I'm sure it's just my own personal weirdness, but it's always in the back of my mind that someone could've had an off day at the razor blade factory in St. Pete or Mumbai, and not been as clean with their work as they should've, or that something could've happened between the blade's final manufacturing process and its packaging, that would leave it less disinfected than I'd like. It calms my OCD to go through the extra step in the name of hygiene and costs next to nothing. Plus, it keeps things shiny and rust-free. The next step for me is Barbicide. . . which I'll readily agree is excessive. . . but the blue jar/strainer arrangement looks so good on the counter. . .