I cleaned out a cupboard in the bathroom and found two old Gillette adjustable razors I haven't used in probably 40 years. They are a little gungy, mostly from soap scum. Until recently, I used cartridge razors for most of those forty years. But I kept these Gillette razors as a packrat would and toted them all around the world throughout two careers and into a recent retirement. I plan to at least re-acquaint myself with these razors after I clean them up and see how they compare with my non-adjustable DE razors and the array of DE blades I've now acquired. So, what suggestions do you have about how best to clean and maintain them. I was even thinking of adding WD-40 to the mechanism. Thanks for your help.
Cleaning Up Old Gillette Razors
- Thread starter Curious Adventurer
- Start date
I would soak in hot (near boiling, but not actually boiling) water and dish soap a few times and scrub with a soft toothbrush. If there's still gunk left over, Scrubbing Bubbles should take care of it.
Scubbing Bubbles and maybe an all purpose cleaner like simple green or mr clean , no need to oil them with wd 40 or anything like that.
+1 to everything said above. You can get pretty good results with enough repeats of that process. Toothpaste or dish soap works good if you really need something to scrub through the grime, but with alternating soaks of hot water and scrubbing bubbles baths, you should be 90% clean and shiny, the only way to get it shinier at that point would be to polish it or buff it.
Since it's your razor I guess a bath in barbicide would be pretty unneccessary, you can't infect yourself with your own razor now can you? hahaha
Since it's your razor I guess a bath in barbicide would be pretty unneccessary, you can't infect yourself with your own razor now can you? hahaha
I highly recommend a soak in scrubbing bubbles. As other members mentioned, toothpaste works as well as a slight abrasive to sscrub off any remaining junk. I have made many disgusting razors shine like a new penny this way
- Thread starter
- #6
I thank you all. After I posted this thread, I noticed at the bottom, previous discussions and an article of this very same thing. I should have searched before I posted, but your replies sort of updated or confirmed the recommended cleaning. I keep seeing references to Scrubbing Bubbles. I wasn't sure if this was a brand name so I Googled it. Sure enough, it is a foaming cleanser with fantastik grease-cutter. If the grime or scum is heavy, one can spray the foam and let the razor sit for a spell, scrub the parts with a toothbrush, and the job should be done. I have the polishes I read in some posts, but they are all abrasives, some milder than others. I probably should not use Flitz or Mothers Mag, which I have, but Mothers polish for aluminum seems OK if I go lightly with it. Again, thanks for the help. Joe, I suppose I could skip the Barbicide, since nobody else has used them over the past 40 years. Then again, maybe I'm a different person than I was 40 years ago! 
You will find that soaking them in warm, soapy water with a good gentle scrub with a toothbrush will produce a miracle. I tend to limit Scrubbing Bubbles to gold razors because I don't use Fltiz on them as I would on a nickel plated razor - and even then, I only leave SB on for half a minute. Scrubbing Bubbles sounds like bubbly fun, but it's a pretty effective (read harsh) bathroom cleaner.
-jim
-jim
- Thread starter
- #8
Again, thanks to all of you for your suggestions. I took to heart the suggestions to use the mildest cleaning method and progress to more aggressive methods as needed. The razors weren't all that grubby. So, I soaked them in hot water and Dawn for awhile and scrubbed them with a toothbrush. Then, I used a very light abrasive, Never Dull, which is an impregnated wadding material I've used to brightened stainless steel handguns. I now have two vintage Gillette Black Beauty L adjustable razors that look brand new. They just glisten! At some point after I get my wet-shaving technique to a practiced routine, I'll start using them with the growing collection of various blades I am acquiring. It would be a pleasant surprise if they come close to the new Titan razor and EJ 89L I have. My goal is achieving a bloodless BBS.
