I am not a collector of shaving gear or anything else. Even so, there is always the chance that I will come across that incredible vintage razor at a bargain price at an antique store or flea market somewhere. Cleaning and polishing are easy enough, but what about disinfecting the razor? I have read that boiling works well, but also that boiling can damage the razor's plating, especially the protective coating on gold razors. That same goes for soaking in a chlorine bleach solution. Barbicide is often recommended as a disinfectant. In this thread, it is stated that Barbicide should not be used for objects that have come into contact with blood. A 70% alcohol solution is recommended instead followed by drying. The City of Ottawa Public Health disinfectant guidelines for Personal Service Establishments says the same thing. They identify razor blades as "critical" items and razor handles and cradles as "semi-critical" items. It is also stated that Barbicide cannot disinfect critical or semi-critical items. No mention is made of why. They also state that a 70-90 percent alcohol solution can be used to disinfect semi-critical items. What pathogens does the alcohol alone kill that Barbicide does not? Barbicide's formula includes isopropyl alcohol according to its Material Safety Data Sheet. It was mentioned in this thread that Barbicide caused damage where there was an existing defect in the chrome finish. Does that mean there are problems when disinfecting vintage razors with worn finishes? There are a number of claims on the shave forums that an extended soak in Barbicide will damage the finish. One in this thread claims it will "remove all plating from the razor". One poster noted in this thread that he disinfected 20 razors using Barbacide as part of the cleaning/disinfecting process. Twenty razors is a lot, and I didn't see any adverse results reported. Here is an article, with photos, showing a razor being soaked in Barbicide. Although the razor was already corroded to some extent, the finish does not appear to have suffered any harm. Obviously the claim that Barbicide strips all plating from the razor is nowhere near universally true, if it occurs at all. Is there a preferred method for disinfecting a vintage razor? Has anyone actually had a razor damaged by Barbicide or are such reports merely rumors? If so, what kind of razor and how long was it soaked in the disinfectant? Sorry about all the links, but I wanted to cite my sources. I’m not asking this to stir the pot, just to get the straight scoop, and figured this would be the best place to ask.
There have been several posts on this very thing in just about every wetshaving forum. A Barbicide soak will work well enough. Pair that with an ultrasonic cleaning and you should be set. That and a bit of polish is all I've ever done to any of mine and I've never had any issues. I've never boiled one. You can do some damage that way.
Getting the straight scoop on a forum is a bit difficult at times. People have their own experiences, and on the other hand some people find it fun to make up stuff. If you want the straight scoop, it would seem to me, you just have to try it for yourself, if you dare. I don't use anything but Scrubbing Bubbles. But if I felt the need to disinfect a razor, alcohol is easier to get a hold of than Barbicide. Just add some food coloring for the blue color, if you want.
:happy096 Well said Joanna; I can certainly understand that and years ago all of the doctors offices had bowls of ice filled with alcohol to disinfect their thermometers which were little glass rods filled with mercury. Remember those?
Yup. I use Scrubbing Bubbles, also. It says right on the label that it kills 99% of germs. Good enough for me. Shines up the razor real nice, too!
Yalp; Scrubbing Bubbles works for me too. Although in my house we are making the transition to KaBoom! be cause it starts blue and turns white when done.
I use Barbacide, but be careful. I let a Fatboy sit for a long time in my Barbacide jar and caused a little bit of corrosion. Like most others, I also hit mine with Scrubbing Bubbles for good measure. I'm pretty paranoid about old razors and germs and this combo makes me feel safe enough. Oh, and MAAS is great for a little shine up.
Autoclave! Barbicide and other disinfectants can't guarantee 100% clean razor. Reason why Barbicide and Co. can't do this is that those little viruses and microbes can develop microfilms from their population and be covered there even under pressure of action of disinfection solution. Autoclaving is 100% guaranteed. You could damage the finishing though... Then replate it in rhodium.
This is what I do when I pick up a "new" razor at an antique store: Soak it over night in effordent Boil it on the stove for five or ten minutes Hit it with the scrubbing bubbles It works for me I haven't harmed the finnish on a razor yet. I don't worry about polish I use my razors I'm not so concerned about them being pretty
Effordent even! You heard it first right here folks; dental and shaving products...you need nothing else! Stay tuned, show at 11....
In addition to aberneth's method in the other thread, it looks like I got a number of straight scoops here. This forum must be better than most. Thanks everyone!
It should be noted that one of the active components of scrubbing bubbles (diethyl glycol butyl ether, aka cellusolvent as trademarked by Dow) is a solvent for the nitrocellulose coating on old gold gillette razors. It should be used sparingly on such razors. This isn't an experience thing. It's a common, documented chemical effect. In fact, it's often an additive to the solvent base for nitrocellulose lacquer. Sentiments about alcohol are generally true. Grain or Isopropyl alcohol will kill almost anything, and are way cheaper and way easier to find than barbicide. That being said, if you're really worried about bloodborn diseases and razors, barbicide is the way to go. It is a true biocide. Isopropyl and ethyl will miss some viruses.
I deep fry my old razors, dunk them in molten lead, heat them to red hot with an acetylene torch, boil them in ethyl alcohol, then drink the alcohol. Actually, all I use is soap or maybe scouring powder to remove soap scum, and hot water. I'm not doing surgery with the razor, and I use new blades. It just isn't that big of a deal.
I'm in agreement here. I've never been particularly concerned with pathogens on my razors. The razors have generally been sitting in open air for a decade or more without use, and a quick wash n' polish should scrape off the dessicated carcasses of the previous owner's bacteria. Besides, it's the blade that will cut you, not the razor. Whenever I disinfect a razor, it's because I'm shipping it off to somebody else who may or may not be a germophobe. "disinfect and polish before shipping" is a good selling point.
While I can't speak with complete scientific certainty, I'm with the Scrubbing Bubbles crowd. This is the only method I've ever used and if you are to believe the label, it kills 99% of viruses and bacteria. I don't know about all that but every razor in my rotation came to me very old, very used, and in some cases very dirty. As I said, this is the only method I've ever used and if the absence of physical discomfort or illness is used as the indicator, I've never suffered any ill effects from vintage razors disinfected in this manner. After the initial scrub down, after Saturday's shave I hit all the razors I used that week with scrubbing bubbles as a touch up. Works just fine.
you might want to read my posts in this thread, along the same lines, only about shaving brushes: http://www.theshaveden.com/forum/showthread.php?t=20900 sterilization or disinfection is, in all probabilty not necessary- mainly a treatment for your head. pathogenic bacterial growth, after a cleaning, seems nil. the viruses capable of causing serious blood borne illness will not live on hard surfaces for any significant length of time, unless optimum growth conditions for that particular virus are maintained.
