Thread: Sterilized

Long term or repeated exposure to peroxide sounds like a red carpet for oxidation to me. Sterilization (=really getting rid of all the germs) is fiendishly difficult if you don't have special equipment such as autoclaves/UV-C irradiation after ultrasonic cleaning. And it's not possible to keep the equipment sterile anyway, unless you can immediately package it in a sterile wrapper under controlled conditions.

I only use my own razors, if I'd use someone else's I'd first dunk it in ethanol/isopropyl alcohol and wipe it clean. But I doubt that's necessary, when allowed to dry there's few bacteria/viruses that survive exposure for longer than minutes/an hour tops (assuming nothing like anthrax is present of course but if it is you'll have other worries). If you're shaving and were to swap razors during or immediately after a shave that would be a different matter. And oh yeah, many barbers test positive for Hep A or C, for them it's a professional risk.

Excellent points.....I havn'tbeen to a barber shop in over 25 years, I shave and cut my own hair.

I've been lurking on the forums for a while soaking up all the great information. Not knowing much along the lines of straight razor shaving, I've not been able to contribute much. When I saw this thread, one that I know a decent amount about, I thought I might be able to give back a little. Just my two cents from working in a lab that deals with this sort of thing, there are three ways to sterilize an object:

1. Incineration
This is by far the most effective as next to nothing can survive a good fire. However, you don't want to heat up your razor as this would mess with the temperament of the metal.

2. Radiation
This isn't a bad method. In order of decreasing effectiveness, Gamma rays (Think HULK, but everything dies), X-rays (High doses, extended exposure, not like the short exposure we get for breaking a bone.), and UV rays (Take your razor to the beach, show it a good time.) are all excellent methods. If you plan on using UV it would be intelligent to use ethanol or another method in conjunction as UV radiation is non-penetrating to many cellular membranes or virus capsids. Additionally, I don't think many of us have huge, high energy, wave generating machines lying around for X-rays and Gamma rays. Some people have even used sonification to sterilize, there are alot of variables that involve the machine and liquid used for me to have a straight-forward answer for this.

3. Chemical
Likely the best method in our case. There are a variety of chemicals that can be used, the most important thing to remember in choosing one is that whatever chemical you choose should be easily removed so you are not poisoning yourself with it. A few common ones are bleach (corrosive), hydrogen peroxide (oxidizing, rust), ethanol/rubbing alcohol (see below), or Barbicide (see below).

Ethanol/rubbing alcohol is a good choice, but there are a few things to remember in this case. Firstly, as mentioned above, you want about a 70% solution of alcohol. Anything more will not allow for cellular penetration. Also, you need to leave the razor in 70% alcohol for 15 minutes minimum to truly sterilize it (Who knows where a razor from and antique shop has been?), and even then there are some bacterium that are not killed by alcohol (Alcoholics). Many virus are not killed by alcohol, so be careful.

Barbicide is a very good choice. The main component in barbicide is benzalkonium chloride which is a great antimicrobial chemical. The 80% solutions are typically alcohol based and you will get the best of both worlds. However, again, barbicide isn't very effective against virus.

The best choice may be to just allow the razor to soak in barbicide for 15-30 minutes. However, if you wish to be thorough, you can to bleach the blade in a 50/50 beach/water solution for the first time, being careful not to get the scales wet. Assuming there is not plating or any decorative work, you should get away with doing this very infrequently, without any damage to the blade. However, I wouldn't make a habit of bleaching your razor or you will start corroding the blade. UV light, assuming you have the equipment, is a good choice as well.

It would seem to me that "Sterilization" is not attainable unless something such as an autoclave were used. I feel the goal is to "sanitize". Later straights used in medical practice are like most medical instruments as they have stainless scales. I am not sure whether they autoclaved them or not, but scales of horn or plastics would suffer in the process. Of course back in older days, doctors probably gave the patient a drink of whisky, took a slug themselves, and poured a bit over the instrument before beginning.

I use Barbicide as per the directions on the bottle. If I read it right, the solution is changed daily, and the 10 minute soak should be left to air dry afterwards. Not sure if this is necessary, but....

Originally Posted by GAP

I use Barbicide as per the directions on the bottle. If I read it right, the solution is changed daily, and the 10 minute soak should be left to air dry afterwards. Not sure if this is necessary, but....

If you're the only one using the blade and don't drag it through the dirt then imho it's not necessary but it doesn't harm either I suppose, provided you leave it somewhere where it dries quickly.

If you're just using the razor on yourself, I would skip all the sterilization methods and just get your tetanus shot every ten years.