This blog post is dedicated to all My lovely rubber enthusiasts that adore everything about latex, but haven’t quite got all the ‘how to’s’ about their latex to perfection yet. There are a plethora of different ways that you can look after, put on and shine your latex. What I will be saying below is just My way of doing it and am not saying that it is the only way, but it works for Me, your rubber Mistress.
Latex can be a lot of maintenance and sometimes question My sanity when it comes to having rubber as a fetish. But I can’t help it, rubber is in My blood and I always want it to be part of My play time in some shape or form. Be sure to find out about My latex fetish and the latex sessions that I offer.
Cleaning
First thing I do, after the initial try on of course, when I get a new latex garment is get a bucket (or use a sink) and clean off the powder with warm water and soap by soaking it for 15 min or so. No need to do any work, just let it soak. One thing I want to mention is when you first try on a garment be sure not to shine it, try it on with the powder still on the latex. Most companies are really rigid about you sending back a rubber garment with any form of shiner on it, so avoid that headache.
When I first started wearing latex I was told to store (whether it be short or long term) My latex with baby powder very gently sprinkled on the garment. Nowadays I almost never use baby powder. Do yourself a favour and don’t use it when trying to get your latex on. I will admit that for long term storage baby powder is perfect, but not when you are using the garment on a semi regular or regular basis. Too much work, no thank you I am too busy being a Mistress!
Now for cleaning, I do something that many will cringe at, I wash My rubber in the washing machine. I put it in a delicate bag and throw it in with My other laundry and do a ‘normal wash’. I do this with transparent, white, any colour of latex! I have yet to have an issue and completely understand why many shy away from it but I simply don’t have the time nor interest in hand washing My clothes. I will mention that I don’t have latex with a lot of metal or added accessories/bits, so it isn’t something I worry about when it comes to things being ripped off or stained. Be warned that when you take the latex out of the washing machine there is generally excess water, so just throw a towel down on the floor when removing the clothing. I then hang My latex to completely dry (see below as it is the same drying ritual as when I am shining My latex).
Shining
So you are dying to get into that rubber, and who wouldn’t? Get your bucket (or sink) and put some water in. The amount of water will vary based on the size of your bucket/sink and the amount of latex you are attempting to shine. I generally find that less water is better. Obviously a good general guideline is what the directions of your latex shiner tells you. Which leads Me to discuss which latex shiner to use. I was always a Vivashine woman, for years, however, recently I have been using Be Gloss. I prefer Be Gloss’s easier pour bottle and also their ‘large bottle’ is larger than Vivashine and your latex Mistress needs as much shiner as She can get Her hands on. The easy pour bottle of Be Gloss is a huge point for Me as the bottle design that Vivashine uses tends to leave droplets behind making the bottle slippery as well as anything it touches. The amount of shiner really depends on the amount of garments you are shining as well as the amount of water that you use. I tend to err on the side of less water and more shiner. But definitely don’t put a lot of shiner in your bucket/sink, because a little goes a long way! There is an element of just practicing and figuring out what works for you based on the amount of latex that you are shining.
I usually let My latex sit in the water/shiner mix for about 20 min in the bucket/sink. A quarter of the way through that time I turn the garment inside out and move the garment around in the solution so that I am 100% sure that the latex has been saturated. Now, if I had pre planned My outfit properly I would have done this ritual much earlier in the day or the day before so that after the soak I can then hang the rubber to ‘dry’ (as in not dripping wet it won’t actually completely dry). Ideally, if it can stand for 4 hours+ then it will be perfect to just slide into. However, I am not always organized, so I will also just slide into My latex immediately after it soaks if I need the latex right away. The shine won’t be as ideal, but still pretty great.
Some notes to make when hanging your latex to ‘dry’ – DON’T put it on any metal! I generally hang My latex on plastic hangers. If you are worried about the possibility of the latex being stained hang it inside out, so if anything does get stained at least it won’t be on the side that everyone sees. This is also a positive about black latex, it won’t get visibly stained no matter what you do to it! For gloves and socks/stockings use a plastic clothes peg to hold them on the hanger (they love to slip off) and it is handy for hoods as well. If you have coloured garments be sure that the metal doesn’t touch.
Get Dressed
Now that your rubber is all shined up, time to put it on! Get some lube (really any will do, but My favourite is PUR) and rub a small amount on the area of your body that you will be putting your garment on. Grab as much of the arm/leg as you can in your hand and slowly pull it up in small sections. Try and do these movements with your fingers and not use your nails! Slow and steady at first till you get used to putting on latex, it truly is an art!
If you do rip your latex, don’t fear, not all is lost. Depending on the size and where the tear is you can fix it yourself or most latex designers will repair their garments (not usually other designers though). I won’t be getting into how to fix your latex, as I am definitely not a connoisseur in regards to that, but it is definitely doable from home and a lot cheaper.
Storage
Now that you have enjoyed your playtime with your latex it is time to store it. For long term storage I clean My rubber (see the cleaning section) and once the latex is completely dry I then sprinkle baby powder on it. Be sure every inch has a little bit of powder on it, you don’t want non-powdered areas as they will stick together and could result in an issue. I store My garments in large clear plastic bags, either plastic envelopes or plastic storage bags. I store each rubber item individually, except My hoods, gloves and socks and those items I store with the same colours. I also label all My bags for ease when I am trying to select what I want to wear. I don’t hang anything for storage as I find it doesn’t maximize space. Plastic bags are the best way to store your latex, and they make it easy for transporting your rubber to wherever your kink takes you. Regardless of the length of time of storage I have my rubber in a closet so there is no risk of being exposed to sunlight or liquids. If there is metal on my latex then I do cover that area with tissue (gift bag tissue is great for this) so that it doesn’t stain the garment.
For short term storage, I am probably not a great role model, but it works for Me as My latex is in heavy rotation being the rubbery Mistress that I am! I sometimes store My latex in My plastic bags and not have washed it after use (very short term storage!) and other times after cleaning it in the washing machine I put it in the plastic bags and haven’t done any further prep for it (My most common form of storage). When I am being uber diligent after cleaning I will follow My cleaning ritual with My shining protocol and then store it in the plastic bag and it is perfectly ready for Me to wear when I choose. That being said, I pretty much always go through My shining ritual prior to wearing, sometimes for no good reason!
In conclusion, it may seem like a lot of care and that latex can be a pain, but it isn’t nearly as fragile as some worry it is. Plus the care of rubber is all part of the fetish! If it is made properly your latex can last you years, honestly just use common sense and some of your Mistress’s tips and have fun getting rubbery!