Ah, pervertibles, that wonderful thing that every kinkster should know about. Your first kinky toys were probably pervertibles. A pervertible is any every day object that can be repurposed for a kinky purpose. Once you learn how to shop for pervertibles, you start seeing them everywhere. There are thousands of things that can be done with everyday objects, limited only by your imagination. From Walmart to Home Depot, to Petsmart or Petco, the shopping options are limitless. Today, I’m going to cover some shopping tips for pervertible items to get you started on the road to the kinky toy bag you’ve always wanted.

The first stop off on any pervertible shopping trip is the utensil aisle. My first recommendation is that you pick up an escargot fork. It’s a small, two tined fork that can be used to great effect in sensation play by tracing the tines gently over the skin. A spatula or a wooden spoon can easily be substituted for a paddle. By cooling the edge of a metal butter knife on an ice cube, you can make it feel much sharper than it is and it can be used efficiently in knife play. For best effect, show your submissive a sharp knife before blindfolding them and switching out the knives. A pair of still connected disposable chopsticks can be substituted for nipple clamps in a pinch, and a soft bristled bottle brush can be used gently over skin to sensitize it.

Next, we’ll travel to the storage and organization aisle. If you can find a very sturdy shoe rack, you can improvise a spanking bench. I only recommend doing this if the shoe rack can hold more than the full weight of the person it has to support. Clothespins can be used as clamps, and attached to just about any area of skin that can be pinched upwards. If you run a string through a series of clothespins, you can make an improvised zipper strip, which can be attached to the skin in a line, then pulled off all at once with the string. While you’re still in housewares, you should also be able to find a shower curtain rod or a regular curtain rod, which, with a few modifications can become a spreader bar.

If you’re shopping online or in a bigger department store, you might find that they have a massage section. If you have the room for it, you can’t go wrong with a massage table or chair. Not only are they good for actual massages, a good sturdy one will have plenty of places you can hook cuffs and keep your sub on a good level for you to work. Also in the massage area, you should find an assortment of massagers. You already know what to do with those, right? You should even be able to find massage table bolsters, which can take the place of a position pillow if you can’t afford one yet.

There are plenty of other things you might pick up in a department store. A wooden ruler makes an excellent paddle. A dull letter opener can be traced gently over the skin in knife play. A spa mask or a sleep mask for travel can be used in place of a blindfold. In fact, we’ve found that the sleep masks they make for air travel are considerably more comfortable than most of the blindfolds we’ve bought. A feather duster makes a great feather tickler, too, and a hairbrush makes a good paddle. For more ideas on sensation play pervertibles, have a look at the sensation play paragraph in my article “Sex Doesn’t Need to Begin and End with V.”

The next stop off on our pervertible hunt is the pet store. Here’s where it starts getting interesting. First question, are you interested in pet play? This is where you can start picking up supplies if that’s the case. You can find dog or cat bowls, tennis balls, rope tug-toys, feather wands, toy mice, pet beds, collars, leashes, and tags here for your new “pet.” Not into pet play? The pet store is still a good stop off for you. The dog collars are usually made sturdy, and most of them are exceptionally comfortable. I recommend the kind with the metal buckle closures, not the plastic snaps. Collars sized for tiny dogs, like chihuahuas, can be used as cuffs for securing wrists and ankles. Leashes work for their intended purpose, of course, but they can also be looped around a headboard or other secure point and used as fastening points for cuffs. You should also be able to find large dog harnesses. We actually tried a few on for size, and the ones intended for large shepherds adjusted the best to fit around human chests. They can be used to secure someone in bondage, or as a grabbing point to pull someone close or move them as you see fit, and of course they can also be hooked to a leash. They have the added bonus of looking nice, as well. In the cat toys, you can find feather sticks, which make excellent feather ticklers in a pinch. While you’re there, you might consider picking up some organic catnip. Catnip tea is a good beverage to have available during after care, as it has mild sedative effects and it can be great for calming frayed nerves and balancing emotions. Catnip can also be used on mild cuts and bruises. I suggest reading more in-depth information on its effects before you use it on yourself or your partner, however.

The last pervertible stop off I’m going to cover in this article is the hardware store. It is, perhaps, the best place of them all to buy pervertibles. I suggest getting at least four double ended snap hooks, eight is even better. They can be used to fasten cuffs and chains in different combination. You can also find chain O rings in various sizes, which can be used in strap on harnesses, and buy lengths of chain. I suggest buying four lengths of a light, sturdy chain to use as tethers with your cuffs. Your segments of chain can be cut between one and a half feet and two feet. Of course, you can also buy rope. Choose rope that isn’t likely to chafe, and soak it overnight to help soften it before use. If you plan to do any kind of advanced rope work, you’ll need at least 35 feet of rope. It seems like a lot, but once you start tying, it goes quickly.

There are plenty more pervertibles out there, and you’re limited only by your imagination, so have fun trying things out and learning as you go. Always remember the rules of BDSM safety and always respect limits. Once you’ve tried out some BDSM with pervertibles, remember that different materials get different effects, and adding nicer, luxury items to your toy bag can make your play time all the more fun. By mixing professionally made toys and pervertibles, you open up a world of sensual pain and pleasure to explore.