Does anyone clean their blades with alcohol after each shave?
Is there an advantage in terms of keeping it clean, less irritation etc...
Is there an advantage in terms of keeping it clean, less irritation etc...
Cleaning a blade with alcohol?
- Thread starter CryptoDave
- Start date
I don't clean it as such. I just dip the razor and blade in rubbing alcohol to hasten the drying process.
+1. I dip to aid in drying and I find that it keeps soap scum off the razor/blade. As for performance increases? It's negligible,but YMMV!
My method:
I rinse the razor in hot water from the tap after each use. If I plan to use the same blade the following day, the razor head (with blade) gets submerged in baby oil and allowed to drip "dry" before storing for next use. If the blade is thrown out, the entire razor is submerged in alcohol and hung dry/stored until its next in the rotation.
I rinse the razor in hot water from the tap after each use. If I plan to use the same blade the following day, the razor head (with blade) gets submerged in baby oil and allowed to drip "dry" before storing for next use. If the blade is thrown out, the entire razor is submerged in alcohol and hung dry/stored until its next in the rotation.
I did that today with a carbon-steel CVS SE blade, after which I patted it dry with some toilet paper. We'll see if it keeps it from rusting as bad between shaves.
I never do this for stainless blades, though. I just remove the blade, and rinse it under the tap, and pat it dry with a towel. Clean the razor, then put the blade back in the razor till the next time. If I'm using a TTO, I'll keep the silo doors open just to aid in the drying process. Never had a blade rust. As for the razor, since they're solid brass, I'm sure a little dampness won't hurt them. I mean, they've already been around 40+ years as it is, right?
I never do this for stainless blades, though. I just remove the blade, and rinse it under the tap, and pat it dry with a towel. Clean the razor, then put the blade back in the razor till the next time. If I'm using a TTO, I'll keep the silo doors open just to aid in the drying process. Never had a blade rust. As for the razor, since they're solid brass, I'm sure a little dampness won't hurt them. I mean, they've already been around 40+ years as it is, right?
I rinse with a blast of hot tap water and dry the razor (and the exposed working part of the blade) with a soft towel. I never touch the blade until I have to (to throw it out when changing blades).
I've been doing this for over a year with no problems and I use Med Preps which last 5-7 shaves.
Maybe if you're going to pass your razor around the neighborhood the alcohol would be wise.
I've been doing this for over a year with no problems and I use Med Preps which last 5-7 shaves.
Maybe if you're going to pass your razor around the neighborhood the alcohol would be wise.
Same here. After I dispose of the blade I clean the razor with a toothbrush to keep the scum at bay! Just hot water and maybe a little toothpaste when there is heavy soap buildup.
I use a different razor and blade every day. I may have anywhere up to a dozen different brands of blades unwrapped at any given time
When I finish my shave, I remove the blade from the razor, drop it on a towel, fold a corner of the towel over and pat it dry. I then move the blade to one of 6 blade wrappers that are marked 1 thought 6 for the number of shaves the blade sitting on that wrapper has on it.
When I shave, I decide which razor to use, then I grab one of the unwrapped blades and shave. Once done I dry the blade and move it down to the next numbered wrapper.
This is about the only way I can keep track of how many shaves I have on a dozen open blades.
When I finish my shave, I remove the blade from the razor, drop it on a towel, fold a corner of the towel over and pat it dry. I then move the blade to one of 6 blade wrappers that are marked 1 thought 6 for the number of shaves the blade sitting on that wrapper has on it.
When I shave, I decide which razor to use, then I grab one of the unwrapped blades and shave. Once done I dry the blade and move it down to the next numbered wrapper.
This is about the only way I can keep track of how many shaves I have on a dozen open blades.
Turtle, wonderful organizational methodology! I'm more of a '3 uses for any blade and toss it guy', but I've began to shake it up a bit as of late.
+1 on this Turtle. I have five razors loaded with blades and have no idea how long each blade has been in each razor.
Have a spray bottle with rubbing alcohol. After rinsing the razor, give it a spritz of alcohol.
I didn't get anymore rust between today and Monday's shaves, but it sure rusted during today's shave! There was way more rust on the blade after I unloaded it after my shave. I went ahead and binned it to be on the safe side. It wasn't a really good blade anyways, certainly not worth all of the effort to keep it from rusting.
I used to keep my carts from rusting by leaving them in a jar of alcohol spiked with barbacide. I could get a month from a Fusion pretty regularly.
Alcohol helps -- it displaces the water and then evaporates, giving a dry razor without traces of water on it. They say what actually tends to dull the blade is not the wear and tear of cutting so much as the effects of oxidation/rust (at a very tiny level). Alcohol helps slow that down.
Seems prudent to slow down that "rust effect" if the cutting part of the dulling would allow for a longer lasting blade. If the cutting is dulling it faster than the rusting, then the usefulness is less.
Seems prudent to slow down that "rust effect" if the cutting part of the dulling would allow for a longer lasting blade. If the cutting is dulling it faster than the rusting, then the usefulness is less.
My system also.
The expense of the alcohol doesn't seem justified, to me. DE blades are so cheap, and I have so many, I don't bother worrying about the blade longevity. Lately, I do two shaves and toss it.
I rinse the razor in hot water, after a 2nd shave I toss the blade. Wipe razor down..reload.
