Frequently Asked Questions
Where do you ship and how much is it?
We currently ship to Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the USA, and the UK! Our shipping is determined based on package weight at checkout.
UK CUSTOMERS PLEASE NOTE - DUE TO VAT RESTRICTIONS IF YOUR ORDER TOTALS LESS THAN GBP£135, THEN PLEASE CONTACT US BEFORE ORDERING SO WE CAN CONDUCT THE TRANSACTION ON OUR ETSY STORE.
Shipping day is Wednesday of every week currently. Currently custom or Made-to-Order (MTO) items may take up to 4-6 weeks to dispatch. If your order includes both custom or MTO items and premade items it will be shipped when the custom/MTO items are ready.
How do I care for my new item?
Please use only water-based lubricants. Oil and silicone based ones can lead to degradation of the item's material rendering it unsafe.
Make sure to wash the item both before and after usage. Simple soap and hot water will suffice, there is no need to boil or bleach the item. If you do choose to boil it, please be aware that this may cause the firmness to permanently increase by a small amount each time it's boiled. This effect is cumulative. Near Clear items may experience some darkening/yellowing of the silicone after repeated/prolonged exposure to boiling water.
After usage and cleaning, make sure the toy is dry before storage, and make sure it is being stored in a clean, dry place. Platinum silicone is non-porous and a robust material, however it can still develop mold if these directions are not followed. Once an item becomes moldy, it is unfortunately unable to be saved and must not be used again.
You may notice the item attracting dust/lint/hair/fluff. This is normal and due to the material's surface properties. It is also practically unavoidable in a household environment and why cleaning it prior to usage is recommended.
My item has some wear and tear, what do I do?
You may find the item's surface becoming less shiny over time. This is perfectly normal and does not mean the item is becoming unsafe, or is defective. Silicone surface gloss is cumulatively reduced by friction.
If the item sustains damage, assess it before continuing. Damage on the base will not pose a safety risk, however the material may continue to tear over time. Silpoxy by Smoothon can be used to repair it, however this will leave a harder/firmer spot that will always be a weaker point, although it should prevent the tear progressing further.
Damage to the usable section needs more attention. If it is open-faced with relatively clean margins (say, a missing chunk), shallow, and V or U shaped, then as long as it's given extra cleaning attention it should pose no hazard. However, deep tears, punctures, or pocketed holes are much more difficult to clean and can easily trap bacteria.
What silicone do you use for your toys?
At Midnight Menagerie, all of our toys are made using skin-safe tested and approved, platinum-cure silicone.
The firmnesses we currently offer in order from softest to firmest are:
- Soft (Shore 0030)
- NearClear 31 (Shore 0031)
- NearClear 45 (Shore 0045)
- Medium (Shore 0050)
We also have available Magic Motes (tiny versions of our toys) as well as Ponderin' Orbs (firmness sample/squishie) available in all of the listed firmnesses.
Please be aware that silicone firmness is a somewhat complicated thing. It can be affected by toy dimensions (the thicker a toy is the firmer it can feel) and shape.
How else do you ensure your toys are safe?
Prior to pouring, all silicone is thoroughly mixed with a motorized stirrer to ensure thorough blending of parts A and B. After this, pigment is added (see below for further detail).
Once pigment has been mixed in with the stirrer to ensure even and consistent distribution, the silicone is then placed inside a vacuum chamber where it is placed under vacuum until all the air dissolved in it has been purged. This ensures the body of the toy is bubble-free and safe.
Occasionally a small open bubble may appear on the base of the toy (well outside the usable section). This is from air escaping the mold as the silicone is poured in and poses zero risk to health or safety.
What pigments do you use?
For flat/opaque pigments, we use liquid pigments that are approved for skin safety. These come in a wide variety of colours and can be mixed to create entirely custom colours as well.
For glow in the dark, we use low-micron strontium aluminate-based powders. These are chemically and biologically inert so pose no risks such as poisoning. We also make sure toys made with glow powder do not experience "rubout" as this is undesirable for a number of reasons.
For UV/fluoro pigments we use the fluorescent liquid pigments from the same line as the flat/opaque ones. However these generally cannot be mixed with anything other than white without affecting them adversely.
Sparkly pigments are cosmetic mica that has been approved for use on lips and eyelids, or ultrafine (25 and 50 micron) cosmetic-approved holo powder (what other popular vendors refer to as "dazzle"). Mica is a silicate mineral and bonds well with silicone (as they share some chemistry). The ultrafine holo powder is an extremely fine, light dust and when used correctly does not migrate from the material.
Effort is taken to ensure even consistency and distribution, but some micas may "freckle". This is common when combining a dark colour with a light colour. It is large a cosmetic problem, not a safety one. However, all toy quirks will be noted on their listing.
WE NEVER USE LARGE CRAFT OR HEX GLITTER IN OUR TOYS.
Is your shipping discreet?
Yes! All of our orders are shipped in nondescript brown boxes with the only label being the postage sticker. There are no logos or any other business information outside of the name, email address and return address. This is so our postal service can contact us if there are any problems and so they can identify us as the sender.
International parcels do need an item description for customs, but this is only made as accurate as it needs to be whilst still maintaining discretion.