Thread: infection or disease from a used razor?

Most of these "Sterilize vintage razor" threads talk about heat or chemical disinfecting, but what about mechanical sterilization? I'd think hitting a blade with a dremel using the steel brush wheel, then nylon brush with polishing compound, then buffing wheel with polishing compound, then again the nylon brush with Maas(which has a lot of ammonia in it) , then buffing wheel polishing compound.

I don't think any microbes could survive that kind of attack.

As was previously said, all germs and viruses will die on dry, cold steel; given enough time. I still prefer to at least take a few small steps when restoring a razor, even if only for my own piece of mind.

I rub the razor with 99% alcohol, kills germs as well as cleaning off a good portion of any dirt and oil on the blade, preparing it for step 2. I dry the blade and submerse it in Barbicide to kill any other possible nasties. A rub down with 100% mineral oil to seal the steel, and I consider it clean.

Hepatitis is my biggest concern when it comes to disinfecting a razor. The best killer of this gnarly infection is (IMO) ... believe it or not ... time.

It will live for a few weeks on cold steel. It will survive in hot temperatures. It's really one of the tougher infectious diseases out there.

For my piece of mind, I usually dont even begin to handle a used razor until it's been sitting for a month. That''s long enough to kill all the other common blood borne pathogens as well.

I'd be tentative to use alcohol on the scales, for fear of some type of damage. Of course, this does depend on the scale material.

Maybe I'm paranoid. lol. I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Persoanlly I don't bother. Not because I don't care, but because I think it is usually unnecessary.

a) cold dry surfaces: anything blood bourned is dead after 2 weeks.
b) if I've restored a razor, I've spent lots of hours sanding and polishing the entire blade, followed by a complete edge reset on several stones. Nothing would survive that. But if there is a germ that would, mere consumer desinfectant would probably not hurt it either.
c) If there is some crud between the scales, I just clean off what I can. If the blade is clean, I shave with it. As long as I don't cut myself so bad that the pivot pin reaches my flesh, it won't matter.

The only time I will desinfect a razor is if it was very recently used by someone else, and I only have to hone it and shave with it withing 2 weeks of the other person having shaved with it.

Many of us shave with razors that are 200 years or more old. That razor has seen more than a century in which the plague(s), smallpox and all sorts of other horrible diseases went through Europe like wildfire.
I'm sure that we would have heard if someone actually caught anything from a razor. Being cold dry steel, germs don't have much chance.
but I would never shave with a razor that has a rusty blade. That is just asking for problems.

If you are worried about this, I advise you to spend time thinking about brush care instead.
In contrast with razors, brushes can cause all sorts of fungus or mould infections if they are not properly cared for. The reason for this is that they come into contact with skin and warm water. If they are not rinsed and dried properly, they can be a fertile breeding ground for all sorts of nasty environmental stuff.
I don't have a link handy, but a couple of months go, someone posted pics of a B&B member that shaved in the basement, and did not treat his brush properly... not pretty.

EDIT: I almost forgot, but welcome to SRP.

Viruses. especially, die right away on a dry surface. HIV is dead in four hours on a dry surface. There's nothing known that will last a week on a dry razor. I'm with Mark, Bjorn, et al.

Bob

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Cleaning razors:
I use a product that the wife got actually for use in the tanning salon industry, this stuff is rated to kill everything and is plastic/acrylic safe so I keep it mixed at double strength and use it as a spray before and after restoration... "

whats the name of this product? and could i buy it?

I think you have to qualify what is meant by ALL bacteria and viruses dying within a short time of exposure. How about the ones that form spores? Some dormant spores have been cultured after centuries.

Anthrax, for example, can live for many decades - not only as a dusty spore (remember the terrorist attacks?) but in animal products like bone. So sanding bone (or horn?) scales could liberate them into the air.

The spores of clostridium are resistant to antibacteriological agents and treatments.

Many other microbes produce spores that ate heat, drought and irradiation resistant.

The strength of alcohol used to inhibit or kill bacteria is also questionable. Methanol (50%) will kill dried E. Coli bacteria because it contains water - some high grade alcohols will not. In fact the higher percentages (90 - 99%) may be less effective than the lower concentrations: E. Coli when dried is not killed by alcohol in concentrations of 94% and 99%, even after 24 hours. The same goes for several staphylococcus species - and others, too. However, these results are not true for all species of bacteria.

As for viruses dying straight away outside the body - flu germs can live for 48 hours on surfaces. Polio virus can survive for between 24hrs and 5 days on glass or steel. Rhinovirus can survive for up 7 days on stainless steel. Hepatitus B can survive for up to 14 days on stainless steel. Some strains of herpes can survive for up 8 weeks outside the body. The conditions have to be taken into consideration though - how hot or cool it is, the ambient humidity of the air, the amount of UV from the sun, etc.

I'm not trying to be alarmist - I don't even think that there is a real threat if sensible precautions are taken - I just like to question sweeping statements!

Regards,
Neil

Originally Posted by sharphands619

whats the name of this product? and could i buy it?

Being in San Diego I bet you could find it..... Walk into the nearest tanning salon and politely ask the Gals there, I bet they just give you some...

Actually Barbacide is approved for tanning bed use.

Originally Posted by Wildtim

Actually Barbacide is approved for tanning bed use.

Well I just learned my new thing of today I did not know that.....