Being clean while you’re getting dirty isn’t always easy. In fact, it’s downright difficult for some people, especially those who aren’t familiar with what’s available in terms of sex toy cleaning supplies. But just like lubrication, cleansers need to be compatible with the toy and safe on the skin. With those odds, finding the perfect product can feel impossible. That’s how things were going for me until I started branching out into bigger and better things, including high-end, all-natural cleaning agents instead of your run-of-the-mill antibacterial soaps. After all, having sex with a toy or a live partner is for adults and I like to wear my big girl pants all the time.
Having said that, it should come as no surprise that I began searching for a new and improved version of the cleaning solution I used. It wasn’t because the current option stopped working. It was just because I’m into trying new things, plus I recently bought some delicate dongs and I wanted to make sure I was using the best possible stuff to clean them. About a week into my hunt I stumbled upon a bottle of Anjou Foaming Toy Cleaner and it captured my attention because of its uniqueness. So, what made this stuff so special and did it perform as well as I hoped it would? Well, let’s make sure you know what I’m talking about before I answer that question.
What Is Anjou?
Anjou is simply a water-based sex toy cleaning solution that foams up when it comes in contact with the device’s materials and/or moisture. The foaming action was created to deliver superior coverage and cleansing abilities while also staying gentle on the skin and protective against damage. Made for all kinds of pleasure devices and perfect for any skin type, this luxurious yet virtually unknown product has gained traction in the industry lately because of its superb formulation and user-friendly containment. Best of all, it comes in a conveniently designed bottle and uses natural ingredients to work its magic.
The Main Features
The sex toy maintenance product known by only one name like the Madonna of cleaning supplies, Anjou, was developed by a team of like-minded individuals to be exceptionally gentle on the skin while being absurdly effective on device materials of all sorts. It features a proprietary formula that’s free from almost all potential allergens and irritants, including parabens, alcohol, glycerin and triclosan. This stuff also has absolutely no fragrance whatsoever, meaning you don’t have to come up with a cover story for the weird smell wafting from your nightstand. The product’s power comes from all-natural sources like beets and coconut oil, leaving behind a smooth finish that inherently improves the look and condition of your toys (especially ones made from organic materials). Furthermore, Anjou is marketed as having antibacterial and antifungal properties as well, meaning it’s both gentle and effective against germs of all kinds and activities of all sorts. The high-quality, natural ingredients are non-abrasive too, so they can be applied to almost all sex toy materials, including precious metals and glass dildos that are often very difficult to keep clean with damaging.
What Comes in the Bottle?
Sex toy cleaning supplies aren’t usually sold with much more than the bottle in the box, and Anjou is no exception. You don’t receive much in the way of extras or freebies, but you do get a nice sized bottle of cleaning solution and a sweet pump-style nozzle to go with it so at least there’s that. The box it comes in can’t be doubled as storage, but the dimensions of the container make it easy to hide inside a bedside table. Overall, it’s nothing fancy but it’s certainly well worth the price in my opinion (mostly because it doesn’t look like anything sex related).
The Experience
I try to keep an open mind and ready myself for new and/or educational experiences. However, cleaning a sex toy is not the appropriate time to learn hard lessons, so I keep my cool my pitting each product against the same basic criteria. It’s the only way to level the playing field despite my propensity towards loving everything that’s related to orgasm. My senses may fool me, but a comprehensive list of ideal properties and a quick comparison of features will not. With that said, here’s how Anjou Foaming Sex Toy Cleaning stacked up against the competition:
- The Container
It’s a nice sized container for the price, plus it’s easy to hold in the hand and it has a conveniently placed pump on the top with a big enough surface area for anyone’s hand. I would have liked a little more information about the ingredients on the bottle, but I suppose a quick rundown of the contents is good enough when the product is made primarily out of natural stuff. Either way, the container’s size and shape made it easy to store and it even fit inside the inner pocket of my handbag when I went to my boyfriend’s house.
- The Practicality
Sex toy cleaning products are more practical than condoms in my book, so I can’t complain about Anjou being an irresponsible purchase. I mean, even if I don’t use this product all the time, it’s still a good thing to have lying around the house. I feel like it would be a great solution to take along on trips because it’s a lot less messy than its liquid counterparts. But no matter how or when I used it, the solution always seemed to make my toys feel brand-new.
- The Functionality
This stuff functioned like a dream. It only took a single pump to get a big handful of foam in my palm, and I could tell the formula was powerful despite its gentle nature because the foam started fizzing up as soon as it hit my skin. Once applied to the toy’s material, the bubbles began to melt into a luxurious liquid that seeped into every corner of my toy’s surface. After a quick rinse with warm water and a 10-minute air drying session, all my playthings were ready to go. Not bad, Anjou. Not bad.
- The Effectiveness
I won’t lie and say that my toys weren’t clean when I was done using this product on them, but I will say that it felt like things could have been executed better. Perhaps the experience I had was due to the fact that the product contains coconut oil and I already have oily skin. It just felt like there was a film left behind, but my partner assured me there was not. I think maybe I’ll wash my hands in scolding hot water before testing out the cleaning effectiveness of an all-natural solution.
- The Aftermath
The end result was pleasant enough. I didn’t have any weird aromas wafting around, the materials of my toys felt clean and soft, my skin wasn’t developing a rash anywhere, and my partner wasn’t in the corner cussing me out for picking up such a shitty product. Overall, the combination of its gentleness, effectiveness and user-friendliness made it a favorite of ours despite the fact that we usually need industrial-strength cleaning agents to get rid of the “evidence.”
The Ups and Downs
While being the judge of a product’s quality, I try to keep a level head about me even though my eyes are usually rolling back into my skull. I already know that there’s no such thing as perfection. Even my favorite sex toys have flaws I’d rather not talk about. However, I’ve grown to love the pros and cons of my collection because I carefully considered everything before selecting anything. It’s really the only way, so Anjou didn’t escape my clutches either. Here are the things you need to think about before spending any money on it:
PROS
- Foaming formula for superior coverage
- Convenient pump-style nozzle for better control
- Large container
- Leaves skin and organic sex toy materials moisturized
- Clean and clear aftermath with no residue
- Made from hypoallergenic ingredients
CONS
- Not self-drying, requires a water rinse
- May not be as effective against tough messes
- Requires a lot of product for a thorough clean
The Takeaway
I personally prefer my sex toy cleaning products to be a tad bit more versatile than this one was (or should I say wasn’t). It doesn’t have a nice scent to it and it’s tough to get the juice inside all the nooks and crannies of my texturized masturbators. However, the foaming action was a pleasant change from the normal liquid-like solutions out there. I have to admit that Anjou did cover the materials of my devices more effectively than simple cleaning supplies might, plus it spreads out evenly as the bubbles dissipate. The end result was a squeaky clean pleasure product and a pile of sparkling accessories, and nobody has a latent allergic reaction or rash because of the ingredients. With a non-abrasive formula, I’d say Anjou is ideal for anyone who has a wide variety of sex toys that they need to keep in top working condition.
