Non-porous is the entire point. Silicone can be boiled. Jelly, TPE and real-feel blends cannot be sterilized at all. If a toy is shared between people, or goes anywhere near anal use, silicone is the material that lets you actually clean it rather than hope.
Water based lube only, and check the bottle first. Silicone lube bonds to a silicone surface and ruins it permanently. A hybrid lube counts too, because it contains silicone. Water based is the safe answer for everything in this collection.
Silicone or glass is a feel decision, not a safety one. Both are non-porous and both sterilize. Silicone is warm, has give, and works in a harness. Glass is hard, holds heat or cold, and is the easiest thing in the store to clean. Neither is safer than the other, so pick on how you want it to feel.
Firmness is a spec you can read. Dual-density is soft outside and firm inside. Single-density silicone is uniform all the way through and reads firmer. Fantasy and textured shapes are usually made softer on purpose, so the ridges stay manageable.
Start at 5.5 inches rather than 8. Girth matters more than length for comfort, and almost nobody regrets sizing down. A toy that sits unused in a drawer was the expensive purchase.
Boil it or run it on the top rack. No detergent needed. Soap and warm water is fine day to day, but sterilize properly before anything moves between people or between openings.
Silicone attracts lint, so store it properly. Keep it in a pouch or a case rather than loose in a drawer. It is harmless, just annoying, and it is the one genuine downside of the material.
