Is it ok to not clean a doubled-edged safety razor?

[marshmellow]

I just thoroughly wipe it with toilet paper and a towel after each shave.
There are youtube videos about cleaning a double-edged safety razor, but those videos don't really care about cleaning nooks and crannies.
When I cleaned mine, I used alcohol and a cotton swab to clean nooks and crannies.
I'm starting to think that cleaning nooks and crannies is not necessary.

 

[Atlantic59]

Just rinse it when you are done and hang it to air-dry. When you change the blade, maybe once a week, take it apart and give it a more thorough cleaning with hot water. An old toothbrush works well for scrubbing.

 

[FireDragon76]

I just thoroughly wipe it with toilet paper and a towel after each shave.
There are youtube videos about cleaning a double-edged safety razor, but those videos don't really care about cleaning nooks and crannies.
When I cleaned mine, I used alcohol and a cotton swab to clean nooks and crannies.
I'm starting to think that cleaning nooks and crannies is not necessary.

That will definitely be more gentle on the plating.

Once a year or so I give my razors that sort of cleaning. It really depends on what you use to shave with. Some soaps generate alot of soap scum, some don't.

If you use a tooth brush, get the extra soft kind.

 

[Invicta]

Hard water can be a problem and scum does buildup quickly and must be cleaned off regularly. Otherwise one a week with hand soap and an old toothbrush is satisfactory.

 

[GaryTha]

After every 15 shaves, I soak my razor for an hour or so in Softsoap Handsoap and rinse it off. It removes every speck of dirt and scum. We don't have hard water. YMMV.

 

[Esox]

TP, tissue and other types of papers are mildly abrasive. Depending on the finish of the razor, in time, even a soft tissue will wear the plating but it might take a few years.

I clean mine once a month under running water with a old toothbrush and dish soap.

 

[AZBronco]

I just hit mine with scrubbing bubbles and a soft toothbrush when soap scum starts to build up.

 

[Sisyphos]

I think it that way - I definitly wash my dishes after every usage and that is what i do with my razorz. But I don't soak my dishes and razors in alchohol and similar agressive solotions !

 

[preidy]

I power rinse and dry my razor(s) ever time I use. However I acknowledge and remember (slightly) those days of yesteryear when I was a working stiff and did not have time for such frivolity. If I was still working I could never just leave my razor unwashed (same reason guys wipe off their Craftsman tools). At a minimum I'd at least give the razor a quick hot power rinse and then a hard flick before going out the door.

 

[ackvil]

When I change blades and go to a new razor in my rotation, I clean the old razor with Scrubbing Bubbles and a soft tooth brush.

 

[JimL911]

Between shaves I just loosen the cap, rinse and wipe dry. Toothbrush when I change blades. If it leaves rotation, toothbrush, dish soap and Barbicide.

 

[BigJ]

I am in the ‘rinse well’ after each shave camp.

I do a more thorough cleaning when I change blades of if there is a build up over time. KISS works for me!

 

[spookmeister]

In the words of Sinatra Lennon “grampa grungy” describes my razors, just a quick rinse and back on the shelf with my razors. I might give them a clean every couple months.

 

[glm38]

I think it's fine not to clean your razor as long as it's made from a durable material. Leave a stainless or brass razor uncleaned for months or even years and it's likely to develop a patina and maybe a bit of surface corrosion. But it's easily cleaned up and the corrosion doesn't ever go very deep and is easily removed. Do that with a zamak razor and it will eventually corrode and once the corrosion starts you can't stop it and the razor is on a collision course with the laǹdfill.

 

[ShaverAZ]

In daily use, I rinse my razors in warm water & wipe off with a cotton towel. Every couple of months, depending on how much use it's had, I spray down with Scrubbing Bubbles and brush with a soft toothbrush.

 

[Omega711]

With my TTO razors, I take out the blade and run hot water over the blade and razor after every shave.

 

[Umma2gumma]

I dip my razors in a plastic container with rubbing alcohol while I put away my soap and brush and apply aftershave, then shake off and put away. I don‘t bother wiping the razor completely dry, and never wipe the blade.

Once or twice a week, I spray some Rubbing Bubbles to get rid of soap scum.

I give them a thorough cleaning with Rubbing Bubbles and a tooth brush every now and then, but the crud doesn‘t really accumulate all that bad ever since I started spraying the razors weekly.

 

[EclipseRedRing]

I simply dry mine with a towel after use and let them air dry for an hour or so before replacing the blade. After the blade is spent I give the razor a quick scrub with an old toothbrush and maybe a drop of mineral oil before storage until it next appears in the rotation. Any TTO razors are not fully tightened before storage and neither are the heads or handles etc. Once a year or so, perhaps when I am at a loose end, I will give them a thorough clean but it is not really required. To answer your question, is it OK to not clean a DE razor, sure, it is your razor so do whatever you like. Having seen the state of some razors before and after cleaning, I doubt you will do much lasting damage.

 

[craigq]

I let my Merkur Futur go for almost 2 years without giving it a decent cleaning; just did it this weekend thanks to this forum as it was developing a patina that wouldn't come off. Since Jan-2018 it was just the usual rinse with running water when done and put it away upright to air dry. Mind you we have quite soft water with little buildup on anything in the showers/sinks etc.

 

[Demolition]

Back when I was starting to shave, I'd just rinse off my Gillette Slim Adjustable, leave the blade in, and put it back in the medicine cabinet. My Dad disapproved. He told me that occasional maintenance would keep the Slim working for a lifetime (he was right). He also taught me some other tips 'n tricks, most of which I still use.

One of those tips was loosening the Slim's knob by 1/4 turn to take tension off the spring. However, it almost caused disaster when I forgot to tighten the knob before my next shave.

Since then, I've followed a strict routine. I always take the blade out of the razor after every shave, not only to clean stubble and soap off, but so I can inspect it. Then, I rinse everything in warm water. I dry the razor parts and blot the blade (never rubbing or wiping) on a towel. The razor parts stay on the counter until they're dry. When dry, I put everything back together, polish the head with a microfibre cloth (small one for cleaning eyeglasses), then back into the cabinet.

Every couple weeks, I put a tiny drop of Singer sewing machine oil (just a mixture of various mineral oils) in the bore hole of the razor handles to prevent galling, especially with stainless steel razors.

About once a month, if any of my razors have built-up soap scum on them, I give them a gentle cleaning with dish soap and an old toothbrush.