapped moisture is precisely where odors develop.
Powdering: Why it belongs with TPE and not with Silicone
Soft TPE becomes sticky on the outside over time. This is normal material behavior and not a sign of decay. A thin layer of cornstarch or special powder restores the velvety feel and ensures the surface attracts less dust and lint. Do not use talcum powder or perfumed body powder; cornstarch from the kitchen cabinet is the simplest option.
The procedure: item completely dry, small amount of powder on a cloth or in hand, rub thinly over the entire surface, dust off excess powder. Repeat this when it feels sticky again — with regular use, this amounts to a few times a year. Silicone items do not need powdering; they remain smooth on their own.
Storage: Separate, Dry, and Out of Light
The rule of thumb is: do not let soft items touch each other. TPE can exchange color and plasticizers with other soft plastic, leading to stains or sticky spots that cannot be removed. This also happens with a silicone sleeve that lies against a TPE item for months.
Each item in its own bag or box. The original packaging usually works fine.
Dark and at room temperature. Direct sunlight and a warm attic accelerate aging.
Do not store airtight as long as there is still a trace of moisture — that is the classic cause of odor.
Store the lubricant separately from the item, so a leaking cap does not leave a layer on the material.
The Right Lubricant
Water-based is the standard choice for soft materials: it doesn't affect TPE and silicone and washes away with water. It does dry out faster than oil or silicone variants, so you'll use a bit more of it. A few options from the range:
Expect considerable consumption with soft materials: a 100 ml bottle is not a year's supply with regular use. Therefore, also consider the price per milliliter and not just the bottle price.
If you notice discoloration, hard edges, cracks, or an odor that returns after cleaning, the item needs to be replaced. Soft material is a consumable item: with good maintenance, it will last a long time, but not forever.
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