If you’re reading this then you no doubt know how amazing a sex toy can be for solo use, and also how it can spice up couple’s play. However without the proper care being taken, a sex toy can get pretty un-amazing quite quickly.
How un-amazing? Well on the low end, having a sex toy’s battery die on you mid-use is an annoyance — having it quit on you altogether is a nightmare situation, and one that we’re trying to help you avoid with this handy little guide.
Rechargeable sex toys (the good ones, that is), contain Lithium ion batteries like the ones you’d find in your laptop, only smaller. While these batteries have long life spans when treated properly, you can expect them to diminish in performance over time no matter what.
Here’s a rundown before we dive into the deets:
- Fully charge your pleasure object before first use
- A full charge should take about 2 hours (about 4 hours for the SMART WAND Large)
- Please do not charge your pleasure object any longer than what is needed for a full charge as it may affect the device
- Your device’s lights should blink while charging and the lights should stop blinking (but remain ON) once fully chargedDo not power on your pleasure object while it is plugged in and charging
- Do not recharge your pleasure object until it is low (indicated by an orange light) or dead
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Always make sure your pleasure object is turned completely off before storing it
When it comes to how often you should charge your toy, first find out how long its usage time is — any reputable sex toy retailer will have product specs that can tell you this. For instance, a high-powered G-spot vibe like GIGI 2 can get you 4 hours of use on a full charge. The SONA sonic clitoral massager gives you 1 hour — however you shouldn’t use them for that full amount of time.
It’s sure to happen from time to time, but avoid as much as you can using your sex toy until the battery is depleted. Charging it from 0% often enough can negatively affect the battery’s overall lifespan. Because every toy has its own unique battery life, you will have to use some educated guesswork of your own in order to know when to charge.
Assuming for instance that you use your aforementioned GIGI an average of 15 minutes per session, that’s about 8 uses per full charge. To make sure you’re not charging it from zero per cent battery in this example, you would plug it in after every fifth, sixth or seventh use in order to maintain the battery life for a longer time.
Here’s another bit of sex toy charging advice that will keep your vibrator vibing for a longer time: pay attention to temperature conditions in the place where you do your recharging. Leaving a lithium ion battery-operated electronic device in conditions over 30 °C (86 °F) for an extended period of time will decrease the charge capacity of the battery — and the effects become more severe if it is charging in those conditions.
When you’re charging your vibrator,make sure you’re doing so in a place that is out of direct sunlight. Even the interior of a sunlit bedside table can reach pretty high temperatures, so when you charge, make sure you do it in a shady, well-ventilated environ.
Battery Powered? Remove Batteries Between Uses: Perhaps you’re one of those people who still hasn’t made the switch to rechargeable sex toys, or maybe there’s one very particular model that you love which hasn’t been updated to more modern modes of power.
No matter why you’re still using a battery powered toy, we have to recommend removing the batteries between uses. This is because cell batteries can corrode your toy and conduct a very low level charge when its not in use, draining them slooowly over time.
Removing the batteries is, in its own small way, a little more sustainable (as sustainable as battery use can be) as they will make the batteries last longer before tossing them into the recycling bin, and will lead to the overall longevity of your toy.
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