Unless you want to ruin it, never clean leather and/or fur with the

stuff needed to sanitize it. If you are using it on someone in areas

where it can come in contact with blood or body fluids including

vaginal secretions, pre-ejaculate/ejaculate, also sweat from around

the anal/groin region, give the toy to them or if you play with

several people have them each get their own genital toys.

Fur and leather are essential dried formerly living tissue, in other

words a lot of protein. Any thing that kills bacteria and viruses does

so by breaking down the protein bonds. So if it breaks down the

protein in the bacteria, etc. it will break down the protein in your

leather and fur. So unless you want to replace toys that have become

dried and brittle just don't take any chances and have toys that are

meant just for genital play that are also for one individual. If

accidents do occur and we all know they will, and your submissive

accidentally cums all over you brand new Elk skin flogger there are a

few things you can do.

First take saddle soap and lightly scrub all the surfaces. I mean all

of them with a soft bristle brush and a little water. Next buy a spray

disinfectant like Lysol (note: make sure the disinfectant is one that

is rated to kill TB, HIV & HepB,C,D It will say on the can if it is

CDC approved to kill those things) Spray every bit of the leather and

get it good and wet. The surface of the leather needs to be wet for 5

to 10 minutes (depending on brand, again read the label) Then hang it

to dry. Now your leather will be stiff. First from the water and then

mostly from the disinfectant. You can combat some of that dryness with

several different things. I use mink oil, then a stuff called Lexol

that helps to return moisture to the leather. When I have worked that

stuff in several times I spray all my leather with a silicone spray to

hopefully reduce Penetration of bacteria, etc, into the grain. I do

these steps, the Lexol, mink oil and silicone before I ever play with

any leather or fur toys and then every few months to preserve the

leather.

I have heard people report Gas or Heat autoclaving such toys but again

those things break down the leather just not quite as quickly as the

other forms of cleaning. As for using a Dry Cleaning agent well that

will not kill any organisms that live on the leather nor will it be

anymore safe for the leather then the other cleaners.

There is not as of yet any really safe way to clean leather of harmful

organisms. It is best just to reserve a particular toy for a

particular sub. Surface cleaning can be done with a very gentle

leather cleaner and a damp cloth but that should only be on occasion

as that too can eventually damage the leather.

If you note above I did not limit the statement about toys to

potentially life threatening things like HIV, HepB in body fluids, I

also mentioned sweaty groins and anal regions and I'd like to be clear

why I say this. Bacteria, fungi and viruses thrive where it is moist

if your flogger comes in contact with these moist areas it can pick up

bacteria, spores and viruses. Your flogger can dry and these things

can live on in a dormant state on the flogger. When you play with the

next person you then pass that bacteria etc on to them. What maybe

normal body flora (the bacteria etc that lives on and in us all) for

one person, another individual may not have resistance to. In other

words what is a dormant yeast that lives on one individual 's skin can

be a wicked yeast infection in another.

Madam Dragonfly

www.adirondakink.com

Copyright 1/28/2002