How to Clean Your Autoblow: Sleeves, Machine and Storage

Before anything else: water and the motor do not mix. The motor sits in the sealed lower housing. Keep water away from that section and you have a lot of freedom with the rest.

What gets cleaned and how:

• The sleeve gets the main clean. It is removable and designed to be rinsed under water.
• The barrel (the tube the sleeve sits in) gets a light wipe, nothing more.
• The external casing gets a quick wipe-down.
• The motor housing at the base needs nothing except to stay dry.

You need: warm water, mild unscented soap or a dedicated toy cleaner, a clean cloth or paper towels, and about 20-30 minutes for drying. That is it.

Toy cleaner is worth having if you use the machine regularly. It is formulated to not break down the sleeve material the way some harsher soaps do over time. Grab one on the accessories page alongside your sleeve order.

Do this right after use. The longer you wait, the harder it is to clean and the faster the material degrades.

1. 1Remove the sleeve from the machine. Pull it out from the front of the barrel -- it slides out with a gentle tug. Full swap instructions are in the Autoblow sleeves guide if you need a reminder.
2. 2Rinse the outside under warm running water. Get the water running and hold the sleeve under it for a few seconds. This shifts the bulk of residue before you apply any soap.
3. 3Apply a small amount of toy cleaner or mild unscented soap to your hand. Work it over the outside surface of the sleeve with your fingers. Do not use anything abrasive.
4. 4Rinse the inside. Hold the sleeve upright and let warm water run through the channel. You can gently squeeze it to help water move through, but do not force anything. Most of what you need to clean is near the opening anyway.
5. 5Rinse thoroughly until no soap remains. Any soap residue left inside will irritate next time. Keep rinsing until the water running out is clear and there is no slippery feel remaining.
6. 6Shake out excess water and place the sleeve on a clean cloth or paper towel. Leave it open-end-up to air dry for at least 20-30 minutes. Make sure it is fully dry before you put it back in the machine or store it.

Do not put the sleeve in a dishwasher, microwave, or any kind of UV steriliser box. These are all too hot for the material. Warm running water is all it needs.

Once the sleeve is out and drying, take a few seconds to deal with the machine itself.

The barrel:

A clean, slightly damp cloth is all you need here. Wipe the inside of the open barrel gently, working from the front opening inward. You are not scrubbing anything -- just removing any residue that got past the sleeve. One pass is usually enough.

Do not push the cloth too far in toward the back of the barrel. You do not need to reach the motor end, and you definitely do not want to introduce moisture near it.

The external casing:

Wipe the outside of the machine with a lightly dampened cloth. Pay attention to the charging port area -- do not let any moisture get in there. A dry cloth pass afterward removes any streaks.

What NOT to do on the machine (beyond the sleeve):

The machine does not need any more cleaning than this. If the barrel develops an odour despite regular wiping, the issue is usually the sleeve not being dried fully before reinstalling -- that is where the moisture is coming from, not the barrel itself.

This is where most cleaning mistakes happen. People rinse the sleeve, do a quick shake, and put it straight back in the machine. Twenty minutes later it is warm and damp inside the barrel. That is exactly the environment that degrades the sleeve and starts the odour clock.

For the sleeve:

• Stand it open-end-up on a clean cloth or paper towel
• 20-30 minutes of air drying is the minimum for a quick shake-out
• If you have stored it open-side-down, flip it -- water pools at the lowest point
• A sleeve drying stand or rack is useful if you own more than one sleeve; a folded towel works fine otherwise

For the barrel:

• Leave the machine upright with the barrel facing up for at least 10 minutes after wiping
• You can leave the sleeve out and the opening facing up to encourage any remaining moisture to evaporate

Do not use a hairdryer, hand dryer or any heat source to speed this up. The sleeve material and the barrel lining can warp if exposed to concentrated heat. Room temperature, patience, good air circulation -- that is the combination.

If you are in a hurry and need to store the machine before it is fully dry, leave the sleeve out of the machine and store them separately until both are dry.

Storage matters more than most people think. A machine that is clean, dry and put away properly will last significantly longer than one that gets rinsed and shoved in a drawer:

Store sleeve and machine separately. If the sleeve still has any moisture when it goes back in the barrel, that moisture sits against the barrel interior and the sleeve material simultaneously. Not great for either. Put the sleeve back in only when you are certain both are dry.

Avoid sealed plastic bags for long-term storage. No airflow means any remaining moisture has nowhere to go. A breathable pouch, the original box, or simply a clean drawer with some space around the machine all work better.

Keep it away from direct sunlight. UV light degrades the sleeve material over time. A cupboard or drawer is ideal. The machine itself is fine in moderate temperatures but should not bake in a sunny window.

Do not store the sleeve inside the machine long-term. Leaving the sleeve compressed inside the barrel for weeks at a time can cause it to deform slightly. If you are not going to use the machine for a while, store the sleeve separately.

For more detail on what the sleeve material is, how it ages and what affects its longevity, our sleeve materials guide goes into the specifics.

Frequency: Clean after every use. Residue that sits builds up faster than you expect, gets harder to remove each time, and attacks the sleeve material. A five-minute rinse now saves a twenty-minute soak later and adds months to the sleeve's life.

If you share the machine with a partner, clean before and after each person's use. This applies regardless of whether you swap sleeves.

When to replace a sleeve:

Sleeves do not last forever. Signs that it is time to swap:

• Stickiness that does not wash off. The material degrades over time and eventually becomes tacky. Once it does, cleaning does not fix it.
• Visible tears or splits. Any structural damage means the sleeve should be retired.
• Persistent odour after thorough cleaning. If the smell does not shift even after a proper wash and full dry, the material has absorbed enough residue that it will not come clean.
• Texture loss. If the internal texture feels noticeably flatter or softer than it used to, the material has broken down.

Replacement sleeves are available from the accessories page, shipped from the Netherlands with standard EU shipping. There is no set mileage, but most people replace a sleeve after several months of regular use.

For a full breakdown of which sleeves exist and how to choose between them, see our Autoblow sleeves guide.

A short summary for when you just need a fast reminder:

Safe for the sleeve:
- Warm water
- Mild unscented soap
- Dedicated toy cleaner (best option for regular use)
- Air drying at room temperature

Safe for the machine body:
- Damp cloth wipe on the barrel interior (not too deep)
- Damp cloth on the external casing
- Dry cloth for final pass

Never do this:
- Submerge the machine or run water over the base
- Use alcohol, bleach, hydrogen peroxide or acetone on any part
- Put the sleeve (or any part of the machine) in a dishwasher
- Use a hairdryer or heat source to speed up drying
- Store while still damp
- Use silicone-based lubricant (stains and degrades the sleeve material)

Everything ships from the Netherlands in a plain, unbranded box with a neutral name on your bank statement. Your EU warranty covers the machine for two years from purchase, and our support team responds in your language. If you have a question about your specific machine or a cleaning situation that does not fit this guide, reach out via contact.