Thread: Disinfecting a secondhand razor

I've recently bought a vintage Sheffield razor from a guy who seems fairly trustworthy, he hones all the razors and makes them shave ready. I think I got it for a fairly good price for a vintage razor (30$).

I then became worried due to the risks that come with with a vintage razor, specifically viruses and bacteria that could be left behind from a previous user.
I know it sounds far fetched but I really don't see the point in taking risks. I then contacted him and asked him how he disinfects his razors.
He told me that he disinfects his razors in an ultrasound cleaner with a mix of detergent and bactericide.

Now, forgive my ignorance if I'm wrong but from what I know; bactericide only works on bacteria, which alcohol can handle all by itself. Viruses are a big issue and can live on surfaces for well over 5 years; even longer if they are in a wet place. So, I've browsed google and have seen people recommending pressure cookers and autoclaves; I can't do either of those however due to the fact that the razor has a plastic handle which the intense heat would most certainly warp/melt. The two other most popular suggestions were Cidex which from what I hear is hard to obtain/dispose of (even more so since I live in Canada). The other choice is barbicide which advertises that it kills Hep and HIV. After mentioning barbicide to the seller he told me that it was an alcohol based sanitizer and it wouldn't work well.

If any of you guys could shed some light on the situation and recommend a solution I would be extremely thankful.

Oh since I'm posting this i'll add another newbie question in. I've recently been browsing ebay for a strop and I don't want to spend alot of money however I also don't want to get a lousy strop; a really cheap Zeepk strop caught my eye. Now, I've read the newbie post telling people to stay away from Zeepk Razors, but what about the strops?

Yay first post. I also feel like I should apologize for these walls of text; I've never really found a way to post text on a forum comfortably.

Edit: Bought it from this guy's site: http://www.theinvisibleedge.co.uk/

Bleach will kill everything. Just make sure to clean it afterwards.

I have a zeepk strop and wouldn't recommend it. The leather side is not smooth and is too stiff for my taste. I would recommend going to a cobbler and getting some leather or getting another beginner strop. Yes, I currently use the strop but I'm planning to make my own very soon. I just hope I haven't done any damage to the razor in the mean time.

Thank you very much for the quick replies.
I recently saw an episode of mythbusters where they fill a gas tank with bleach which rusted it to hell.

Will that happen to the blade? How long should I keep it in the bleach for? Should I mix the bleach with water?

Edit: Would a wider strop be better for a beginner?

Bleach is fine. Barbacide is fine. The ten minute soak isn't going to rust your blade. Soak then let air dry with barbacide or any other alcohol based sanitizer.

Also, clean the razor first, although your refurbisher probably already did that.

Originally Posted by They Call Me Blockhead

Bleach is fine. Barbacide is fine. The ten minute soak isn't going to rust your blade. Soak then let air dry with barbacide or any other alcohol based sanitizer.

Also, clean the razor first, although your refurbisher probably already did that.

Two caveats:
1)Alcohol does not kill viruses.
2)If you soak the blade in bleach, do not air dry it. Rinse it off with a lot of water remove the bleach, otherwise, depending on the blade, it may rust.

Most viruses die within minutes of contact with air... they need a cell to live in. alcohol will kill bacteria and these cells.
The remaining risk is hepatitis, and it has been reportedly found live on surfaces as far out as 6 months, but not 5 years...
most viricidal agents strong enough to kill hepatitis would rot your scales right off the razor. however hepatitis doesn't have hands... it can't hold on to a surface, so hot soapy water will remove it from all but the most porous surfaces.
this only leaves the pivot area, and there just isn't much we can do about that...
hot soapy water followed by an alcohol dip will remove 99.9% of everything on the blade. if it has pits, pay extra close attention to them, but really beyond that, you have little to worry about.

Originally Posted by claytor

I have a zeepk strop and wouldn't recommend it. The leather side is not smooth and is too stiff for my taste. I would recommend going to a cobbler and getting some leather or getting another beginner strop. Yes, I currently use the strop but I'm planning to make my own very soon. I just hope I haven't done any damage to the razor in the mean time.

+1 Agreed.

I was very disappointed with the Zeepk strop. Unfortunately I purchased it before finding SRP, so I was unaware of my mistake until it was too late.

As claytor mentioned, the leather is very stiff, and mine actually had a crease in the leather (rendering it pretty much useless) AND it was mishapen.

I'm not sure if everyone has been disappointed by Zeepk strops, but in my personal opinion...stay away.

I like to clean my razors using the following approach:

An acid bath
80 grit to 2000 grit
4 kinds of "rouges"
alcohol rinse
soap and water

I'm not quite sure where bleach fits in.

suggestions are welcome.

You could just replace the acid bath with a bleach bath, bleach is just a powerful base as opposed to powerful acid, so you'll get the same effect.