Cleaning/Disinfecting vintage...

[tob1303]

I have been reading a bit on cleaning/disinfecting razors....and there seems to be no uniform way, and also there seems to be different ways to treat different razors, from different era's and made of different materials....so I'm a bit lost......if someone could help out a tad it would be great.

I recently purchased a beautiful (a little beat up on the handle...but hell it's 100 years old) 1912 GEM on the bay for like 8 dollars....I don't really know precisely what these things are made of...but how should I clean/disinfect it?

I also puchased an even better looking GEM Micromatic open comb from glassmtn99, see it here...again, don't know what it is made of, does someone know how I should clean/disinfect it?

Also, my regular razor is a new Merkur HD...any suggestions on cleaning?

btw...I absolutely love the look and weight of these GEMS....can't wait to feel comfortable enough to use them. Didn't think so, but I might just be a SE man.

 

[mblakele]

Scrubbing bubbles.

 

[bjh618]

G'day mate,

I just picked up a gem micromatic open comb from another member too - they are beautiful razors!

I asked my barber for some barbicide to disinfect my vintage razors, but I beleive you can also use dettol.

 

[luvmysuper]

The advice you get on cleaning and disinfecting here will be as varied as recommendations for a good blade.
Each person inputs his own opinions based on his own "germ-o-phobia" level.

My routine is to use a bit of bathroom tube and tile soap scum and hard water remover / cleaner.
A soak in that for 20 minutes or so, followed by a brushing with dish soap and a toothbrush.
A thorough rinse with water and dry with terrycloth towel.

Polish gently with Blue Magic or MAAS and a soft cloth. Not too much rubbing or plating can be removed.

 

[cfriend]

Basic rules of thumb:

Barbicide will kill damn near anything. A 10min barbicide bath is the final step in my cleaning process.
Scrubbing bubbles clean damn near anything. A thorough soaking, and a vigorous scrubbing with a toothbrush will make a huge difference.
If there's still some gunk left over after that initial scrubbing bubble treatment, rinse/soak in warm water and do it again.
If it's gold, don't use MAAS, Flitz, or any other polish on it. It'll ruin the finish.
If it's plastic, or has plastic parts, don't boil it. You'll ruin the plastic.
Come to think of it... don't boil your razors at all.
If it's nickel, silver, or rhodium, feel free to polish away. Keep in mind, however, that many of the older razors are silver plated and too aggressive polishing can wear them down to brass.
If you DO use a polish to get a nice shine, I'm partial to a bit of toothpaste and a final scrub with the the toothbrush to get any polish out of TTO mechanisms, nooks and crannies, etc. I read it somewhere on the forums when I first started and have done it ever since. Everything turns out beautifully.

edit: The above reads rather awkwardly. I will leave it for posterity, but will post my cleanup routine below.

Consider the razor, is it gold? silver? nickel? rhodium? chrome?

If silver, nickel, rhodium or chrome...
Hot water soak.
Coat with Scrubbing Bubbles.
Scrub with a toothbrush, focusing on nooks and crannies where you've noticed lots of gunk.
Return to hot water soak.
If gunk remains, repeat Scrubbing Bubbles steps.
If sufficiently clean...
Polish lightly with MAAS and a soft rag.
Scrub with toothbrush and a small amount of toothpaste to remove MAAS from nooks and crannies.
Hot water rinse.
Dry and photograph for B&B.

If the razor is gold...
Hot water soak.
Scrub with toothbrush and dish soap.
Return to hot water soak.
If gunk remains, repeat dish soap steps.
If sufficiently clean...
Hot water rinse.
Dry and photograph for B&B.

 

[mkevenson]

Well, IMHO cleaning and disinfecting are 2 completely different topics. Cleaning and polishing depends on plating. I disinfect with rubbing alcohol but don't consider it necessary. I clean and polish with Metal wax products seen here

http://metalwax.com

also here:http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/index.php/Razor_cleaning_and_restoration

I also use scrubbing bubble but not often since finding the Metal wax product. Safe for gold plating in my experience. Your experience may differ.

 

[aodenkou]

My wife is a dentist, so if I buy a vintage razor I take it to the office and have them run it through the autoclave. I have done this on every vintage razor I have and it has not harmed them in any way. If you have a good relationship with your dentist I would bet they would add it into a run of instruments for you. Plus you never know your dentist may just be a fan of vintage razors as well.

 

[tob1303]

Basic rules of thumb:

Consider the razor, is it gold? silver? nickel? rhodium? chrome?

If silver, nickel, rhodium or chrome...
Hot water soak.
Coat with Scrubbing Bubbles.
Scrub with a toothbrush, focusing on nooks and crannies where you've noticed lots of gunk.
Return to hot water soak.
If gunk remains, repeat Scrubbing Bubbles steps.
If sufficiently clean...
Polish lightly with MAAS and a soft rag.
Scrub with toothbrush and a small amount of toothpaste to remove MAAS from nooks and crannies.
Hot water rinse.
Dry and photograph for B&B.

If the razor is gold...
Hot water soak.
Scrub with toothbrush and dish soap.
Return to hot water soak.
If gunk remains, repeat dish soap steps.
If sufficiently clean...
Hot water rinse.
Dry and photograph for B&B.

This should be easily accessible somewhere as directions....if it isn't already...well done and thanks.