Hi All, I have a question about maintenance/care of a DE razor. I just had my first shave with a Gillette, and when I was finished shaving, there was like this hazy stuff all over the razor where the cream had touched. I rinsed it off, and it seemed to go away, but when the razor started to dry, the haze started to come back. I didn't know whether it's ok to let it sit or not, so I took the blade out and scrubbed it down with my old boar brush and hot water to get rid of the haze. My question is, is this normal? Is there going to be a haze left on it from the lathered cream every time I shave? Is it harmful to the razor to leave it sitting? Do I need to remove the blade and scrub it down after every shave?
That's a very normal thing that won't harm your razor at all. Most guys here clean their DEs every few weeks or so, that's sufficient.
I always take my old toothbrush to the razor after shaving. Scrub it down with hot water and rinse it off. Dry and there will be no residue. When I change my blade, I spray the razor down with Scrubbing Bubbles and then give it an additional treatment with Soft Scrub w/ Bleach. Once a month, or so, the MAAS polish comes out to keep em shiny new.
Ricks a little OCD :happy102 I'll wash my HD when I change blades because its still chromed up. I let the vintage ones sit a bit more before cleaning. They dont get anything more than a rinse and dry with a towell though. Its just soap scum and wont harm your razor.
If you get a clouding I would ask about the clear coat on the razor. Some soaps may eat the clear coat off over time. If it is a vintage put it under a loupe and look for places where the clear coat has worn through. It can be repaired with a clear nail polish. A restoration shop in Downtown PDX told me that. They did not really advise it as this process could go sideways, but they said that if you were technically proficient go for it. And OCD happens when you put a small microwave in the bathroom closet for a hot towel shave in the morning, or in lieu of that a small tortilla steamer
I know the gold razors have a lacquer over the top, but I don't think the nickel ones do. Please correct me if I am wrong.
Hmmm, either way, I think I'm gonna basically just clean my razor every time I change my blades. So, every 3-4 days it will get cleaned. I wipe off the top every time, but when I change blades, I'll pop out a toothbrush and clean it thoroughly. I'd imagine that would do it pretty well.
Hi guys. If I may, I would say that unless you bought that razor as NIB (new in box) then you don't know how thick the plating is. I mean how much is left. I do have razors that I "collect" and razors that I "use", (although I do try all them at least once I can't help myself), and I would worry about scrubbing a mint Gillette twice a week. Yes the "haze" is a normal thing, just wiping and/or polishing seems to make it go away. Is it bad to scrub an older razor so often?
Gosh. I rotate several vintage Gillettes. A rinse in hot water, wipe with a towel and I'm done. Maybe I'm missing something...
Well, I don't know about y'all, but for me, the haze doesn't just hang out on top. It gets all around inside and under the head, and while that may not matter to some, it matters to me. I like it clean from all angles, inside and out. And, I think the issue is which is worse for it - to leave it with soap scum on it indefinitely or to scub it with a soft nylon toothbrush. I'm not really sure, but I prefer to keep it clean, and I think a toothbrush is really not all that dangerous for it. And, when I was cleaning up my "finds" the other day, I used a brass brush to scrub them down. It was able to remove rust, mineral buildup, and just general crud from the inside and outside of the razor, all without removing the plating. Now, I'm not saying that a brass brush to it every three days for eternity would be a good idea. Brass may be softer than chromium, but it will eventually start to do damage. But I think soft nylon is safe.
"One day a thing occured to me"... How hard is your water? Seems to me a combination of soap and hard water could cause some haze. The other question is... it is not Purple Haze is it?
If I didn't use a tooth brush on my razors at least once a month, they'd all look white and be thick with soap/cream residue.
