Thread: A final word on sterilization

So without going crazy, is Barbicide all I really need?



R

Being a professional tattooer for a couple of decades I have some experience with auto clave sterilization. I respect the concern people have for sterilizing the used razors that they get off of ebay or from an antique shop, yard sale, or wherever but I don't share it.

I know that the main bug to worry about is hepatitis. It will live on a surface a lot longer then most. The AIDS virus is long gone in a matter of seconds on a countertop or what have you. When I get a razor that hasn't been used in months or years I hit it with some semi-chrome or Flitz and rub it with a paper towel. The honing, stropping and rinsing with hot water is enough for me YMMV.

I apologize, I should have been clearer that this was meant to highlight that a simple alcohol soak and H2O2 soak would eliminate most issues that people are worried about. After reading through several threads I was frustrated at the conflicting information, so I wanted to put together a simple protocol that included redundancies and was accepted as effective against most things that people are concerned about.

I was definitely not looking to create an end-all-be-all of "this protocol will cover everything" because really to do that you'd need to do about 6 soaks and use formaldehyde, and then autoclave the thing (or just melt it down and start again).

But yes, you're absolutely right that there's no absolutes in science That's why my thesis never got finished! However, if you review my OP, the main issues of concern are bacterial and HIV-1, which are well-addresed by any bactricide and confirmed by your chart. HIV dies quickly outside a host and this is thus not as much of a concern but the multiple redundant soaks should address this as well - particularly the peroxide.

So my original point, which is that a simple regimen as I outlined would kill those low-level contaminants of most concern, is still valid. But you're absolutely right that if I wanted to kill bacterial spores like anthrax, this wouldn't work. But if you're trying to kill anthrax on your razors maybe you shouldn't be using vintage razors?

(Please don't be offended by any of my post, I agree with you, and I'm being tongue-in-cheek; my original point was about a simple sterilization technique sufficing for most common pathogens, not about a comprehensive sterilization) Cheers

Originally Posted by Alraz

I am sorry to disappoint you but there is nothing really final in science, remember that job security is involved ;-). I would like to thank you for trying to clarify this issue for all of us. One thing that I must point out in defense of previous posts/ers is that very frequently, because of the format of the forum, what is written can be easily taken out of context.

Since you mention both alcohol and quaternary ammonium compounds in your "recipes", I have included this link from the CDC website where the ability of several disinfectants to eliminate certain classes of pathogens is shown:

Appendix </P><P>Disinfectants and Their Properties

As you can see, none of these compounds is really effective against all pathogens or work in all situations (i.e. hard water). Also, the corrosive effects on metal of any of these or their wetting properties have been considered in this study. Note that CDC is not a regulatory agency and does not test, evaluate, or otherwise recommend specific brand-name products of chemical germicides. Even with these guidelines, Local or state environmental health officers might have recommendations for appropriate disinfectant selection and precautions for environmental effect, when using these in large scale.

I understand people's concerns regarding acquiring infections from blades. Because of it, I consider this as a delicate subject.

Al raz.

I completely agree with JimmyHAD... I never used any of those compounds because they all are strong oxidizing agents (hydrogen peroxide, sodium hypochlorite) which tend to oxidize iron in steel...
As I mentioned in a post a while ago, sanding the blade is quite virus and bacteria unfriendly activity...
Along with dipping the blade in heated alcohol or boiling water, or both, and with honing process...

Before sterilizing a razor you have to ask yourself: is it necessary?

I do not thinks so as the real nasties HIV and hepatitis B & C do not survive very long outside the human body. So if you buy a razor from someone else ask yourself how likely it is there is any nasty bug left on the blade.

I have never sterilized a blade that I bought off ebay. It takes a week before it arrives and a couple of weeks before I hone it.

Hey man, no apologies needed, this is a friendly discussion and as I said, I appreciate the post very much; there was no offense taken in any way. With my post, I was trying to play devil's advocate to point out that nothing is "perfect". If I am correct, you may be referring to a recent discussion about this issue. I think a correct comment of one of users regarding ethanol being poor against viruses was taken out of context in following posts. Basically because as you, and others, correctly point out, the main concern is centered on Hepatitis and HIV (enveloped) viruses. Not only is Jimmy correct in pointing out the weakness of the HIV virus outside a "living cell" but in a recent visit to a virology lab that is centered on HIV infectivity, I was surprised to learn that they do not wear a lot of protective gear while working with the live virus. The safety measures were completely different when I visited another HIV lab10 years ago. This is definitely the result of more research on the subject.

What I do to clean my razors, is to wash the blade and scales with antibacterial soap. I have used 95% ethanol and iodophors on the blade as well. One bug that does not receive too much attention and "I" would be particularly concerned with is Clostridium tetani, the causative agent of Tetanus, which despite a vaccine and treatment, still fatal in over 10% of the cases. The environment of a rusty old blade seems perfect to harbor this one. Since I am not an expert, I could not say whether this is a real concern. Cleaning the blades seems good but, if the razor is infected with spore forming bacteria, cleaning just the blade is a moot point, even if you autoclave it. I would not go as far as other to say that some of these precautions are unnecessary but definitely seem overkill in most cases. Again, do what makes you feel safe, as long as you do not not harm yourself, others, and more importantly, your razors... ;-)

This is yet another reason to keep your Ebay purchases to a minimum ;-).

Al raz.

Absolutely fascinating! Thanks so much for all the info, its a great resource!