Looking After Your E-Stim Kit
Did you know some of the kit we made back in 2004 is still in active service? The odd power box might come back in with a minor fault, but they generally still look close to how they did when they left the workshop. How? the owner looked after his precious kit.
We mention this because looking after your kit is genuinely the difference between an something that lasts a week and something that lasts a lifetime.
Here's how we do it.
The basic idea
Always clean things before you use them. Then clean things again after you use them. In other words Look after your kit.
All our individual electrode instructions live on https://e-stim.info and carry specific cleaning notes. What follows is the general guidance that applies across everything we make.
What needs cleaning, when
Different items need different cleaning routines. Don't stick everything in a bucket of water. Cleaning is a little more nuanced than that.
Power boxes
Starting with power boxes, for day-to-day cleaning, use a soft damp cloth. That is damp, not wet. Try not to get them covered in lubricants or conductive gel, but if you do, wipe it off. Don't use solvents. They will attack the labels.
When you are not using a power box keep it in the protective case, or something similar. Don't store it with the cables plugged in. If you're storing things for a while, take the batteries out.
Normal insertable electrodes
Bobbles, Moaners, Flanges, ElectroWands, the list is long but basically anything that takes plug-in cables.
Clean things every session, both before and after play. These are going inside a body, so ElectroGel and natural fluids all end up on them. None of that is hard to shift if you do it straight after the session. Leave it overnight and you are just making the job harder.
Always remove the cables before cleaning. Then disassemble the electrode - usually that means unscrewing the central bolt with a 6mm hex key. Check the individual product instructions for detailed notes. Once disassembled, clean the parts with hot soapy water, or medical-grade cleaning wipes. Do not use caustic cleaners. You can boil or steam-sterilise, but the high temperatures may discolour the metals.
Let the parts dry properly, then reassemble. Everything must be dry before it goes back together. For storage we provide plastic storage tubes - might be a good idea to use them
Fully insertable electrodes
Electrodes such as the ElectroEggs and E-Beads with attached cables. Cleaning is similar to standard insertable electrodes, but you can't disassemble them or remove the cable.
Use hot soapy water, or medical-grade cleaning wipes. Don't immerse the electrode for long periods. No caustic cleaners. Don't boil or steam-sterilise. Storage - again use the protective tubes they come in.
Surface electrodes
Such as Pinwheels, ElectroWhiskers, Conductive Rubber loops, ElectroRings and cock straps.
Wipe down after every session. Conductive rubber in particular holds gel and skin oils, and a session-end wipe stops the build-up before it starts to affect conductivity. Then use hot soapy water or medical-grade wipes.
Note: you can't sterilise conductive rubber. For conductive rubber loops, slip them out from the clips before cleaning. Make sure everything's dry before reassembly.
Electro-compression
Devices like the Python, Vyper 2, Vyper XL.
Use medical-grade cleaning wipes. Unscrew the compression bolts before cleaning. Make sure everything's dry before you put it back together. If you get liquids or moisture between or behind the contact plates and the compression panels it is possible to disassemble them, but try not to lose the parts.
Sounds and Penis Plugs
The strictest cleaning protocol of all. Urethral Sounds and Penis Plugs go inside the urethral tract. The possibility of infections is high.
Clean thoroughly before use, thoroughly after use, and again right before you're about to use them. Stainless steel sounds can be steam-sterilised. Store them in a way that keeps them sterile-ready.
Sticky pads
Sticky pads are a different beast. You don't really clean them, you replace them.
A pad gives you a few uses if your skin's clean and dry to start with. Once the adhesive stops working or the conductive surface starts pulling away, it's done. Don't try to wash a pad - you'll wreck it. When you've finished with a pad, stick it back on the plastic carrier sheet for next time.
Cables
Yes, cables do benefit from the odd clean. Wipe down the connectors and the cable run after every session. Don't get water inside the 3.5mm jack or the 4mm bananas. Inspect the strain reliefs at both ends from time to time - that's where cables fail first.
3D Printed Accessories
Bumpers, Holsters and Ring Racks.
Give them a wipe down after every session. Then use hot soapy water or medical-grade wipes for a deeper clean.
Note: you can't sterilise these accessories. Make sure everything's dry before reassembly.
What to clean with
Three things will cover almost everything you own.
Soap and hot water. The workhorse. Hot water and a regular bar of soap, or a mild liquid hand soap, is what we use in the workshop on most stainless and aluminium electrodes. Nothing fancy. The aim is to break down skin oils and conductive gel, both of which are water-soluble at the soap-and-warm-water level.
Medical-grade cleaning wipes. Useful for surface electrodes between sessions, or when you want to be thorough without filling a basin. Look for ones that say "alcohol-free" or "for skin and equipment" - they won't attack rubber or seals.
A clean lint-free cloth for drying. A tea towel works. A microfibre cloth works better. Drying matters as much as washing.
What we don't recommend
- Anything caustic especially things like Drain cleaner, oven cleaner, industrial degreasers. These will damage the electrode and possibly damage you with the residues.
- Using the dishwasher. We hear this one a lot. Please don't. Technically it might work, but the heat cycle can warp insulating necks on bipolar electrodes, the dishwashing salt and detergents are aggressive, and do you really want your insertables sharing a rack with the cutlery?
- Abrasive scourers. Stainless steel and aluminium both have a passive oxide layer that protects them. Scour it off and you've made the surface more reactive, not less.
How to clean
Switch the box off. Drop the output to zero. Unplug the cable from the box first, then if you can unplug the cable from the electrode - twist each 4mm banana plug anti-clockwise and pull gently on the plug itself, not on the cable.
Rinse the electrode under warm water to get the bulk deposits off. Disassemble where you can.
Soap up and wash all the parts.
Rinse thoroughly. No soap residue.
Dry completely with a clean lint-free cloth, then leave it on the cloth for a few more minutes so any remaining moisture in the 4mm sockets has a chance to evaporate.
When you reassemble, two things to check:
- The insulated neck goes back on the right way round - some have a ridge at the base end. The plastic insulator separates the two contact points. Get it the wrong way round and the electrode won't work or hte insulator will have gaps.
- The insulated bush on the mounting bolt faces along the bolt length. The insulation bush has to sit between the bolt and the base. If you are unsure then have a look at our YouTube Channel, we have a number of videos on how to disassemble the electrodes.
If a component goes missing or something doesn't look right after reassembly, we sell spares and we'll talk you through it. Email info@e-stim.co.uk or use the chat on estim.store for more information.
A note on ElectroGel
ElectroGel is a fluid. It does what it's supposed to do - improves conductivity, softens the sharpness, makes the session feel more even. It can also get everywhere. Electrodes, hands, sheets, soft furnishings. It's water based so it isn't a massve issue, but cleaning things sooner rather than later will always help.
The honest answer to "how often should I clean things?"
Simple. Every time you use them. The more you keep things clean, the longer they will last.
Written by Wayne. We design and manufacture E-Stim kit ourselves, we use it, and we see it come back in for service. We know what looking after it actually means.
If there's a cleaning question we haven't answered, drop us a line. Most of the questions we get end up making the next person's journery better.
