Cleaning/Sterilizing an EBay razor

[vuelamanuel]

DON'T PANIC (as per Douglas Adam's instructions...)

Alcohol doesn't kill spores. Bacteria & Fungi can go into a spore form and become pretty resilient...

But they are not invulnerable, nor you need an autoclave.

Citrex, Cidex or Lysol should do the trick. Remember, at least 10 minutes. Rinse it well. If you do use chlorine (10% in H20) be careful not to combine it with acids (ammonia or vinegar).

DO ENJOY YOUR pre-hobo-owned razor but just make sure you soak it in a something more effective than salad dressing or a Margarita...replacement livers have limited mileage when compared to Factory equipment.
If you do decide to go hard on your liver, it should be because of something more fun than saving a couple bucks/few minutes desinfecting your newfound aquisition...

 

[Rufus]

Vulamanuel, please clarify: are you saying that plain, garden-variety Lysol is an acceptable disinfectant? Cidex is a very potent chemical steriliser, which is difficult to use and to dispose of, but are you saying Lysol is just as good? If so, what authorities can you cite to support this?

 

[polod]

...replacement livers have limited mileage when compared to Factory equipment.

Well at least if you die from Hep B or C from your razor, you sure will have a nice shave for the funeral.

 

[vuelamanuel]

Thanks for bringing that up, Rufus. As always, trust your own research. I quoted OSHA on Citrace (http://www.caltechind.com/msds/CITRACE-MSDS-FPH300-05.pdf) & Chlorine because they are available options and according to EPA they work well (http://www.epa.gov/oppad001/chemregindex.htm.

I was wondering about LYSOL myself(I've seen it in a lot of clinics). Looking at the EPA site, it seems that its approved for TB & HIV-1 but I couldn't find it in the list that includes Hep B or C. Neither on the Lysol site. That's probably why it didn't make the OSHA list. Still, is a decent cleaner and if didn't have Citrace/Citrex available I would at least use it (just not as a douche or a form of birth control, as LYSOL used to be advertised in the 20's).

You mentioned CIDEX, an sterilization product. If you have access to it and have been trained on how to handle it, sterilization is the highest standard (absolute vs. 99.999% if sanitized). However, according to it's data sheet (http://www.safety.vanderbilt.edu/pdf/hcs_msds/CidexOPA_06_05.pdf) any trace of it left in the razor could potentially trigger a sensitivity reaction (not the Oprah type) so I guess it could be impractical for some.

I hope this helps. I am not a doctor, I am just working hard to become one. I can't give validation, but I can point you where to look for the info. SO, GO READ & PICK THE ONE YOU ARE COMFORTABLE WITH. I think OSHA is good enough for me: Citrace ($ 6.13 in the big internet retailer).

Also, cleaning all the soap scum & other residues before sanitizing will make your efforts more effective (by exposing germs to the sanitizer).

PS Iodine does destroys spores but it's an irritant & stains more than getting caught praising a FUSION in this site...
PS II IF you were planning on using a straight razor, then you would definetly want to use something like CIDEX or an autoclave . The handle is not as critical as the blade. Generally speaking, anything that might pierce the skin (blade)should be sterilized, for the carrier sanitized is enough.

 

[final_id]

I've refitted many metal items, though never a vintage safety razor. Here are some observations.

De-scum: I'm a big advocate of CLR for removing soap scum. CLR is an over-the-counter brand of scum dissolver, and it's readily available at Walgreen's etc. The letters in the name stand for "calcium, lime, rust."

I laughed to watch my mom arrive at a home we were re-fitting for sale, as she dove into the elbow grease and abrasive pads to get all the gunk off the old shower stall. You could literally scrape a ball of soap scum off of the plexiglass door with your fingernail, and she was anticipating a two-day scrubbing chore. I just sprayed the CLR on directly and used A PAPER TOWEL ten seconds later to wipe off the scum. Like new! Tilex brand soap-scum remover is a similar product, and depending on the hardness of water, lime content, that sort of thing, in your location, you might find it equally effective.

So, my first recommendation is, de-scum your razor. Soak it (disassembled / opened) for five minutes in a glass of CLR, jiggling gently and moving parts about. That will get most of what has dried up inside it to simply dissolve. Rinse thoroughly with plain water. Repeat if necessary. I haven't ever had trouble with CLR ruining a metal finish, but see "trick" below about chrome.

Sterilize: Now that you've gotten down to real metal, sterilize as you see fit. I'd say a gentle bleach or germicide bath, lots of boiling water, and careful thorough air drying. Visual inspection should assure that gunky parts aren't remaining. In fact, to me it's probably more important to use sterilized razor blades than to use a sterilized Gillette razor-blade-holder-device, a.k.a. Fat-Boy.

Finally, protect: The mineral oil that so many people announce as "cleaning" is more about metal protection. Nice metal (guns, knives, etc.) should be "oiled" to keep water and humidity apart from it, so that it won't rust. Oil creates a "protective layer." Different oils for different uses. Guns have gun oil, knives have knife oil. (Oddly, razors might be used in close proximity to water regularly. Hence, the oil is a bit of a red herring. Herring oil maybe?) Oil is all about having something "museum quality," looking nice and shining prettily and maintaining its austere status for the ages. You might even consider a hard wax, such as carnauba or related buffing compound (visit a Harley dealer for S-100), applied warm (120 F?) and then buffed and shined. Metal rusts (or corrodes) in contact with spare oxygen, as is available in water and other substances. Keep the spare oxygen away.

Trick: some metals aren't metal at all, but simply shiny paint. Old "chrome" does have chromium in it, and chromium steel is a real metal. But new plastic chrome isn't metal and therefore doesn't benefit from oiling. Worse, it can be flaked off of the underlying structure of the object quite easily, since the application process is rather less adhesive than typical paints. If you've got a "chromed" object which is really just painted with shiny chrome-colored paint (especially one from the late 60s through to about 1985, when chroming got a significant boost thanks to new adhesives), I wouldn't mess with it. You'll get flakes, and nothing you do will make the "fake chrome" any shinier than it already is.

So, those are my thoughts. Glad to share, hope others have smart thoughts too. I'll be receiving my first vintage Gillette in the mail soon, I'll let you know how the cleaning goes!

 

[ranwill]

I just bought a few razors on Ebay, and immediately boiled them to clean them up. Just like some of the others above, I must have had copper in one of them because they all came out pink.

Has anyone found a way to remove this discoloration and return them to silver? I'm afraid to use a polish because it may remove the silver too.

Any help?

Randy

 

[kslar8]

I bought a black handle Gillette razor on ebay. I have been reading about autoclaves for sterilizing. Has anyone ever tried placing their razors in the cook stove oven to sterilize? Any opinions.

 

[paydepst]

I bought a black handle Gillette razor on ebay. I have been reading about autoclaves for sterilizing. Has anyone ever tried placing their razors in the cook stove oven to sterilize? Any opinions.

Wouldn't do that kslar8! Welcome to the forum!!

 

[momo360]

tried that boil in salt and baking soda thing, killed the numbers on the fatboy

should have just boiled then scrub-bubbled...

 

[paydepst]

If I'm wrong about this someone will correct me but Hydrocide can be had as a concentrate mix from your local beauty supply and kills more stuff more effectively than the similarly priced Barbicide on the shelf next to it. Just remember to wash it off!

 

[gse123]

doesn't boiling it for 5 mins kill all the bacteria etc? or is that not enough?

 

[fritz]

doesn't boiling it for 5 mins kill all the bacteria etc? or is that not enough?

Bacteria, yes. Viruses, no. Hospitals don't just boil stuff for 5 minutes, it goes to 125 C in an autoclave. Since it's tough to get that kind of temperature/pressure at home, just use something like Barbicide.

 

[kslar8]

Again, I purchased a Gillette Black Hande DE Razor on ebay and when I receive it, I want to feel safe after I clean and sterilize it. Plus, I am looking at buying a Fatboy Razor.

There has been so many different opinions stated in these threads regarding cleaning and sterilization that I started reading different websites regarding the cleaning of instruments and steam sterilization of instruments.

I found a couple of websites worth reading.

http://www.chaseunion.com/documents/safety/sterile1.htm
- I like the info in sterile1.htm regarding pressure cookers.

http://www.chaseunion.com/documents/safety/sterile0.htm
- I am a little concerned about bleach attacking metal.

Any comments?

 

[Rufus]

Wouldn't use bleach as this would attack the metal. Seems like over kill to go the pressure cooker route. Disinfecting is as far as I go: first I thoroughly clean the razor and then I soak it in 70% to 90% isopropyl alcohol for 30 minutes. This is what the Public Health authorities here in Ontario require barbers to do with their razors.

 

[VR6ofpain]

I destroyed a plastic/bakelite handled injector doing this. It was very sad, since the razor was in excellent shape. I was watching it, and all looked fine till about the 3rd time I pulled it out to inspect. I noticed the handle (white) looked distorted and was "peeling back" from the razor head. I gave a little tug and the whole head pulled out. the handle had fatigued from the heat and bent. it was a real bummer. tossed everything for it and got really bummed. a great razor taken away from this world to become landfill.

 

[Drano]

Pressure cooker sounds interesting. My wife has a couple for food preperation. Maybe I should give it a shot w/ that Gillette Slim L3 on its way from an ebay seller.
Any one know if the pressure cooker would damage the black paint in the adjuster ring?
And I can always go to Sally Beauty . Their web site says one is 1/2 mile away.

 

[mrcleanhead]

I was curious, has anyone had a problem with Scrubbing Bubbles and the paint on the numbers of an adjustable? I'm a noob and bought a Fatboy that needs a little cleaning. Also they say on the can don't use it on acrylic or brass so has anyone tried it on a razor that has heavy "brassing"? Or is it truly brass beneath the plating?

Someone suggested Marvicide which has twice the amount of disinfectant (10%) than Barbicide (5%). Sally's had it on sale for $3.99. It's usually at $6 something and more than Barbicide.

John

 

[Patman]

I was curious, has anyone had a problem with Scrubbing Bubbles and the paint on the numbers of an adjustable? I'm a noob and bought a Fatboy that needs a little cleaning.

I cleaned up my Fatboy using Scrubbing Bubbles and didn't have a problem with the numbers. I used an old toothbrush to do the cleaning- did scrub a little lighter on the area with the painted numbers. If you use a metal polish on the razor you may want to avoid getting it on the painted numbers. I lost some paint due to my overzealous use of Maas.

As with all things, YMMV.

 

[Magnulus]

I don't think overcleaning a brush is all that necessary. I just use barbicide for ten minutes followed by a rinse off with water, a light polishing using a fine chrome/metal polish like Turtle Wax Nano-Polish (not as aggressive as MAAS), and maybe another barbicide bath to put some corrosion inhibitors on the metal. For corrosion they have liquid jewelry cleaners that probably will work, just don't overdo it you don't need to strip every bit of metal off.

 

[Junkets]

Hi guys,
Seeing as I'm in the UK, and half these products mentioned are either very difficult or impossible to find, you reckon a good soak in Barbicide would be sufficient? The literature I can find on the internet claims that it's effective againts HIV, Hepatitis B and C etc. etc.

Thanks!