Washing, freezing, and knowing when to bin one

Washing

Warm water and a mild soap does the job on everything we make. Most of the newer pieces are dishwasher safe on the top rack. Wash before the first use, since these arrive sealed in plastic and carry that smell.

The recessed tread on the newer sticks and the hand held pieces holds residue in a way a smooth surface does not. Once a week it wants a brush rather than a rinse. An old toothbrush is the usual answer.

Cold

The straight and X hollow tubes are freezer and refrigerator safe, and cold silicone on sore gums is a large part of why people buy them.

Freeze one, not the whole pack, so there is always a room temperature piece available. Do not freeze the solid chews. We do not test them for it, and hard silicone straight out of a freezer is unpleasant against teeth.

When to throw one away

Bend the piece and look at the surface under tension. A crack that only shows when flexed is still a crack. Any split, any tear, any spot where the surface has gone rough and fibrous means the piece is finished.

On the clear necklaces damage shows as a white line, which is the one real advantage of undyed silicone.

We cannot give a useful time limit, because a light chewer can use one piece for a year and a heavy chewer can finish one in a fortnight. Inspection is the only test that works.

Storage

Dry it before it goes in a bag. Silicone does not grow anything on its own, but a wet chew sitting in a lunchbox with crumbs will.

If several identical pieces are in rotation, mark them. Four black sticks look the same after a week and you lose track of which one has been in service longest.