Is this sanitary
- Thread starter superpacker
- Start date
No sweat! Have fun with it!
My wife is a dentist and I would not use something that has not been run through the autoclave. I have sat through too many OSHA classes not to have a bit of caution on anything that has come in contact with others. I know the chances of catching something would be very slim I just can't help thinking of how we autoclave anything that has come in contact with a patient or dispose of it.
I have purchased two vintage razors and have put them in the autoclave and am quite comfortable in using them. One was an Aristocrat and it did not damage the gold, I would have rather had a bit of damage to the finish than take a risk.
I know most people do not have access to an autoclave but perhaps your family dentist would consider running when they do their instruments, and most dentists will keep the autoclave going the entire day.
But then again I may be a bit over cautious......
I have purchased two vintage razors and have put them in the autoclave and am quite comfortable in using them. One was an Aristocrat and it did not damage the gold, I would have rather had a bit of damage to the finish than take a risk.
I know most people do not have access to an autoclave but perhaps your family dentist would consider running when they do their instruments, and most dentists will keep the autoclave going the entire day.
But then again I may be a bit over cautious......
A little bit of metal polish and some soapy hot water are all I use, if you hone the blade yourself before use, to any moderate extent anyhow, it should be new sharp metals you're dealing with.
I've done a general cleaning before, not even soapy water, then honed it and shaved. I'm not dead yet 
As mentionned, yep, properly cleaned, totally safe!
sit it in the sun for a half hour. Or just put it somewhere cool and dry for a couple days
seriously.
the light will kill anything on the blade, and nasties dont live well on dry metal.
seriously.
the light will kill anything on the blade, and nasties dont live well on dry metal.
hiv isn't the one you should worry about, its usually dead withing like 36 hours outside the body,
its hep that you should worry about, it can live outside the body for 28 or so days if memory serves,
or atleast thats what i was told at a first aid course i took at SAIT
its hep that you should worry about, it can live outside the body for 28 or so days if memory serves,
or atleast thats what i was told at a first aid course i took at SAIT
of course, there are plenty of new razors to chose from too.
but then you should really not think too much about how these were treated before you got them either, or they may not live up to the standard you expect.
the problem with straight razors is that the edges have to be produced by hand honing.
if you don't feel comfortable with a blade that doesn't come out of a sealed wrapper you should stick to safety and cartridge razors.
but then you should really not think too much about how these were treated before you got them either, or they may not live up to the standard you expect.
the problem with straight razors is that the edges have to be produced by hand honing.
if you don't feel comfortable with a blade that doesn't come out of a sealed wrapper you should stick to safety and cartridge razors.
Also, don't get the large one, keep in mind that one once is dilute into one gallon of water.
I think I heard the 28 day thing too about hep. The good news is barbicide kills hep, and probably everything else up to the common cold, which you can get because the postman/woman sneezed handing you the package
It shouldn't have to come to that. A bit of barbicide before use will guarantee a safe shaving experience even if the honemeister somehow had a hone that was laden with diseases.
I believe that should be "one ounce is diluted into one gallon of water"
I really don't want to get into this very much but would you be comfortable with a physician or dentist working on you with a piece of equipment that came in contact with blood or other bodily fluids if they only put them out in the sun for a half an hour or put it somewhere cool and dry for a couple of days?
There is a risk no matter how small from using equipment that has been in contact with blood and bodily fluids. Many things can be killed with soap and water, others need stronger stuff. Please look at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5217a2.htm
You can do many things at home to insure your safety - I simply do not want you or anyone else to take lightly the potential risks involved in using equipment that could be infected with any number of pathogens.
Because I have access to an autoclave, any vintage razor I get will be run through just for my own peace of mind. If at sometime down the road I would ever sell a razor of mine I would run it in an autoclave prior to shipment, once again for my peace of mind. If such action would damage the razor so be it, I would rather have the damage than take a chance of picking up some "bug" from a previous owner.
Yep.
Even nasties like HIV dont last on dry steel in the sun and for even fairly short lengths of time. Things like the autoclave are spectacular conveniences, but a bit overkill for razors.
Just don't do that with a straight. You run the risk of wrecking the blade in a big way.
A quick search shows that (supposedly) autoclaves can often run at about 132C/270F. They can also be significantly hotter (around 150-170C). I would never subject a straight to those kind of temperatures as it runs the risk of ruining the temper.
I don't know exactly how steel is tempered but if it cools too quickly or heats too rapidly, or any number of a couple other scenarios play out, that blade will never be the same again and it probably won't take an edge.
There is a pretty big difference between sharp tools used on a mucous membrane (the mouth), and sharp tools used on the skin, which is designed to keep nasties out. Boiling, autoclaving, lysol, barbicide...bottom line is, reasonable precaution will keep you safe.
You are right HIV dies off rather quickly as do some other pathogens - that's not my point. There are things out there that do not die of quickly and just putting out in the sun does not kill them. There is not a responsible dentist, physician, or other medical health care professional that would perform any procedure on you with a piece of equipment that has not be properly sterilized.
For example a scalpel has a handle and a disposable blade. That handle is retained and run through the autoclave. Why would that be done? Why not just lay it out in the sun for a couple of hours? If my doctor did that, there would be no way I would let them work on me, and their license to practice medicine would be jerked away it would make your head spin. What is the difference between the handle of a scalpel a vintage razor? Both hold disposable blades and neither of them actually cut hard or soft tissue. But the medical community does sterilize the scalpel handle prior to its next use.
We are taking a piece of equipment that has come in contact with blood and other pathogens an putting them on our face, and as careful as we are we still get cuts, nicks, and weepers. Vintage razor that are cleaned properly with Barbicide will "probably" be safe for use. BUT and this is a BIG BUT - I have not read the label of Barbicide to know for sure what pathogens it will disinfect or sanitize.
Everyone has a choice as to what steps they will take to safeguard themselves. In my opinion there are risks, minor or major, to using a vintage razor. I am going to practice the most stringent infection control measures I can when given a choice. Sterilization in an autoclave destroys all microorganisms, including bacterial spores. High level disinfection can destroy all microorganisms but not necessarily high numbers of bacterial spores. please see : http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5217a4.htm
You can chose what measures you will personally take, but I think it important that if someone asks a question about safety the answer should give a response on something based on more than gut feelings. While I am not a doctor, it does not take one to look at what the CDC recommends and take their advice.
Like I said I will take the most stringent safety precautions for my personal health. Further, if I ever should sell or give a vintage razor to someone else I would have it run in an autoclave and given in sterile condition.
and this is critical, since the processes are exponential.
one thing is for sure - you can butter your toast right after you autoclave a razor, but shaving is not advisable.
So why use the 'probably will work' then?
Since the autoclave is the only thing that gives you a peace of mind, I assume you have read the 'label' of what it kills but I would submit that the important question is what it doesn't kill. I hope you're comfortable with those.
not quite true
and the biggest risk of all - the plain old living...
at the end of the day it seems to be just cost/benefit analysis. if somebody has an easy access to an autoclave and are comfortable with subjecting their razors to that treatment they can do that. the vast majority of people don't have such access and will use something easier, or nothing at all.
Yes, I worry more about getting into a car crash than I do about contracting something awful from a vintage razor.
