General razor cleaning questions

[SimpleClean]

1. I have Astra and Feather blades and they both come with a bit of sticky residue. What's the best way to clean this off from the head of my razor? In case it matters, I use a Parker 24C and am hoping to upgrade to something similar but in steel.
2. How and how often do you sanitize your razor?

For me, I clean my razor about every week, which is also how often I change my blades. I drop the head into a small bowl with dish soap, pour in boiling water, and let it sit until cool. Then I scrub off the sticky residue with a toothbrush. I noticed that if I go too long without cleaning, the residue gets nearly impossible to clean off with this method. I clean the handle with a firm wipe with a towel.

 

[Phoenixkh]

I'm a bit more anal when it comes to razor cleaning. I'm guessing a minority of us disassemble our razor, clean it, flip the blade and reassemble it after every shave, but that's what I do. It takes me about a minute or so.. maybe two. I'm retired so that extra time doesn't affect me much.

I clean off those wax spot by holding the blade with half a sheet of paper towel and wipe them off with another half sheet. I'm sure it doesn't get all the residue completely off but the blades are clean enough for me. I don't see any wax accumulation on the razors themselves so it much work well enough.

 

[lasta]

I scrape off the wax with a used blade before putting it in the razor.

 

[HazMat Shaver]

The sticky stuff is wax. It's put on the blade to keep it in the wrapper tight and not moving around.
Cleaning as you are doing is fine. You're the only one using it. Boiling water might be a bit much. If you are worried about gems then an alcohol wipe or dip should do it.

I wipe off as much wax carefully before putting it in the razors. I still get wax in the razor but after a few shaves and cleanings, it's gone. Just be very careful wiping.

 

[Calyshaver]

Meguiar's cleaner wax. Also helps the razor shed water

 

[dotKomo]

Letting a blade sit in alcohol will help with the wax.

I guess I don't worry about sanitizing my razors. If they get soap scum, I'll address that, but I don't worry about germs.

 

[AU55IE]

I have seen and heard of people putting their blade in a mug and then pouring boiling water on it before which should melt off the wax. Carefully pour out the water and then take out the blade carefully and give it a bit of a wipe down and your blade should be wax free.

Wax dots suck sometimes.

I tend to disassemble my razors each time after use and remove the blade completely pat it dry and leave it out for a while whilst I give my razor a quick clean. I find that if you at least wash off as much soap each time then it won't be a huge problem. Once I am done cleaning and drying it I lay it on cloth with the blade and let it air dry for a while.
It's become a bit of a thing with me.

Depending on the razor you could toss it into an ultrasonic cleanser and some dish soap or plain water. They sell some tiny ones for glasses on ebay but I have never tried any of them to recommend any. Just a thought.

 

[@ngel]

I scrape off the wax from the blades before I put them in the razor, I usually just do it with my fingernail or another blade, is a lot less messy than melting off the wax, never had to clean the wax off the razor after the fact.

 

[gpjoe]

I scrape off the wax with my thumbnail.

My razor gets cleaned when I change the blade, usually a dab of hand soap and water, a good rinse, and dry. Between shaves I rinse and dry the outside with a towel.

I don't think I have ever disinfected any of my razors (after an initial scrub when new, or new-to-me). After the maiden shave, they are all my razors, nobody else is using any of them so I see no need to disinfect.

Everybody is different.

 

[Old Hippie]

I'm guessing a minority of us disassemble our razor, clean it, flip the blade and reassemble it after every shave

We may be a minority, but we're a cool minority. Me, too, with the exception of reassembly. I leave it all spread out on a washcloth and put it all back together while the boar is soaking.

"Clean the razor" is usually a quick rinse with some warm water. Every two weeks when I change blades and razors I clean the outgoing razor with soap and water. I may give it a buff with a soft rag afterward. There is no need for harsh cleansers or boiling water since you're the only person using the razor. If you were a professional barber working on many people in a day it would be more important, but there'd be a lot of things you'd do differently.

Don't be too eager to do the "more is better, right?" technique for cleaning. Dish detergent like Dawn that cuts grease is really all you need. In the end we're using soap as a lubricant, so we'll assume it's a fairly clean process.

As for the wax spots, I occasionally remember to use the old blade to scrape them off before I drop it in the bin. I often forget to do that, however, so I use my thumbnail. I've also just not worried about it, and I've never had to use a screwdriver or a knife tip to pry the cap back off a razor after forgetting the wax spots.

O.H.

 

[Quaznoid]

OMG, not the wax spots again !!!

 

[Lockback]

I don't disinfect my razors since I'm the only one using them. Not saying that it's a bad idea but I've never disinfected any other razor (electric or cartridge) and have never had issues.
I do disassemble my razors and pull the blades after every shave, rinse them and dry them off with a hand towel and even a little help from the hair dryer. Every once in awhile, I will spray them with Dawn Platinum Powerwash and that cleans them up beautifully. I just don't want a huge soap buildup that will screw up the threads, etc.
After I dry the blade, I put it back in the wrapper.

 

[Jayson74]

I also remove the wax dots before using the blade. Probably not needed but it makes me feel better. I open my razor after everyshave to give it and the blade a rinse, flip the blade and reassemble/close loosely and hang it in holder till next shave.
I give the whole razor a scrub with dish soap and a toothbrush weekly.

Be well
Jay

 

[jason2]

I've never touched the wax spots. They've never cause my razors any issues.

 

[jason2]

I do remove the blade and dry the razor after use. I'll place the blade on a magnet stuck to a screw in the medicine cabinet.

 

[Sherlock40]

To remove the wax dots, I use Q-tips and high strength nail polish remover. If this isn’t done, the wax gets stuck on the baseplate and is difficult to remove.

 

[Dobric]

Destilled water removes wax.
On board I clean razor once a month. There are no stains or wax residue.
At home where is hard water I clean it once a week (when I change the blade)
I use tooth brush and tooth paste, it works well. After I dry it with toweel and leave it to dry for 24h
Also I use Q-tip to dry therad inside handle. Simply screw Q-tip in and screw it out, a lot of water comes out.

 

[OkieStubble]

It’s all about finding a simple system that work’s best for you.

1. I take the old blade out and use it to scrape off the wax dots on the new Astra SP. then throw the old blade into the razor bank.

2. Shave with razor and blade. Rinse when finished.

3. If it’s a 3- piece DE, take it apart and spray blade, head, base plate and handle with 70% Isopropyl alcohol I keep in a small misting bottle in the bathroom medicine cabinet. A fine, quick mist, is all that is needed in order to clean and remove soap and hard water deposits. Quickly wipe down the razor dry, pat dry the blade with a square of bathroom tissue and put it all back together.

4. Turn the little white dice I keep in the corner of my bathroom vanity to the number of dots that corresponds with the number of shaves I have on the blade and put the razor up for next time.

No need for periodic scrubbing or cleaning of the razor or blade as it always stays that way.

 

[NorthernSoul]

I don't worry much about the wax (or gel, etc.), so just rinse the blade off with some warm water first.

After shaving, I take 3-piece razors apart, rinse the pieces, wipe lightly with half a paper towel and leave the razor and blade disassembled in a shaving bowl on a shelf. That lets the air circulate around the pieces so everything dries well.

When necessary to clean more thoroughly, a bit of dish soap and an old toothbrush works fine.

 

[lasta]

It’s all about finding a simple system that work’s best for you.

1. I take the old blade out and use it to scrape off the wax dots on the new Astra SP. then throw the old blade into the razor bank.

2. Shave with razor and blade. Rinse when finished.

3. If it’s a 3- piece DE, take it apart and spray blade, head, base plate and handle with 70% Isopropyl alcohol I keep in a small misting bottle in the bathroom medicine cabinet. A fine, quick mist, is all that is needed in order to clean and remove soap and hard water deposits. Quickly wipe down the razor dry, pat dry the blade with a square of bathroom tissue and put it all back together.

4. Turn the little white dice I keep in the corner of my bathroom vanity to the number of dots that corresponds with the number of shaves I have on the blade and put the razor up for next time.

No need for periodic scrubbing or cleaning of the razor or blade as it always stays that way.

You keep your stuff too clean!

We all know our toys will outlast us. Eventually it will go into an ebay lot!

Upkeep for posterity is not needed!