What’s a barrier? Barriers (often referred to as “protection”) include condoms, internal condoms, gloves, dental dams, saran wrap – anything meant to reduce fluid transmission from person to person. Barriers are not a fail-proof method. It’s important to look up the statistics for each method. When is it a good does to use a barrier? Some examples include:
- New or non-fluid bonded partners
- Group play
- Anonymous play (including glory holes)
- Borrowed toys
- Any time you switch between partners
- Any time you switch between mouth, anus, or vagina with a partner with either your mouth, hand, a toy, or genitals
- When using silicone toys with silicone lube
- With “pervertables” – objects used for insertion that aren’t designed for this use
Other considerations:
- barriers do not replace soap and water washing and sanitization.
- when borrowing toys, ensure you’re using the condoms provider by the owner, due to latex allergies and other considerations.
- Dispose of barriers as soon as they’re removed from play.
- If a barrier rips, tears, or fails, replace it immediately.
- Wash hands, genitals, and toys with soap and water after play