How can I effectively sterilize vintage gillette tech razor from Ebay?

[SrpkDeKhin]

Boiling for 5 or 10 minutes will provide a higher level of disinfection than alcohol and likely loosen some crud, followed by a soap scrub (after cooling!) - although again likely not absolutely necessary. Boiling is reported to damage some platings, but that hasn't been my experience, although boiling or using a solvent (alcohol) can certainly damage any protective coatings (as in varnish), and could damage very thin plating, and certainly would not be good for non-metalic parts.

So I should boil it for 10 minutes??

 

[Macfrommichigan]

Slow down.

You eat out right? Restaurants don't boil their forks for ten minutes.

Scrub your razor with liquid dish soap and a toothbrush. Use a new blade.

 

[Scaramouche]

So I should boil it for 10 minutes??

Boiling shouldn't damage an aluminum razor, and yes, it will effectively disinfect it. Five minutes is probably enough (actual boiling time), and after the initial disinfection you're only dealing with your own "bugs," so as others have said, I wouldn't overthink it.

 

[SrpkDeKhin]

Slow down.

You eat out right? Restaurants don't boil their forks for ten minutes.

Scrub your razor with liquid dish soap and a toothbrush. Use a new blade.

Yes I eat out but I worried about HIV and AIDS.. because my father used to told me that sharing razor can get HIV and Aids..

 

[johnwick]

I suggest you purchase a brand new, packaged razor from a manufacturer.

 

[Dog Whiskerer]

I suggest you purchase a brand new, packaged razor from a manufacturer.

My thoughts exactly.

 

[SrpkDeKhin]

I suggest you purchase a brand new, packaged razor from a manufacturer.

I have already bought vintage Gillette. No way I can go back.. And I am noob. Also I don't have much money too.

 

[SrpkDeKhin]

My thoughts exactly.

I already bought vintage gillette already. How can I cancel?

 

[johnwick]

I have already bought vintage Gillette. No way I can go back.. And I am noob. Also I don't have much money too.

And welcome to the forum! Don't forget to head over to the Shave Clinic section. Lots of great resources there for shavers new to DE. Also, the search function is your friend. You'll find a lot of what you need without new threads. Good luck!

 

[SrpkDeKhin]

And welcome to the forum! Don't forget to head over to the Shave Clinic section. Lots of great resources there for shavers new to DE. Also, the search function is your friend. You'll find a lot of what you need without new threads. Good luck!

Well you too.. I decided to boil it..

 

[Dog Whiskerer]

You don't have to cancel. You just have to put your paranoia about razor germs aside. Clean it, shave. It's the razor blade that cuts you, not the razor.

 

[SrpkDeKhin]

You don't have to cancel. You just have to put your paranoia about razor germs aside. Clean it, shave. It's the razor blade that cuts you, not the razor.

Ok just decided to boil it for 5 minutes..

 

[SrpkDeKhin]

This is final decision
1. Use dish soap.
2. Boiling for 3 minutes with timer.
3. Dry with clean towel.

 

[Shavely Manden]

Yes I eat out but I worried about HIV and AIDS.. because my father used to told me that sharing razor can get HIV and Aids..

My understanding is that HIV doesn't survive long outside the body. Per the AIDS Committee of Newfoundland and Laborador:

HIV is very fragile, and many common substances, including hot water, soap, bleach and alcohol, will kill it.
Air does not "kill" HIV, but exposure to air dries the fluid that contained the virus, and that will destroy or break up much of the virus very quickly. The Laboratory Centre for Disease Control at Health Canada reports that drying HIV reduces viral amount by 90-99 percent within several hours.

So I think what your dad was talking about was shaving and then passing the razor to someone else to shave. That could be a risk, like sharing a needle, which is a classic example of a way to transmit HIV. Using a razor that hasn't been used for a while should be OK, at least as far as HIV goes. (I am not a doctor, though, so take my advice with a grain of salt.)

 

[SrpkDeKhin]

My understanding is that HIV doesn't survive long outside the body. Per the AIDS Committee of Newfoundland and Laborador:
But they can die from boiling..



So I think what your dad was talking about was shaving and then passing the razor to someone else to shave. That could be a risk, like sharing a needle, which is a classic example of a way to transmit HIV. Using a razor that hasn't been used for a while should be OK, at least as far as HIV goes. (I am not a doctor, though, so take my advice with a grain of salt.)

 

[SrpkDeKhin]

So I use these steps
1. Use dish soap.
2. Boiling 3 to 5 minutes

 

[FarmerTan]

Every HIV/AIDS patient I cared for got the diagnosis because of risky behavior.

Just wash it with soap and use it.

 

[SrpkDeKhin]

Every HIV/AIDS patient I cared for got the diagnosis because of risky behavior.

Just wash it with soap and use it.

Ok when I received it I only wash with dish soap.. and no boiling.. maybe only dip in heated water instead of boiling..

 

[FarmerTan]

Ok when I received it I only wash with dish soap.. and no boiling.. maybe only dip in heated water instead of boiling..

That should be plenty. Boil some water, immediately remove from heat source, hold the razor with tongs or something else to hold it with. Dip in the water for 10 seconds. ALMOST all viruses are killed by a fever. Honestly, enjoy the razor, and report on your impressions, please.

 

[Scaramouche]

The question originally asked was about sterilizing a razor (killing all viable organisms). While it can be done, actually sterilizing it isn't really practical without a steam or gas autoclave under specific conditions. The next level is disinfection, and that can be accomplished to different levels, depending on what you are trying to kill - soap and water provide some level of disinfection. HIV and other viruses can be relatively easy to kill, sometimes with just a surface disinfectant. Others, bacteria like MRSA, or viruses like Norovirus, not so much, and require a higher level of disinfection - boiling as noted, or an effective immersion disinfectant like Barbicide. As a practical matter, neither sterilization or disinfection are probably required for a vintage razor to make it safe for shaving (i.e., prevent you from getting a horrible infection that will kill you), but from a pure sanitation standpoint and for peace of mind, there's certainly nothing wrong with disinfecting an instrument with a sharp blade that can potentially penetrate your skin, so if you feel better about doing that, see recommendations above.