Working at Babeland, you have tons of tasks through out the day, mostly consisting of cleaning. Everything is pretty simple to clean and organize, until you reach the most essential item for sex; Lube. Sure water base lube can clean up in a snap with Windex, and can be wiped away with almost anything. Our only constant contender, leaving rings, streaks, stains, and finger prints everywhere, is silicone. No matter what we try to do, the glass shelves remain covered with remnants, of a cleaning battle yet to be won. So I got to thinking, what products would work not just for cleaning glass, but how about the expensive sheets you bought to impress a date? Or, your favorite pair of pants, and the mysterious spot on the dinning room floor, all from silicone lube.
What makes silicone such a hard contender, isn’t only that it’s not water-soluble, but it’s long lasting, very thin and a little goes a long ways. All of those reasons make it a great choice for its many uses, such as in or under water, massage oil which doesn’t dry up before you’re done with it, or as shaving cream. (Be carful, spills can make any hard surface an instant slip ‘n slide.) However, slipping isn’t silicone’s only flaw, it can’t be used with a lesser grade of silicone toy – it will gum up and make the toy forever sticky. Leaving the biggest disadvantage last, if it spills, you’ll find an oily ring, constantly attracting dirt and getting darker, if left untreated.
First off, silicone stains are in the same family as an oil stain, like hand lotion, sunblock, and motor oil. Most stains will come out in the wash, however some can be more complex, and require special treatment. So treat A.S.A.P! To avoid dry cleaning bills, I put together some cleaning tips for any type of fabric:

1. Blot all excess, trying not to spread.

2. Apply talcum or baby powder, and let sit for a few minutes. This helps draw out the silicone, and then you can lightly brush off the excess.
Cleaning acrylic, cotton, nylon, polyester, and spandex, flush with K2R Spot Lifter, or pre-treat with degreasers like Simple Green, then cover with an absorbent pad. Check stain often, tamping (Making light brush strokes.) before changing the pad. Continue to soak and tamp, until all stain is removed. Then rinse with water and degreasing dish soap. Launder A.S.A.P.Cleaning carpet, silk and wool, flush with K2R Spot Lifter, or pre-treat with Spray ‘n Wash Extra Strength, then cover with an absorbent pad. Check stain every 5 minutes. Before changing pad, press hard against the stain. Repeat ’till stains removed. If no luck, flush with water and let dry. Repeat if necessary.

Cleaning any hard surface, use Lysol Sanitizing Wipes to absorb the spill, then dry with a paper towel.
Now I feel I have finally won the battle with the ever so stuborn silicone.

I came across this photograph recently on Flickr and it made me crack up laughing. Oh, the things that happen outside of stores before they open in the morning. This picture is taken at our Mercer street location. For a long time, a brand new fancy building has been under construction. This meant that there was a lot of drilling and loud noises as we were trying to help people shop for sex toys. We also had some problems with some of the construction workers making comments about Babeland employees (imagine the usual construction worker comments, then imagine that they know you work at a sex toy shop) but once we spoke to the foreperson (because it was, in fact, a woman!) we didn’t have any more trouble that I know of.

The thing that makes this photograph so funny is not just the fact that a bunch of macho construction workers are sitting outside the sex toy shop, it’s the sign that they’re sitting under. “Here to Please” is referencing our #1 rating for customer service by Zagats. We were so excited when we won that award because that’s our goal. I’ve worked other customer service jobs before but in none of them have I had the opportunity to help people in such a personal and potentially long-lasting way. It’s fun and it’s fulfilling. I hope one or two of those construction workers came back after they were off work and wandered in to the store to find out what “here to please” actually meant.

Note, the photographer who took this has some really amazing work up at www.dailysnapshots.com. Check it out!