If you’re looking for new ways to build intimacy, passion and trust in your relationship, homemade sex toys can be a great way to go.

Using homemade sex toys is one way to spice up the physical side of your sex life. But beyond the aspects of pleasure, it’s also a wonderful bridge to enhance communication between you and your lover. That’s because unearthing homemade sex toys in your environment-and how you want to use them-lets you share some of your deeper fantasies, work together and even surprise each other with innovative ideas that you haven’t tried before.

Here are a few key ways to ensure that playing with homemade sex toys brings you everything you want to experience.

Play in Harmony

You won’t build much trust, passion and intimacy if only one of you is on board with the concept of utilizing homemade sex toys. Like most matters sexual, this is an area where both partners need to share the spirit of the adventure. If one partner is keen, but the other is getting dragged along for the ride, your sexual balance will be out of whack. If one of you is unhappy and negative about the experience, you’re going to sow the seeds of discontent and possibly end up with less trust than you started with.

So before you push your partner to find out how that cucumber might feel “in there,” or use silk ties for more than just office attire, talk first about your mutual desires, goals and interests in terms of what is in bounds and out of bounds for homemade sex toy play.

Play Safe

Imagine the scene . . . you very carefully walk into the emergency room, unable to sit down, furiously blushing while trying to explain (in a hushed voice that you hope no one but the nurse will hear) how you ended up with a (insert object name here) stuck up your butt. That’s the thing about homemade sex toys. They can be a lot of fun, and bring some real uniqueness to your sexual play, but you need to play safe.

Safe means . . . your toy of choice is clean. It means that whatever you “put in” you must be able to get out. It means not playing with something sharp or spiked that can cut or scrape you or your partner. It means stopping if something feels uncomfortable or is causing too much pain. And of course, playing with fire or electricity may give you more sparks than you intend, so proceed with caution there. The bottom line is . . . homemade sex toy play can be lots of fun-just do it safely and sensibly.

Play Around

One of the best things about playing with homemade sex toys is that the tools for your games are all around you. From the kitchen to the bathroom to the bedroom-even to the workroom-set your imagination free to find the best ways to enhance the intimacy (and fun!) in your sexual play. Many food items are ubiquitous sex toys. Tools, toothbrushes, bottles, faucets . . . the list of potential playthings is virtually endless.

Working together to discover the sex toys in your environment can help you build intimacy. Baring some of your deepest desires will improve your communication and help accentuate the trust between you. All it takes is some open and honest expression of your wants, and the willingness to mutually go where your ideas lead you.