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How do you take care of shaving razors?

Just a quick rinse after shaving. When I retire a blade I scrub it with an old toothbrush to get the soap scum off Then dry it with a towel.
 
I've changed my routine a bit. Instead of resting the partially-open razor on a pad of TP on the counter, I fold and put down the face towel that i keep to hand during the shave itself. Then I set the razor on the towel so it can drain. If I have time, I might open/unscrew the razor, separate the parts to dry, and wipe down the surfaces, not wiping the blade.
 
After shaving how do you take care of shaving razor? Do you dry and use oil on the razor? I mean could it rust? I have a Merkur 34c. i am new to this kind of shaving so asking.
I swish the head in isopropyl alcohol a few moments to displace some water and when I'm done with that blade, typically about three shaves, I clean it with dish soap (Dawn antibacterial ) and dry and install a new blade or store it outside of the bathroom if I'm rotating to another razor.

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After shaving how do you take care of shaving razor? Do you dry and use oil on the razor? I mean could it rust? I have a Merkur 34c. i am new to this kind of shaving so asking.
Don't worry about rust. Beware oils and other lubricants since they don't wash out readily and will attract and hold hair, dirt, and grit which then abrade the mechanism. I've seen Fatboy tubes caked inside with gritty oily residue which can't be washed out without disassembly.

After a shave I rinse well, shake out excess water, then thoroughly dry with a towel. If it's vintage and going back into a case/box I let it sit out for an hour or so to let any moisture evaporate. Clean is the ticket.
 
I typically just rinse and wipe off my razors with a dry towel. In the case of my TTO, I'll use Q-tips to get in the nooks and crannies. I don't use oil on the mechanism, and never had to really.

The Merkur 34c is an excellent razor. It was my first razor, too. :001_smile It should give you years of service with simple care.
 
I disassemble the razor into the intended number of pieces (3 piece razor into 3 pieces, 1 piece razor I just open the doors). I spray it down with simple green. Let it sit for about 5 minutes then scrub it with a toothbrush. Flip it over and then repeat. I then rinse with hot water and wipe dry with a towel. I lay it out to dry on a towel.

From there I reassemble and put it away. The simple green + toothbrush + towel gets rid of the soap residue. I don't normally oil, even mineral oil will gum up eventually.

For extreme cleaning, I use an ultrasonic loaded with 50/50 simple green and hot water. About 30 minutes does the trick.
 
A great look in the den (to me at least) is the short Barbicide jar. I finish my shave, rinse with water, then drop the razor in for the 3 minutes or so that it takes to rinse & dry my face, rinse my brush and put my mug away.

Done on a daily basis, it will thoroughly clean your razor inside & out (for TTOs), and will keep them bright & shiny. However. If you forget & leave a brass razor in overnight, it can dramatically blacken any unplated/worn plating areas.
I change my solution every 2-3 weeks or so, since its more cleaner, less "disinfectant" for my personal use.
 

ajkel64

Check Out Chick
Staff member
Don’t overthink it, we all have at some stage. A quick rinse and dry is really all that you need.
 
While a razor is in use (e.g. for a 7 day stretch) I only rinse it off after the shave. When I change the blade or the razor it gets disassembled and cleaned with bar soap and an old toothbrush, towel dried, reassembled and put away.
 
I only have one razor and it is the Merkur 34c. I rinse it off after every shave and every week or 2 I take it apart and clean with an old toothbrush. The hole at the bottom gets dirty and I just clean it with a toothpick.
You can put a drop of 3 in 1 oil on the thread if you want, but I never felt the need to do that.


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After each shave, I take the the razor apart and remove the blade. I clean the parts with a soft toothbrush and warm water. From time to time, I am using some dishwashing liquid to get rid with any scum.

Before the razor gets back into the den, I dry all parts with a soft towel and reassemble the razor without a blade.

Takes 2-3 minutes and the gear remains in great shape.
 
GeoFatboy recently did a video on it. I think his suggestions are overkill to do every shave, but I do that about once a year.
 
I use a soft toothbrush and dawn detergent and give the razor a quick scrub after every use. Then, pat dry with a soft washcloth, then a dunk in rubbing alcohol. Hang until the next day, when I either use it again, or return to the display cabinet.
 
Today

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After each shave, I rinse the razor (and installed blade) in hot water, shake off most of the water, and then dunk it into a little Nalgene jar of Isopropyl Alcohol. I shake that off, give it a gentle wipe with a soft towel, and lay it on an open shelf in the bathroom to dry. When I'm ready to take it out of rotation (usually after 5 or 6 shaves), I remove the blade, give it a shot of Scrubbing Bubbles bathroom cleaner, scrub it clean with an old toothbrush, and repeat the above rinsing, dunking, and drying process. Once dry, it goes back into my display cabinet until it comes back into rotation again. The whole process only takes a minute and I've never had a problem with rust or corrosion.

I've never used oil on a razor.
 
I will put a little more thought into an very old or special razor that's going to be put away for awhile, particularly if it's going into it's antique case. But my daily shaver is a ~1949 Gillette Super Speed and that just gets a rinse and cursory drying with the towel. It's solid brass and nickel coated so basically indestructible. I do take the blade out every time. After awhile it'll start getting soap scum buildup so I'll soak it in a little Dawn detergent and scrub it with a toothbrush.
 
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