Cleaning or Care of Equipment

The peppermint in Dr. Bronners is more like peppermint extract, not peppermint oil, which is available from several purveyors on the internet.

Your new Paris bag should do fine with Dr Bronners peppermint soap. There isn't really that much peppermint in the soap. If you want to "KIck it up a notch," buy some peppermint oil, mix 2-4 ounces of oil (NOT EXTRACT) with an equal amount of glycerine and then, in a very large mixing bowl, pour in a quart of Dr Bronner's peppermint soap and mix with a whisk until completely blended in. Once mixed, you will have more solution than will fit back into the Dr Bronners bottle, so have an additional container handy.

Use about one pounce of this stock solution per quart of enema solution, which will be a strong solution. Start with half that and build up.

THAT WILL REALLY GIVE YOU A KICK IN THE ASS AND A COOL COLON. YOU WILL TASTE THE PEPPERMINT.

NOTE: you MUST add the equal amount of glycerine to the soap or else the peppermint oil will because the Dr Bronners to congeal into a thick mass.

My god switch! I've never done soap before and what you describe I think will make my ass hurt a bit more than I'd like 😮 . What do you clean your equipment with? This is the first real equipment I've ever bought and I'd like to keep it in top notch shape for prolonged use 😉

Susie, did you or someone else, post an answer to Mr. Brownstone's central question: What is the best cleaning method for equipment. I do not see that info posted, and I am also looking for cleaning suggestions. By the way, I also enjoy using Dr. Bronners Peppermint soap.

[quote author=david5 link=topic=25980.msg249883#msg249883 date=1255479647]

Susie, did you or someone else, post an answer to Mr. Brownstone's central question: What is the best cleaning method for equipment. I do not see that info posted, and I am also looking for cleaning suggestions. By the way, I also enjoy using Dr. Bronners Peppermint soap.

[/quote]

^^^^ You are correct. No one, including myself actually answered his question.

For sanitizing and cleaning equipment, almost any soap or detergent and a little bleach, diluted 1 part bleach to 10 parts water will keep your stuff very clean and in great shape.

Here is what I do:

Closed top bags can be filled with detergent, like dishwasher detergent--NOT sink type dish soap-- because dishwasher detergent doesn’t foam and cleans very thoroughly. (Foaming is bad because it impedes cleaning ability of the solution.) Once the closed top bag is filled about 1/3 to 1/2 full, shake the devil out of it. Then, rinse the bag a few times with clear water and hang it upside down to drip dry. It should be very easy to clean a four quart Klystra bag. The top opening is pretty large. First, take a wet, soapy sponge and drop it into the bag, which should already be wet and soapy. Then make believe you are going to "fist" your bag. That means extend your fingers and tuck your thumb into your palm, just like the initlal anal fisting position!

If you're cleaning the bag, you should soap up your hands, so they will slide easily into the bag just like fisting so once you're in, you can just rub your hand against the entire inner surface (again, just like fisting).

Anyway, once you've thoroughly wiped the inside with the sponge, gently remove your hand and rinse the bag. The rubber of the bag should easily allow you go do this. If your forearm feels tight against the rim of the bag, remember you can use your other hand to push the bag against your hand inside the bag so all surfaces can be wiped. You shouldn't have any problem with this. After use, fill your bag with very hot water and flush out the colon tubes and hoses very well.

Soap and water or bleach diluted 1:5 or even 1:10 with water is fine for cleaning enema equipment. Boiling is not necessary.

Closed top bags like the Paris take a long time to dry. Closed top bags should be hung with the tube side down so it can drip. Open top bags like the Klystra 4 quart, should be hung right side up for best dripping and air access. An open top bag will obviously dry faster. You want it to dry fast, so make your final rinse with hot water and shake it out the best you can. Slow drying will promote mold and mildew growth.

To scrub the inside of tubing and colon tubes, you can take a long piece of bare copper wire (longer than your tube) from the electrical department of a hardware store and bend a very tight loop on BOTH ends. The first loop is to make sure the wire end is smooth and the other end is used to crimp on a tiny piece of gauze or sponge. The wire is first threaded through the wire al the way to the other end and is used to pull the end with the sponge or gauze attached all the way through the tubing. That will effectively wipe the inside walls of the tubing. You may need to experiment a bit to find the exact sponge size to pull through the tubing. Start with a small piece and work up in size if necessary. You don't want a piece of sponge falling off or getting stuck inside the tubing.

Colon tubes, double balloon rectal catheters, and other tubes should be hung straight and vertically, NOT coiled until they are completely dry. Coiling will dramatically slow down drying and promote mold growth.

I often clean the bag and tubes in the shower, with the exception of a double balloon rectal catheter. The double balloon rectal catheter has to be cleaned in the sink and the valves kept dry.

Our S&M / enema equipment room looks like a meat locker with everything just hanging straight down from hooks. None of our equipment is ever stored coiled except for our ropes.

Thanks for the info..never thought about cleaning the colon tubes that way...great idea

What is the best way to keep your equipment sterile or clean. especially the nozzle part??? ???

First, you CANNOT sterilize your enema equipment unless you have an autoclave, and it isn't necessary either.

Second, cleaning is very important.

See my post above.^^^^^

As a first step, everything should be thoroughly washed in hot water and detergent. Simple mechanical removal (same as carefully washing your hands) will get rid of a very large portion of anything potentially infectious.

As switchablesusie points out, it is very difficult to sterilize the equipment. There are 3 ways that is often done, and two of them are clearly impractical for home use. A pressure cooker is effectively an autoclave. Placing the goods in a pressure cooker, and 15 minutes at 15psi is autoclaving. The pressurized steam is very effective getting into very small spaces in the materials.

The heat may damage some rubber/synthetic rubber goods.

The other common methods are high intensity radiation, and ethylene oxide, and both are often use to sterilize commercial products such as hypodermic syringes after manufacture.Obviously impractical for home use.

So given the practical considerations, the best you are likely to be able to achieve is disinfected. That is often done with a 5% Sodium Hypochlorite solutions (bleach), or one of several other potent oxidizing agent. These agents work by oxidizing organic materials, so they will also tend to oxidize rubber/synthetic rubber objects as well. There are very few infectious agents that can survive treatment with 5% sodium hypochlorite solution. Works well, but can be expected to damage rubber/synthetic rubber goods eventually. Be careful, this is essential a product like Clorox straight out of the bottle (5.25%), so it will oxidize (bleach) just about anything it comes in contact with.

Dishwasher detergent is a very alkaline, and requires very high temperatures (140F or more) to be effective. It is also very hard on the hands both because of the temperature and the chemistry.

The preferred method for rubber goods probably involves the use of specific disinfectants such as glutaraldehyde (which like most aldehydes probably doesn't smell very good), and needs to be thoroughly washed off after soaking. These chemicals are effective against bacteria, spores and fungi.

Generally alcohol treatment isn't recommended because it just isn't very effective except in high concentrations (>80%) over long periods (hours).

I have a good question that I think fits into this thread:

I have a silicone double balloon nozzle which can be boiled (as long as you don't let the water get inside the balloons). If that nozzle is boiled, is it safe to use on another person afterward? I realize that boiling isn't the same as an autoclave, but would any potentially dangerous germs or parasites possibly survive? I find it very unlikely.

My feeling is that if two people are having sex without condoms or do rimming, they can share rectal catheters after simple washing with soap without any problem. Is this a perfect solution, no, but the world isn't perfect. If you are concerned about your partner, you should use condoms, if you don't use condoms, then this is OK too.

I occasionally mix up a thick baking soda solution, run it through my equipment, and let the equipment stand before next use without flushing with water. Alternatively I run some water with castile soap through my equipment. I am the only one using the equipment. So far I've had no problems with mold residues, but then I can't really see into my bag.

Use laundry bleach and & mix it with water to 10%. leave this in the bag & hose for about half hour then wash out with vinegar. This should remove all the scum from the bag and hose. Increase the amount of bleach if it doesn't work first time. Areas differ regarding water hardness/softness.

RoboRoberto

A rod used to clean rifle barrels with a nylon brush at the end is just dandy for cleaning tubing. These are available at WalMart (sporting goods) and are inexpensive. The brush will remove soap scum, so removing mold shouldn't be a problem.

As for solutions: I've begun using bleach diluted 2:1 to make 1 qt, then added about 2 oz. of Dawn dish washing detergent. I keep this in a spray bottle for spraying the bag (just a few pumps) and running some of the foam down the tubing. This will remove soap scum easily.

Oh Sh t! ??? I should have checked this earlier. I always rinse both the bag and tubing with hot water after my enemas. In fifty years of enemas, I have never had an issue with mold. I always fill the bag with pure hot water from the tub faucet (about 120 deg f) and then let it drain with force through the hose. Then I hang the bag open end down from the shower and drape the open hose to allow it to air dry. Even when I am forced to put it away (wife is offended by the sight), I leave the bag hang upside down and the hose draped over a hanger to allow it to dry thoroughly.

Yesterday morning, I decided to take a series of small rinse enemas before work just to clear the rectum. As I was emptying the last of the water out I noticed black chunks coming out the hose. I filled the bag again and drained as I watched more mold dropping into the bowl. We'll you remember the old riddle of what's worse than finding a worm in your apple, we'll I think I found the half of a worm.

Apparently, my body didn't appreciate the mold implants as I had many loose movements through yesterday and this morning. I think this falls into one of those things that would be awkward to discuss with the doctor. 😳 I hope it has passed. Interestingly enough the idea of using a rifle cleaning rod and patches soaked in chlorine has crossed my mind.

Thought I would question the experts here about this.

I acquired a lot of equipment over my years, some never even being used yet, or at least rarely used. Had a lot of stuff packed away for a very long time, including a one gallon all silicone open top bag, other clear type bags, hoses and the such. Something I noticed was that over time turned yellow.

Suppose being a smoker doesn't help, but much of this stuff was packed away in a drawer in a workroom where a lot of soldering and other work was done. So about everything in that room is yellowing.

Anyway, what's the best way, (if any), to clean up such equipment, and take the yellowing out of it? Tried soaking in a heavy Pine-Sol/water solution for a couple days, and that didn't help much.

Doubt if such things could be put in a wash machine, don't know about the dish washer either. Yes, I'm a bachelor...

Have been thinking about trying some bleach, don't know if I should try it straight up, or mixed with water, and what ratio bleach to water. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

See this thread:

Zity.BizForumEnemas4Fun - EnemasDevices, equipments, lubricants, etc. Equipment Use and Maintenance--How to for Newbies

http://www.zity.biz/index.php?action=forum;topic=30819.0

See this post for cleaning:

http://www.zity.biz/index.php?action=forum;topic=30819.msg287670#msg287670

Some of the stuff I see on eBay is very tempting.........but using equipment used by a person / persons unknown is pretty scary. Is there a way to be sure to kill anything & everything that may be present on used equipment? It would really suck to get hepatitis or worse from a piece of used equipment. Opinions ?

Thanks,

Vapor

You can use Dr. Bronner's castile soap for cleaning hoses and nozzles as well as your colon. Let equip. soak for an hr. in soapy solution and rinse. B4 hanging hose to dry, blow into hose several times to remove water droplets.

I would have plenty of bleach standing by.

When it arrives, put on rubber gloves, and straight from the package int hot water and bleach. Does NOT have to be Clorox brand.

Disassemble it in the bleach water. Rinse repeatedly in warm or room temp water until you can no longer smell the bleach.

Hi, Lonny;

I have hd good luck cleaning my hoses with diluted food grade H202. Diluted to 3%. Actually, I clean all my equipment with this solution. Seems to work well.

Good luck, alphamgrone

It looks like this topic hasn't had any action in years so I don't know if anyone will pick up on this question or not. I learned a lot by reading this topic and the links herein. I especially appreciate the recommended technique on "wiping out" the inside of colon tubes and other tubing. I never thought of that!

Reading through all the posts in the topic, I didn't find anyone specifically addressing the cleaning of bulbs and Higginson(sp?) syringes. There is like NO WAY these will dry out by themselves in any amount of time small enough to not get bacteria growth. You can't see inside of either one without fiberoptics. How do you KNOW they are clean? The Higgenson particularly makes me nervous. You have to pump a ton of clear water through it to just get it rinsed out. Then what? Is the procedure to just pump a bunch of air through the Higginson and let the chips fall where they may, disinfecting immediately before the next use? (I did see the posts on cleaning the inside of a balloon catheter, which has a similar problem but nothing was said about how to dry it out inside once disinfected.)

I have basically all but quit using the Higginson for this reason. I appreciate any responses/insights anyone has to offer.

I have a heap of enema gear (all latex; actually my fetish). Like mentioned earlier, care is paramount in prolonging the life of all the latex paraphernalia. For years, and after use, I wash all gear in warm water with a little liquid dish soap (now a day’s antibacterial soap); rinse well in warm water. Following the water bath, I use 70% isopropyl alcohol on all gear (catheters, bags, etc.) – inside and out, including all latex tubing. If you remember your chemistry water evaporates quickly in alcohol. When the alcohol is gone (which is fast) I lay all the equipment (now completely dry) on a large amber 20mil latex sheet under the comforter on my bed and use talcum powder on everything. Probably one of the most important things; store the rubber in a dark and cool / cold place. Mine is kept in a small carry-on sized suit case under the bed – dark and cool. It has been used over and over again and has lasted for years.

I first wash them inside and out with Ivory soap, then fill my bathtub about 1/4 full of hot water adding about 1/4 cup of bleach. I let my equipment soak for about an hour then thoroughly rinse them. then hang and let dry. I've never had a problem with the bleach attacking the rubber.

My Klystra clear silicone bag, hose and colon tube develops a white film (city water) that needs to be cleaned from time to time. I've been using CLR and, of course, rinsing vigorously with fairly good results. Just wondering what others use to keep their gear nice and clear.

Vintage eBay equipment: you almost have to assume it is used even if listed otherwise because most of it is coming from estate sales where all the seller knows is that it’s in the original box and looks tidy. That said, and I’m prepared to get an education on this, I’m not aware if any infectious agents that can live for extended periods outside the body. Someone mentioned hepatitis but to the best of my knowledge the dangerous versions of the virus that cause it have to be transferred direct body to body via fluids. CLR: I independently found this out just yesterday and came here to report that it worked fantastically in restoring all my “cloudy“ clear silicone items. It’s a mild acid that I assume removed all the mineral deposits and possibly the soap scum that was on the inside of my bag, tubing, and connectors. Vinegar, also commonly used to reduce mineral deposits (lime scale, water spots, etc.) may have worked just as well but I keep CLR on hand so that’s what I used. What it did not do is reverse the gradual “yellowing” (more like browning?) that has affected some of my silicone items. From my research that’s a gradual chemical shift caused by a miscalculation in the silicone formula at the time of casting. My Klystra bag for instance is still mostly clear like new after getting the CLR soak but my siliconenozzles tube looks dirty even when perfectly clean. Still works just fine, still smooth, just doesn’t look as nice. I’m considering getting some colored instead of clear tubes but that’s a subject for a different post.

Every so often I go walking through an Ollie's Outlet just to see what they have. Often I can get deals on things like olive oil or breakfast cereal. Some years ago on one of these trips I happened upon some Listerine in a 1 gallon size that had a pump dispenser top. It was dirt cheap and so I bought it. I find it works well in cleaning up my enema equipment plus it leaves the bathroom with a distinctive medicine-like smell that isn't unpleasant.