An autoclave is not necessary, nor is it anywhere near the best method for cleaning a razor.
Cleaning/Sterilizing an EBay razor
- Thread starter farangzookzon
- Start date
I know, I just want to sterilize it after I clean it, like a final precaution.
Also I have one on hand .... and well you know the thing they say about curiosity and cats..... well its like a man with a dirty razor and an autoclave.....
I know, I just want to sterilize it after I clean it, like a final precaution.
Also I have one on hand .... and well you know the thing they say about curiosity and cats..... well its like a man with a dirty razor and an autoclave.....
I would be more concerned with damaging it.
i pretty much followed the advice in mantic59's videos for cleaning - don't have an ultrasonic, so i've been soaking in boiling water with vinegar
and then i also used rubbing alcohol as sort of the final sterilization step
my son is apprentice at a tattoo shop and they have an autoclave there, but it seems like that is way, way overkill to me
perhaps i ought to buy a bottle of barbicide at least
and then i also used rubbing alcohol as sort of the final sterilization step
my son is apprentice at a tattoo shop and they have an autoclave there, but it seems like that is way, way overkill to me
perhaps i ought to buy a bottle of barbicide at least
damaging the razor is the only possibility thats keeping me from trying it out at the moment...
Well I am goig to boil and scrub the thing to remove the dirt. Then I will sterilize it with alcohol.
My only concern is that there is a definite spot of blood inside the razor.... wanna be extra sure I have a safe and clean razor to use.
Well I am goig to boil and scrub the thing to remove the dirt. Then I will sterilize it with alcohol.
My only concern is that there is a definite spot of blood inside the razor.... wanna be extra sure I have a safe and clean razor to use.
Boiling and scrubbing will loosen and remove the soapy encrusted gunk. Boiling also sanitizes the razor. You are not sterilizing it. The Alcohol soak is also only sanitizing the razor which you've already done when you boiled it. I agree with Guido I think you are going overkill if you autoclave it, and I'm glad you're not due to the damage the high temperatures might cause.
Clayton
I'm an infectious diseases physician and this is all I do:
1) Clean with scrubbing bubbles and a toothbrush. Rinse thoroughly.
2) Apply rubbing alcohol with a cotton swab and allow to dry.
Done.
After that I just load a blade in it and shave away. I don't understand the need for boiling, etc.
Viruses can be WASHED away. They don't need to be KILLED. For example, common cold viruses go away from your hands if you wash them properly with plain old soap and water, but they sometimes survive Purell. Same for Clostridium difficile spores; they are not harmed at all by Purell, but they cannot survive a good hand-washing.
When you are washing and scrubbing your razors, you are washing cooties down the drain (if they are on there at all).
1) Clean with scrubbing bubbles and a toothbrush. Rinse thoroughly.
2) Apply rubbing alcohol with a cotton swab and allow to dry.
Done.
After that I just load a blade in it and shave away. I don't understand the need for boiling, etc.
Viruses can be WASHED away. They don't need to be KILLED. For example, common cold viruses go away from your hands if you wash them properly with plain old soap and water, but they sometimes survive Purell. Same for Clostridium difficile spores; they are not harmed at all by Purell, but they cannot survive a good hand-washing.
When you are washing and scrubbing your razors, you are washing cooties down the drain (if they are on there at all).
Don't use vineger if you are boiling an old fatboy. It will remove the copper from the ring below the adjustment dial and it will give your razor a patina bronze type color. Just boil in water and keep the razor off the bottom of the pan. I use a veggie steamer basket as a shelf and then cover that with water and then boil. The basket keeps the razor away from the direct heat of the burner.
Clayton
I agree with you. I just boil my metal razors the first time to remove any dried on stuff and to sanitize them, after that they just get lysol disinfectant when I clean them.
Clayton
I recently purchased a gillette from ebay. The guy said he cleaned it (barbicide and steam) and it looks very good, but I just want to give it a once over myself. Has anyone tried soaking in Andis cool care 5 in 1 to sterilize? I have it for my hair clippers and it says it kills everything similar to Barbicide and it has some lubricant in it, which I would say is not a bad thing. Just a though.
chlorohexidine solution is used in ER's to disinfect skin area prior to inserting IV.
I clean rasors as necessary, lately with scrubbing bubbles and CLR, soak in hospital grade barbicide and then polish.
Anything that lives through that deserves to have a shot at me.
I clean rasors as necessary, lately with scrubbing bubbles and CLR, soak in hospital grade barbicide and then polish.
Anything that lives through that deserves to have a shot at me.
I just bought my first used razor on eBay. It was a really gunky but perfectly-functioning Slim adjustable, 1966 (L4). When I recieved it, it was covered in what appeared to be tarnish, although I figure it was just a dirt build-up/patina. At any rate, the whole razor was a dark gray color. I first scrubbed it in hot, soapy water, rinsed thoroughly, then went to town on the thing with a toothbrush and toothpaste (a very decent metal polish, by the way). I repeated the toothpaste scrubbing 3-4 times (scrubbing every cranny, then rinsing thoroughly). I then dipped in rubbing alcohol and let it dry. Voila! The tarnish came right off to reveal a shiny razor with some brassing on the handle, for the low cost of $13 shipped and some elbow grease.
Be careful with the toothpaste. It is abrasive (mildly, but still abrasive). It's also not a good idea to brush with toothpaste more than twice/day if you want to keep your tooth enamel.
Just to update the url because I had trouble finding it from above: http://www.wdghu.org/page.cfm?id=153 Then scroll down for the Barbicide pdf.
Cheers!
I do harmonica repair and customization and often have to sterilize and clean harmonicas and their different parts. I have an ultrasonic cleaner I use for this. Would this work for razors as well?
SPOILER ALERT: THIS POST CONTAINS SOME SCIENCE AND MAY BORE YOU
Actually, both isopropyl and ethanol you buy at the local drug/liquor store are quite effective at killing bacteria and inactivating viruses (that are enveloped). Anything between 50-95% is effective, the stronger it is the quicker it will work. Alcohol/ETOH dissolves bacterial/viral cell membranes (the "armor") allowing it to denature its proteins (DNA/RNA), effectively killing/inactivating it; a little water is needed for the denaturing process, so any concentration >95% is less effective. 70% ETOH is more effective only on dry surfaces (i.e. wiping counter tops, skin, etc.), because the excess water prevents the ETOH from evaporating too quickly - allowing more time for denaturing, thereby killing/inactivating more microbes. You are correct that dipping a razor in 70% ETOH and allowing it to air dry does a fine job of sanitizing.
SANITIZING - Microbes (bacteria/viruses/endospores/prions/protozoa) react differently to different methods/chemicals - some bacteria are resistant to bleach, most (endo)spores can't be killed by boiling, and no matter what method you use some microbes will inevitably survive (sanitizing≠sterilizing). A multi-method/chemical system is best. Boiling in water for +30 minutes is going to take care of most microbes except the really hardy ones like spores, prions, and non-enveloped viruses. Soaking in dilute bleach (1:9 or 1:10) for 10 minutes or longer will take care of most bacteria not killed by boiling as well as spores and non-enveloped viruses, although bleach is corrosive and should be used with caution on plated razors. If you're afraid of using even dilute bleach on your razor, Lysol is "broad" sanitizer (kills lots of different microbes) and is commonly used to clean surgical equipment (not sure on concentration). High concentration ETOH also kills bacteria and enveloped viruses, although bleach is a "broader" sanitizers and arguably more effective. Autoclaving is the gold standard for sanitizing medical/lab equipment and is basically "pressure-cooking", not even prions (rogue proteins, cause of Mad Cow) can withstand the high heat and pressure (121 Celsius @ 15psi). Unless you have easy access to an autoclave like ERIC, a combination of 1) boiling, followed by an ETOH soak, a dilute bleach soak, and finally an ETOH dip and air dry is you're best bet.
WHY BOTHER SOAKING IN ETOH? - While a quick dip in 70% ETOH is sufficient for sanitation, I recommend a soak in 70-95% for 10-30 minutes. Grime/residue is split into two different categories: stuff that's polar and stuff that's non-polar. Water and bleach are polar solvents, and will loosen any polar molecules from the razor...but I'll bet that most of the gunk collected on your ebay razor is non-polar (oils, soaps, dirt), which is why soaking in high concentration ETOH is beneficial. 30 minutes should be plenty, although overnight can only help dissolve more residue. Alternatively, you could use 100% acetone (used as nail-polish remover) in place of ETOH as your non-polar solvent, but it may eat away at plating and is a little more costly than ETOH by volume. Then go to town on that bad boy with a toothbrush until satisfied, maybe slap a coat of polish on, and admire your handiwork.
Actually, both isopropyl and ethanol you buy at the local drug/liquor store are quite effective at killing bacteria and inactivating viruses (that are enveloped). Anything between 50-95% is effective, the stronger it is the quicker it will work. Alcohol/ETOH dissolves bacterial/viral cell membranes (the "armor") allowing it to denature its proteins (DNA/RNA), effectively killing/inactivating it; a little water is needed for the denaturing process, so any concentration >95% is less effective. 70% ETOH is more effective only on dry surfaces (i.e. wiping counter tops, skin, etc.), because the excess water prevents the ETOH from evaporating too quickly - allowing more time for denaturing, thereby killing/inactivating more microbes. You are correct that dipping a razor in 70% ETOH and allowing it to air dry does a fine job of sanitizing.
SANITIZING - Microbes (bacteria/viruses/endospores/prions/protozoa) react differently to different methods/chemicals - some bacteria are resistant to bleach, most (endo)spores can't be killed by boiling, and no matter what method you use some microbes will inevitably survive (sanitizing≠sterilizing). A multi-method/chemical system is best. Boiling in water for +30 minutes is going to take care of most microbes except the really hardy ones like spores, prions, and non-enveloped viruses. Soaking in dilute bleach (1:9 or 1:10) for 10 minutes or longer will take care of most bacteria not killed by boiling as well as spores and non-enveloped viruses, although bleach is corrosive and should be used with caution on plated razors. If you're afraid of using even dilute bleach on your razor, Lysol is "broad" sanitizer (kills lots of different microbes) and is commonly used to clean surgical equipment (not sure on concentration). High concentration ETOH also kills bacteria and enveloped viruses, although bleach is a "broader" sanitizers and arguably more effective. Autoclaving is the gold standard for sanitizing medical/lab equipment and is basically "pressure-cooking", not even prions (rogue proteins, cause of Mad Cow) can withstand the high heat and pressure (121 Celsius @ 15psi). Unless you have easy access to an autoclave like ERIC, a combination of 1) boiling, followed by an ETOH soak, a dilute bleach soak, and finally an ETOH dip and air dry is you're best bet.
WHY BOTHER SOAKING IN ETOH? - While a quick dip in 70% ETOH is sufficient for sanitation, I recommend a soak in 70-95% for 10-30 minutes. Grime/residue is split into two different categories: stuff that's polar and stuff that's non-polar. Water and bleach are polar solvents, and will loosen any polar molecules from the razor...but I'll bet that most of the gunk collected on your ebay razor is non-polar (oils, soaps, dirt), which is why soaking in high concentration ETOH is beneficial. 30 minutes should be plenty, although overnight can only help dissolve more residue. Alternatively, you could use 100% acetone (used as nail-polish remover) in place of ETOH as your non-polar solvent, but it may eat away at plating and is a little more costly than ETOH by volume. Then go to town on that bad boy with a toothbrush until satisfied, maybe slap a coat of polish on, and admire your handiwork.
Those ultrasonic are pretty sweet. If I remember correctly, they're basically a bowl-like contraption filled with liquid that you place objects in and it uses ultrasound waves to "vibrate" the object clean while immersed. Unless I'm thinking of some other cleaning device that uses sound.... I think it depends on what solvent you're using in the ultrasonic cleaner, but I think some of them use plain old distilled water. If they're good enough to clean fine jewelry or a harmonica, it should be plenty safe for a razor as long as you're using a solvent that wont strip off plating.
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