How many of you guys and ladies are trying to clean yer DEs (or other kinds of razors) once a week with hot water, a toothbrush and toothpaste? And how many times do those razors look like brand-new afterwards? Well, I've got a suggestion for you. I bought an industrial-grade ultrasonic-cleaner a few weeks back and am in love with it. You can just about clean everything with it. Watches, Keys, Lighters, Rings, Jewellery, glasses, third teeth... and you can also use it to easily clean your DEs. Those calcium deposits on the razors are hell to get rid of - even for those ultrasonic cleaners. Where plain water or a drop of dish liquid does it easy for most things, you need something stronger here. I for myself use a few drops from a bottle of bathroom/toilet-cleaner, it's designed for exactly that kind of dirt - but, as always, YMMV. I've taken some pictures for you of how well my DEs clean up in about 6 to 7 minutes in the machine. Disclaimer: Please note that I don't take any responsibility whatsoever from any damage / loss of coating or any other problems that could arise from following this advise. Brands shown are only what I work with and do not exclude any other brands of cleaner that might work equally well or even better. (As long as you use any brand of industrial grade ultrasonic-cleaner and not that cheap 20$-plastic-stuff you should get great results). Please also note that these pictures and this guide are made/written for theshaveden.com and may not be used by anyone else than myself in any different way or any other location. Now for the pics: Here's a Merkur HD and a Gillette Adjustable ('62) after several shaves each. Don't they look dirty? A look at the machine: There you go, don't they look great? Whatever kind of "dirt" may seem to be left on the adjustable is actually the brassing and/or normal wear of an often used razor at the age of 45 years Both razors have only been rinsed with fresh water afterwards and were dried in the sunlight - no polishing/wiping Questions? Suggestions? Post 'em if ya got 'em!
Me?.... I'm way too cheap to buy a fancy doo-hickey like that one. When I change blades: 1: Maas polish w/ old toothbrush to the entire razor 2: Hot water rinse 3: SoftScrub w/ bleach on old toothbrush to entire razor 4: Hot water rinse So far....so good
Like it! Like it! And I just checked eBay for "ultrasonic cleaner" and there were 440 listings from small countertop units to giant industrial units. What a great idea. Thanks for the post.
Is this one any good? http://cgi.ebay.com/160-WATTS-5-29P...096827499QQcategoryZ48723QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
excellent Klaus ill be getting such a machine . they are not lying in some sort of liquid are they ? would be a bummer if you have to buy special liquid to work with the machien then its not so cost effective anymore me Like......::
Thanks very much, guys @Rich: I don't think you could find any use for an european cleaner needing a voltage of 230V DC if I bought you one The one you pointed out doesn't look bad, but I'm no expert so I'd search online for reviews of that particular machine. @Rene: Nope, plain water from the tap works for most cleaning jobs. If the parts are oily I add 2 drops of household dishwashing-liquid or liquid soap and for DEs I add a coupla drops of household toilet cleaner to the water. Of course, the companies will tell you that you only get the best results when you use their own brand of cleaning-additive, but that's what every company says to boost their sales... @Rick: Sure, works great too. But can you also clean a metal watchband to perfection in only 2 minutes? It would be sheer luxury to only use the cleaner for the DEs, it works great for many hard to clean-thingies.
Really nice. And this avoids that "don't boil the plastic and bakelite" razor problem? Have you tried, or do you know anyone who has tried it? I can't see a problem with plastic handles, but I'm not 100% sure about bakelite and how it would stand up to ultrasonics.
Here's a brief explanation of ultrasonic cleaning. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ultrasonic_cleaning There are lots more in depth articles that can be Googled, but this one seemed simple enough for me to understand.
Plastic/bakelite should work just fine. I used it to clean my Mont Blanc and my Pelikan fountain pens and it worked as it should without any problems.
And if it works for fountain pens, it should work for gold-plated razors, which was my next question. Thanks for the tip, Klaus! I am going to price these things!
This is the ultrasonic cleaner that I use. Mine is a different brand name but otherwise the exact identical machine. It's big enough to clean 3 DE razors in one batch, or any of the other items mentioned on that link. It's not heated (not really needed in most cases) but gets the job done. And for a much cheaper price!
I agree, that works Ok for most. But Futurs and Visions have some nooks and crannies that are hard to get a brush into. I use an all-day soak in vinegar to get rid of these hard-water deposits about once a month. P. S. : Oh, and yes, the ultrasonic cleaner probably would work just fine with these razors as well. I just wonder at the cost-effectiveness, since I don't really think I have anything else to use the ultrasonic for.
If you follow the link in my previous post, you'll get an idea of the variety of items that one of those gadgets can clean. Then consider that you aren't using some sort of cleaning agent along with the time spent applying it. With the ultrasonic cleaner it's simply run it and rinse. Done.
Hi Steve, see my first post and the pictures - all DEs cleaned up there are chrome-plated As far as cleaning shaving brushes are concerned: It does work, yes, but you should only dump the bristles under water and not the whole brush with the handle as you might lose a few hairs otherwise. The best solution as far as cleaning brushes is concerned, is to soak them in a borax-solution every few months, works very well. Oh, and welcome to the shave den! ::