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How to clean it:
Before the very first use - just like in case of a pacifier -decontaminate the cup by boiling it! Put it in a small pan with boiling hot water in it for 7-10 minutes.
If you don't have a pan for this, simply fill a mug half way with clean water, and push the menstrual cup under the water.
Boil it for a few minutes. Chemicals are not necessary. The ancient germicidal power of clean, boiling water leaves no chemical residue,and disinfects perfectly.
When you are done sterilizing the cup, cool it with cold water, and you can use it right away!
Tip: Do not air dry it because if the tap water is harder, scale can sit on the silicone.
If you disinfect the cup after the last use, dry it with a towel and put it in its small bag.
It's better to rather wash it thoroughly only with soap after the last use, and boil it again only before the next menstruation, since when the period is over, the menstrual cup will be waiting for a month anyway in its small breathable bag on the bathroom shelf. Obviously it won't be sterile when you take it out again.
With a little routine, you will see that actually it is enough to boil the cup every few months,
because washing it with lukewarm, soapy water can be perfectly enough.
Lather the soap/intimate cleanser on the cup, then rinse it off. This cleaning maximally removes all impurities from it.
And the "residue" - an insignificant number of bacteria -, which may be on the surface of the cup due to the lack of sterilization, will be handled by the acidic vaginal flora. This little "work" is even good for it.
On the surface of the medically tested silicone Aqua Cup menstrual cup the bacteria cannot multiply. The greatest feature of silicone is that it is bacteria resistant and also water-repellent.
It can be safely inside the vagina for up to 10-12 hours continuously, because of the blood collected in it won't smell bad even after half a day.
TIP: if the cup is wet, you can put it back in even easier!
It is a MISCONCEPTION that the vagina is a sterile place! Many strains of bacteria live there, which is why its environment is slightly acidic.
The vagina builds its own acid mantle against the harmful bacteria that enters, so practically it "self cleanses".
Products (tampons, sponges) that absorb or remove this protective acid and mucus mantle can be very harmful, as they can dry out the vagina and even leave lint and synthetic fibers in it, which provides an excellent breeding ground for harmful bacteria and fungi. For this reason, a vaginal yeast infection can be picked up much sooner with a tampon. Unfortunately, tampon advertisements don't tell you this.
The Aqua Cup medical silicone menstrual cup protects the vagina by not absorbing the precious acid mantle and lets it "work" along with some blood clots in the vaginal folds. That's why during every time you rinse the cup it's worth cleaning around the vaginal opening area with an intimate lactic acid wipe as well after putting the cup back in.
Because of the self-protective acid mantle of the vagina it is NOT necessary to constantly sterilize the menstrual cup.
What goes into a healthy vagina is enoug if it is "only" clean enough. (by the way: e.g. we don't do a surgical wash before making love, do we? ;)
Don't forget: Washing your hands with soap also plays the biggest role in protecting against viruses. It is no different when cleaning the menstrual cup.
If you are susceptible to infections, or your immune system is weaker, then of course disinfect the cup as often as you like.
You can repeat the boiling at any time.
If you are done with thorough soapy rinsing, insert it again the into the vagina!
TIP: Since the menstrual cup only collects blood and does not absorb anything - therefore blood residues that stuck in the folds of the vaginal wall - it's cleaning the vagina entrance with an intimate lactic acid wipe after you put the cup back in, so that the blood won't land on your underwear later.
These blood remains cannot be removed with a simple butt wipe, as the folds are inside the vaginal opening around the cup.
If you do this, then there will be no smudging that looks like a leak later on the underwear, and the lactic acid cloth also provides a very pleasant, clean, refreshed feeling.
When the period is over, wash it dry with a towel and put it into its bag and in the bathroom cabinet . It will safely wait for your next period! ;)
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