has anyone ever used Listerine or Hydrogen Peroxide to disinfected a razor? Either would seem a viable option, but not sure what it do to the finish.
Disinfecting a razor
- Thread starter Wes Murphy
- Start date
Don't overlook the Wiki:
http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/Safety_razor_maintenance#Cleaners_Disinfectants_and_Polishers
http://wiki.badgerandblade.com/Safety_razor_maintenance#Cleaners_Disinfectants_and_Polishers
I suspect that you are not killing everything using Listerine and that's probably the case with Hydrogen Peroxide.
To be safe....
Go to Sallys Beauty Supply and get some Barbicide.
Mix one oz of Barbicide per 16 oz water.
Soak for 10 minutes.
Do not leave in any longer or can damage the razor.
To be safe....
Go to Sallys Beauty Supply and get some Barbicide.
Mix one oz of Barbicide per 16 oz water.
Soak for 10 minutes.
Do not leave in any longer or can damage the razor.
IMO, even Barbicide is overkill for a razor if you worry about the finish. I've heard too many stories about guys not mixing it right. If you are worried about the finish, all you need is : hot and soapy water, a toothbrush and elbow grease. It will clean it up nice. Don't worry about hardcore disinfecting. Any nasties that were on it sometime in the past could not survive the harsh environment of being outside the body.
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Short of an autoclave, the next best option I can think of that is still razor plating safe is Scrubbing Bubbles with quarternary amines as a disinfectant (not bleach and not lactic acid).
- Thread starter
- #6
Thanks guys, I am concerned about the finish. This about a pristine 48-50 Aristocrat and I don't want to muck up the finish. Kaboom, toothbrush and a short soak in Peroxide it is.
funny you should say that. i actually work in an OR and brought a G1 fatboy that i just got in an antique store and autoclaved it in 270 degree pressurized steam for 15 minutes. worried that i might hurt it but it seemed no worse for wear afterwards.
I haven't seen our autoclave (steam as well) hurt a plated razor, but if unplated it tarnishes surfaces pretty darn quickly!
Rubbing alcohol works for me. Peroxide does too as an alternative. Cleans without damage to old finishes.
I inherited a 1947 Super Speed in excellent condition. We have hard water here. I cleaned it last week, by soaking for several hours in CLR full strength, then scrubbed with toothbrush. CLR does not harm plated surfaces. Used Isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) to disinfect. Isopropryl alcohol is also a solvent.
+1
Soap and water. Lysol. Wait ten minutes. Soap and water. Leave dry for at least a day. Good as new.
Here's my routine: Soak in hot water (not boiling), toothbrush and soap, dip in rubbing alcohol, another round of toothbrush and soap. My face has yet to fall off!
This.
Again, harsh and strong chemicals will affect the finish. Peroxide and Lysol do not get near my razors. Peroxide is a strong oxidizer, right? Lysol contains caustic potassium hydroxide, a strong base. Use at your own risk.
I wasn't aware of this - thanks! I'm assuming that Scrubbing Bubbles with quarternary amines doesn't contain the KOH. Assuming being the key word . . .
Short exposure. Spray, wipe, rinse, dip in alcohol, it's as clean as any razor you are going to take out of a wrapper and actually put against your skin.
OP, are you talking about maintenance, or a razor that you recently purchased?
If maintenance, nastier things are already on your skin than will collect on that razor between uses.
If recently purchased, very, very few pathogens can survive outside of the human body for more than 48 hours, and even fewer more than 14 days.
For the most part, unless caked in blood and feces, by the time a razor is placed on ebay, bought, shipped, unwrapped, and used, there is nothing living on it that will hurt you after a basic cleaning.
I would be more concerned over dinnerware at Denny's than used shaving gear.
I just got a mint Coles slant and I used hydrocide to disinfect it. I have done this with a very nice 51' Aristocrat as well and had no problems. I leave it in for about 7 minutes and then pull it out, wash it off, and dry it. Haven't had any problems using this method.
I just use the hot water, dish soap and toothbrush method unless a razor looks really grungy. Then I use scrubbing bubbles. I also use scrubbing bubbles whenever I send a razor to someone else, just to be safe.
My first job was as a dishwasher at a WFW kitchen/club. I later washed dishes PT in college to pick up extra $$. I can assure you to worry more about the flatware at a restaurant than a razor scrubbed with soap and a toothbrush. I've seen guys simply rinse flatware off with the high pressure hose and send it out to the floor....not running it through the disinfecting heat washer.
My first job was as a dishwasher at a WFW kitchen/club. I later washed dishes PT in college to pick up extra $$. I can assure you to worry more about the flatware at a restaurant than a razor scrubbed with soap and a toothbrush. I've seen guys simply rinse flatware off with the high pressure hose and send it out to the floor....not running it through the disinfecting heat washer.
Exactly my point. Even a half-baked attempt at cleaning a used razor is going to be effective enough 9,999 times out of 10,000.
Slash McCoy
I freehand dog rockets
If the dirt is gone, practically all the bugs are gone, too. Scrubbing bubbles and a soft toothbrush will gitter done. A SHORT soak in almost any disinfectant should be harmless, followed by a rinse in water, but really, except just to be able to say that you did it, disinfection is generally not actually needed as long as the razor is free of crud. If it isn't free of crud, disinfectants aren't going to do you much good anyway, because you still have a perfect home for germs. So just get it clean and then do it like you feel it.
Old toothbrush and rubbing alcohol. Amazing how it eats through any soap residue and cleans and disinfects. Ive done it with several razors, works like a charm.
