Cleaning/Sterilizing an EBay razor

[thatbrian]

I boil for 20 min and then clean with an electric toothbrush and dish soap then use Flitz polish.

Has anyone used an ultrasonic cleaner (jewelery cleaner)?

 

[rschul2]

FOR STERILIZATION: I have bought some items on eBay and went and invested about $3.99 in Hydrox Hydrocide at one of the barber/beauty supply houses. Barbicide was twice as much for the same 16 oz. I compared the two and they are virtually the same.

They both are effective against HIV-1 (AIDS virus), Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella cholerausus, and Stapholococcus aureus. The mix is 4oz/gal for about 10 min.

I work in surgery and we autoclave stuff all of the time. Unless you really know what you are doing and are used to working with hazardous chemicals, I would stay away from Cidex. Don't get me wrong. IT WORKS but, I think there are other things that will do the same without the cost or hazards, and then you have to be able to properly dispose of the stuff as well. We now use Steris equipment more than Cidex. I honestly can't remember the last time I used Cidex. Steris is a bleach based cold sterilization technique.

Why don't I simply use alcohol? I can't give you a technical reason but, I know we don't STERILIZE surgical instruments for use with patients with it so logic would suggest that it is lacking in some way.

I use Simple Green with a toothbrush to clean them before I dunk them in the Hydrocide.

Just my .02 worth.

The reason you don't use alcohol to sterilize surgical equipment is because alcohol is not an antibacterial in and of itself. Rather it is a dehydrant (removes water) as it evaporates. So it does work for lots of bacteria, but some bacteria are dessication resistant. Mostly the endospore formers, ie. anything from the genus Bacillus or Clostridium. Many of the bacteria from these genuses can cause major problems with surgical patients. Particularly Clostridium tetanii=lockjaw or Clostritidium perfringens=gas gangrene. Also alcohol does not work against all viruses.

 

[olkev]

Thanks Randy . . . I was hoping somebody would post with all of that. I was afraid I was going to have to dig out the books . . .

 

[moses]

This is all very well, but noone has yet explained to me why we need to be the hyper about sterilizing our razors? After all, they just plained aren't surgical instruments. At least I certainly hope not. The odds of a used razor that has been sitting around for months, or more likely years, carrying any nasty human pathogens seem to be basically nil. I can't see any reason why simply a good cleaning is insufficient. Frankly, in my former (non NYC) life, I drew small amounts of blood much more often with other tools, etc., than I ever have with a razor. And I certainly wouldn't try to sterilize my tools, my firewood, or the undercarriage of my car.

 

[letterk]

You have a point there. I've read that HIV/Hep/etc... can't live outside a host body in dry blood for more than a couple days, sometimes hours. However, they can live longer in contained blood that doesn't dry out as fast. That said, a razor from 40 years ago probably isn't carying much more than dirt and grime. Personally, it just makes me feel better even though I know it's probably irrational.

 

[kenxxxxxx]

Get this - in a 50/50 white vinegar/water solution, I boiled a '58 adjustable. it came out great but has a slight coppoer tint now. upon closer inspection, it looks like the ring just under the adjuster dial might be copper. i wonder if this is where the copper tint came from? at any rate, it looks really cool with the tint. I was not able to capture the tint with my camera, otherwise i'd a posted the pic.

i'm no chemistry star, does this make sense to anyone else?

Brasso and a sock took the copper tint (which had been looking lately more and more tarnished) right off. Both my razors look as good as they ever have. I hope it does not return. No more vinegar for my razors.

At closer inspection post-Brasso, there is for sure a brass or copper ring under the adjustment dial on my '58 fatboy. Here's a picture showing the ring.

There are experiments kids do with boiling pennies and a nail in a vinegar solution that give the nails a copper coating. I really think that is what happened with my vinegar boiling attempt.

Has anyone else had these results? I assume that all the early Gillette adjustables have this same brass/copper ring.

 

[pellicle]

Has anyone else had these results? I assume that all the early Gillette adjustables have this same brass/copper ring.

Because I read this whole thread but somehow skipped your original post, I did the exact same thing just the other day on the thoroughly gunked-up 1965 Slim (K3 date code) that I picked up on eBay last week. Boiled in about 1:10 vinegar:water for 10 minutes.

It cleaned up the gunk very well, but now the razor has a copper hue. While the Slim does not have a visible ring like your Fatboy does, there is now some oxidized copper "leaking" out from underneath the adjustment collar:

The razor opens, closes, and adjusts very nicely; the color just doesn't coördinate well with my Merkur HD or 1956 Super Speed. But hey, it was pretty darn cheap anyway...

I will give the Brasso a try in the next few days and will report back.

Seth

 

[member 1211]

Has anyone found a FAQ for cleaning gold razors? I picked up a gold, or gold toned, 3 piece gillette from a thrift store a week ago, and I'm noticing that it's starting to turn red. I boiled it when I first brought it home as it was in decent shape. (no gunk at least)

 

[With The Grain]

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[With The Grain]

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[letterk]

as a general note on this thread, guys should really hit their local sally's beauty supply and buy some barbercide+ or marvcide, it kills herpes, aids, kudies everything and it saves you the PITA of mixing these vinegar, bleach, water, garlic and chive cocktails that are just as likely to ruin the finish of the razor as sterilize it.

That's what I use now. The hospital grade is $5-6 and is concentrated. One ounce barbicide to 32 ounces of water.

 

[TimmyBoston]

Be very wary of bleach in general, I soaked an old Gilette in a very light bleach dilution and it destroyed the finish. It looks all rusted and the bleach actually destroyed an old pot that I was soaking it in.
The razor was a gift for my dad so I've had to start looking for another one again. If I boil the new one in salt and baking soda or if I boil it in a vinegar dilution will this sterilize the razor? I feel better with bleach because I know it will be sterile, but if its ruined who cares.

 

[Gatorade]

Be very wary of bleach in general, I soaked an old Gilette in a very light bleach dilution and it destroyed the finish. It looks all rusted and the bleach actually destroyed an old pot that I was soaking it in.
The razor was a gift for my dad so I've had to start looking for another one again. If I boil the new one in salt and baking soda or if I boil it in a vinegar dilution will this sterilize the razor? I feel better with bleach because I know it will be sterile, but if its ruined who cares.

Boiling in straight water for 10 minutes will pretty much kill anything. If you want to feel better then boil, clean, polish, boil again and clean again.

 

[With The Grain]

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[Magruder]

How would you clean the black-handled Gillette adjustable, with the rubberized handle?

 

[guenron]

Be very wary of bleach in general, I soaked an old Gilette in a very light bleach dilution and it destroyed the finish. It looks all rusted and the bleach actually destroyed an old pot that I was soaking it in.
The razor was a gift for my dad so I've had to start looking for another one again. If I boil the new one in salt and baking soda or if I boil it in a vinegar dilution will this sterilize the razor? I feel better with bleach because I know it will be sterile, but if its ruined who cares.

Tim,
Please tell me what constitues a light bleach dilution? One part bleach to ten parts water is the suggested solution.. So you made one with less bleach and it destroyed the finish?

 

[rtaylor61]

Be very wary of bleach in general, I soaked an old Gilette in a very light bleach dilution and it destroyed the finish. It looks all rusted and the bleach actually destroyed an old pot that I was soaking it in.
The razor was a gift for my dad so I've had to start looking for another one again. If I boil the new one in salt and baking soda or if I boil it in a vinegar dilution will this sterilize the razor? I feel better with bleach because I know it will be sterile, but if its ruined who cares.

Boil the razor in water. Nothing added. Temperature is what you are after at this point.

Randy

 

[vinny1957]

Preil has a hand sanitzer that kills 99.99% of germs. After cleaning thae razor, I wonder if that would work?
Vinny

 

[Duggo]

Hiya,

Although the razor may be 40 years old, what if s/he used it recently?
Even though I'm new to Double Edge (DE) shaving, I cut myself the other day. Sub grade minor stuff. but a cut, just the same. I think there is reason to be cautious.

On a Cartridge Razor (CR) I'd still be trying to stop the bleeding.

Kudos to DE!!

Duggo.....

You have a point there. I've read that HIV/Hep/etc... can't live outside a host body in dry blood for more than a couple days, sometimes hours. However, they can live longer in contained blood that doesn't dry out as fast. That said, a razor from 40 years ago probably isn't carying much more than dirt and grime. Personally, it just makes me feel better even though I know it's probably irrational.

 

[icecow]

I don't endorse bleach. even if it doesn't ruin the finish, it eats away at it. If you do, I'd do it briefly. Give it a min or two of 'kill time' then rinse well and soak it in fresh water.

I use a dremel with a nylon brush tip and some walnut shell powder based facial exfolient to remove the surface grit.

Then I get water/vinegar up to boiling and turn it off. Add the razors and wait about a half hour.

then I spray them down with clippercide. I got it from Sallys.

who knows what I'll be doing next month, but that's what I'm doing now.