Thread: Do alum blocks go bad?

2 years odd & still working fine here
but they do deteriorate & get crumbly if left unused for long periods
YMMV

No,,, they last forever,,,, till you need to get another,,,,

It's just a block of salt. It'll stay effective as long as there is material to use.

Its substance doesn't change, just dissolves in water. Moist environment will negatively affect its decay, just because they are highly hygroscopic and adsorve through its own pores with moisture, turning from a big clear crystal to a mess of pulverized tiny little crystals. Still alum, indeed. Your stone will last more if you wet your face and play with the dry stone on it. Do not let driving force water reach your stone.

I had one go bad. I blame myself for not bringing it up right. I should have told it I loved it more often than I did. Plus, in 1967 I gave it an Austin Healy 3000 Mark III for its 16th birthday.

Thanks to everyone! Especially Moonshae, very helpful.

In my experience, the only way that they go bad is when you drop them.

I have a block like yours and I some times wonder if its stopped working as well as it did when I first bought it over a year ago.
I swear it used to be grippier than a grippy thing in a grippy place.
As long as I don't try to grip a wet part of my face it works.

On a serious note: the alum blocks become less effective the better your shaves are...flay your face and they are super effective, have all the variables dialed in and they are less effective.

Like someone said it's just a piece of salt so it couldn't possibly lose its potency unless it undergoes a chemical change. So, you know, just don't drop it in a vat of acid.

I guess it could acquire debris on the surface that would influence its efficacy? but that would just wash off.