Cheap, quick, easy way to clean your razor?

Was wondering how you guys and girls cleaned your razor to prevent the build-up of grime, odd bits of hair and white (calcium?) forming on your razor. I've heard people mention 90% alcohol and various other methods, but all of them sound very expensive in the long run. Any ideas? :ashamed001

 

I have been at this for nearly a year and have yet to find it necessary to do anything more than dip the head in alcohol and hang to dry. If I get a bit of build up that concerns me, I will dip in alcohol and buff dry with a towel.

A pint of 90% alcohol costs $1.00. I have used two bottles in a year.

You could use scrubbing bubbles?

Do you have super hard water?

 

Oh my goodness.. Had no idea 90% alcohol was so cheap! I've been grossly misinformed.. -_- I'll definitely buy a bottle at the weekend. Where did you buy yours?

Hmm yeah I'll look into scrubbing bubbles. And I think my water's quite hard.. I get a lot of build up of that white stuff, which is a pain to get rid of (without the alcohol).

 

Assuming you are talking about the razor and not a blade, I take an old soft bristled toothbrush and some regular baking soda toothpaste and lightly scrub the razor under warm water, when I am putting it back into storage. It probably isn't the most razor friendly way, but it works for me. The length of time I use any razor varies. It could be a few days or months between switching razors.

 

Are you referring to soap scum build up on the razor? I also give my razor a 90% alcohol dip after every shave but it won't remove the soap film that makes your nice shiny DE white. The only way to remove that is to physically scrub it with an old toothbrush or something like it. Every Saturday when I pitch the old blade I use the tooth brush with a dab of close up toothpaste and give the razor the once over and when rinsed and dried it looks brand new.

 

I usually use barbicide instead of just alcohol. It is about $6 for a bottle and you mix it with water. I keep a screw top jar in the bathroom and after each shave rinse the razor in water then the barbicide. Every month or so, I make a new batch. I have been using the same bottle for about 3 years. (it is a 16:1 ratio one tablespoon to a cup of water as I recall).

I use the barbicide instead of the alcohol because it does a better job with soap scum and water deposits, but it also is a rust preventative which is very important when I use vintage wedge blades (rolls razor, rapide, etc...)

 

For an initial clean of a vintage razor, Scrubbing Bubbles and a toothbrush work great. It's also antibacterial.

For every day, I just rinse the razor, then dry it with my towel.

Should the build up get to where I'm not happy with it, back to the Scrubbing Bubbles.

 

I periodically do a scrub with scrub and bubbles and an old baby hair brush or tooth brush.

 

About every other blade change I scrub the razor with lather and an old toothbrush, then towel dry it.

 

I drop my whole ej89l with blade in the 90% alc while i clean up sink skuttle ect . then put back together , no soap scum or hard water build up , and Im in jacksonville , fl ...with well water I dont think water can get much harder than that

 

Correct

Yep, I am.

Thanks so much for the answers so far! Might consider getting Scrubbing Bubbles, 90% Alcohol, Barbicide AND an old toothbrush

Can't find the alcohol anywhere though.

 

I clean old razors that I pick up at flea markets, etc. with Scrubbing Bubbles & a toothbrush. Sometimes I will use Simple Green as well.

For my everyday razors;

We have hard spring water, so I need to keep them clean & dry after use, or they will get that gunk buildup that you are referring to.

A quick rinse in hot water, possibly a dunk in rubbing alcohol...or again, maybe a spray of Simple Green & rinse in hot water...

With hard water, you need to make sure you dry them well with a soft cloth or they may get stains/water spots on them...

A bummer if you have a nice finish razor that gets marred...I guess it would polish out though...

 

shouldn't be that hard to find. any drugstore will carry it- just to be clear, we're talking about isopropyl alcohol, a.k.a. rubbing alcohol. you don't drink this stuff.

 

Lately, I haven't been cleaning my razors :ashamed001. None of them are showing any ill effects, e.g., looking like half of those ebay razors you see in "mint" condition for $50. I used to clean them every weekend but have gotten on my "gross out" cycle for the last 6 months or so. I clean them about once a month, maybe every other month lately. Performance and finish are still the same after cleaning. The get a little bit soap scummy, but I'm the only one using them and it really doesn't bother me.

 

Where is it that you are located?

 

Yeah I think I confused myself..

Leicester, UK. But I've found some in a local supermarket, thanks for the help though!

 

How about just boiling the razor in hot water ? Anyone knows how to do this, has anyone tried this? (Kids, do not tryt his at home )

 

Sure, as long as it is not gold and there are no plastic parts.
I've heard boiling a gold plated razor will ruin the finish.

 

For how long should one boil it? Thanks for the tip, I was going to put my Tech in hot water :sick007

 

Has anyone tried vinegar? I know you can use vinegar to clean the crud out of coffee makers.

I used to clean money I found with my metal detector using a little salt and vinegar soak. Be careful of that. It would remove any build up from money buried in the ground but it also dulls the finish. Don't know if it would harm chrome or not, but I'm sure it would dull aluminum. I guess it could be polished off. Don't think I would try the salt/vinegar on a good razor.

I was thinking of a little jewelers rouge and a buffing wheel to rejuvenate an old one.