We all do it after buying a sex toy. You rush home, letting your excitement take over, (After cleaning the toy first, of course!) you throw the packaging and user manual over your shoulder and jump into bed. You're ready to be blown away by your new purchase only to be underwhelmed by the lack of different functions on your toy or completely confused by all the buttons. You immediately think you made a wrong decision in purchasing this toy, and grab your old, trusted, boring vibrator and let your new one collect dust. Sadly, this is what happens when one completely ignores the user manual provided with your new sex toy. Allow me to enlighten you on the many reasons why reading the directions can completely change your experience when using a toy.

1. Learning How the Toy Works

 The employee at your local adult store sold you on a new toy based on all the different functions they raved about! When you get home, you find that you forgot everything the employee showed you about using your toy. Have no fear, your user manual is here (As long as you saved it) In your user guide, there is usually a diagram that shows a picture of your toy with arrows pointing to each button describing the functions of each button. Sometimes you have to press and hold a button for a few seconds to change functions. Your toy might have several levels of vibration intensity, different movement, or pulsating functions which you can figure out how to change from the toy diagram. Learning how to use your toy properly will ensure that your are getting the most out of your toy and having a satisfying experience.

2. Enhancing your Toy Experience

Sometimes in the instruction manual of your toy, the manufacturer will offer advice and tips on different ways you can use your new toy! Little things like using a certain type of lube or being in a specific position can make your experience using your toy, ten times better! Based on my experiences I can say that following the advice of the toy experts that made your toy can be the 'make or break' between you loving or hating a toy.

3. Properly Caring for Your Toy

Sex toys can live a long and happy life with you as long as they are shown some proper TLC. This includes cleaning, charging and storage of your new little buddy.

Charging

Learning how to charge your toy the right way is super important. Your instructions will tell you the proper way to connect your charger to your toy, how long to charge it for, and how long your toy will last for after its fully charged. Connecting your charger to your toy the way the directions tell you to is crucial because often if you insert a charger into a toy the wrong way, it can result in a broken toy. Another important thing to know is how long the toy charges for. You need to know this because leaving a toy on the charger for longer than it needs will kill your battery life over time! If the user manual tells you that it takes 2 hours for the toy to charge, you don't want to leave the toy on the charger for much longer than that.

Cleaning

You always want to make sure you're using a toy safe cleaner and cleaning it in the way that is recommended. If you're using a toy cleaner that is too harsh on the material of the toy you can end up doing more harm than good. Often the user manual will recommend a specific toy cleaner or tell you to use a very mild soap and warm water. Another vital reason to read the instructions before cleaning your toy, is to avoid causing any type of permanent damage to your toy. Although there are plenty of toys that are 100% waterproof, there are many that are not completely waterproof. If your toy is one that is not waterproof, handling it while you're cleaning it must be very specific. Reading the directions will ensure that you keep the parts that cannot get wet, dry.

Storage

Believe it or not, storing your toys the right way can make a difference in how long your toy lives for. A lot of the time people think it's okay to throw your toy into a box with all your other sex toys and shove it on the top shelf in your closet. If stored this way, depending on the material of your toys, your toys can actually melt together. (Trust me, I am speaking from experience. I do not miss the days when I was without my sex toy education) Proper storage will also make a huge difference in the cleanliness of your toy. When stored in a lint free pouch, it'll keep your toy from getting dusty and/or dirty.

Conclusion: Sex toys are an investment

Throwing your user manual and box away are easy to do when you first come home with your toy. But in the long run, reading and saving your user manual will help you protect and take care of your toy.