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Cleaning/Sterilizing an EBay razor

I recently won a few auctions for two EBay razors and was wondering what the best way is to clean and/or sterilize them. I know this might seem like common sense to many but here is what I did.

1.) I took a cotton ball that had been dipped in alcohol and basically rubbed the heck out of the razors.

2.) I then placed them into a pan of boiling water. After they were boiled for about 10 minutes I noticed a bunch of gunk in the bottom of the pan.

3.) I then let them cool for a few minutes and then put them into a second pan of hot soapy water. This time I let them soak in the pan of hot warm with soap for about 10 minutes.

4.) I then took a toothbrush and some Qtips and basically rubbed the heck out of the razors again. Washed them off and then placed them back into a pan of boiling water.

5.) I let them boil for 5 minutes or so and again there was some gunk at the bottom of the pan. At this point I was a bit frustrated not sure of what I should do.

6.) I then decided to let them soak in a pure alcohol solution for the time being. This is where I am at now. What suggestions if any can you give me??

Thanks!


Joe
 
Joe:

Your routine is very similar to what I've done in the past. I boil the razor for around 10 minutes, then take a toothbrush and soap and give it a good scrubbing. I then soak it in alcohol for an hour or so. I figure if anything can survive this, it deserves to live!

Jerry
 
Hi Jerry,

Thanks for the positive reply, it made me chuckle! Did you notice the gunk at the bottom of the pan as well? I guess if I keep cleaning them the way I am doing it the gunk will continue to be at the bottom of the pan so I might as well just suck it up and accept this fact. They are both pretty nice razors and I am happy with the condition they are in.

Cheers,

Joe
 
farangzookzon said:
Hi Jerry,
Did you notice the gunk at the bottom of the pan as well? I guess if I keep cleaning them the way I am doing it the gunk will continue to be at the bottom of the pan so I might as well just suck it up and accept this fact.

Cheers,

Joe

Joe:

There was always gunk in the bottom of the pan after boiling the razors. I assumed it was old soap residue. I only boiled mine once so I don't know if anything else would have come off with another boiling.

I forgot, I also polished them with Flitz metal polish to bring back the shine. Just don't try it on a gold razor. Learned that lesson the hard way!:mad:

Jerry
 
Ditto on the treatment of gold plated razors. I haven't found anything besides boiling, soap scrub, and alcohol soak for the gold plated ones that works without damaging the razor.

Kyle
 
Scotto said:
If it's an injector, I had some cleaning info here.

They are both Gillette DE/Safety razors. What do most members like to call them?? DE or Safety razors? Does it really matter?

Can someone tell me what the markings on the back of the razors mean? The first one reads J 4 and the second one reads D 3, the J 4 is adjustable while the D 3 is just a normal razor. Are these markings significant in any way?

Cheers,

Joe
 
Joe,
The boiling is ok....you should only dip the razor in 70% alcohol. Anything more than 70% (what you get at your drugstore) and the alcohol is not nearly as effective. No need to soak your razor in alcohol. The alcohol does not kill any bacteria or inactivate viruses. Rather it is the alcohol evaporating that destroys the bacteria. The best thing to do is give them a nice soak in 10% bleach (9 parts bleach to 1 part water). I'd say 5 minutes is plenty. Let the razor air dry, and rinse with water. This is the most effective way to take care of bacteria and viruses.
 
rschul2 said:
Joe,
The best thing to do is give them a nice soak in 10% bleach (9 parts bleach to 1 part water)

Randy:

I know what you meant but that mixture might completely dissolve the razor!:001_tt2:
Jerry
 
All I do is give them a solid brusing with a good cleanser like Fantastic or Simple Green or something simliar and then when they 'look clean', I suspend them in a solution of (can't remember the name offhand) xxx'cide for twenty minutes. This stuff says it kills everything (HIV/etc) in five minutes...so I give it twenty and then I figure it's OK to use. :shaving:
 
If your local physician or dentist has a bit of Cydex available, it is FAN-DAMN-TASTIC! It'll kill even 50000-year old bacteria!!! 20 minutes at between 25 & 35 C and watch the bad things go away...:laugh:
 
guenron said:
If your local physician or dentist has a bit of Cydex available, it is FAN-DAMN-TASTIC!
This is what I use (Cydex Plus) and it's amazing. If you think you'll frequently purchase used razors, you can pick up a gallon at a medical supply house or on-line. Be forewarned, it must be used outside - nasty stuff.
 
David Uthe from SRP clued me into this method:

Take an old pot in the kitchen, line the bottom inside with aluminum foil about half-way up the sides. Fill the pot with water about two-thirds up the side and heat on a high burner. As the water warms, add one teaspoon of baking soda and one-half teaspoon of salt. When the water boils, drop in the open or disassembled DE into the pot and simmer for ten minutes.

Then run the pot under the cold water faucet for a bit any you have a shiney, sterile razor. The aluminum foil blackens with the tarnish from the razor. This works for other metals as well. You may still need a little metal polish to finish things off perfectly.
 
E

EdinLA44

Are you guys talking about DEs or straight razors? I don't think straight razor scales would survive being in boiling water.

I had a couple of eBay straight razors arrive in the mail today and they're pretty gross. I need to give them a good cleaning but I'm not sure where to start.
 
We were discussing DEs so hopefully one of the str8 users will chime in here. I know many of them have purchased razors just like you. If they don't see it, I'd post the question in the straight razor forum. I'm sure some of the suggestions here would work on a str8 but I probably wouldn't try boiling water on most scales.

Jerry
 
EdinLA44 said:
Are you guys talking about DEs or straight razors? I don't think straight razor scales would survive being in boiling water.

I had a couple of eBay straight razors arrive in the mail today and they're pretty gross. I need to give them a good cleaning but I'm not sure where to start.

Ed,

I have a link at home that I'll post later (if I don't forget) that shows how to give a straight a good cleaning. No, the scales won't survive boiling. I spray the razor itself with Clippercide, and wipe it down with alcohol. I also polish out the blade with Maas, but I still disinfect before the polish.

Randy
 
If I wasn't a Dentist I would go to my dentist or someone elses dentist and ask them to autoclave them. This is what we do to our instruments. If you send them to me I'll do it for you. It would be no problem. Eric
 
DoubleE said:
Randy:

I know what you meant but that mixture might completely dissolve the razor!:001_tt2:
Jerry
OOPS...thanks for catching that Jerry... should be 9 parts water to 1 part bleach.
 
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