Thread: Autoclaving a used razor(?)

Be careful with boiling water......I did it to two razors I had honed by somebody and in just a few minutes, rust appeared on them and the edges were damaged.
I would just run boiling water over them and dry them immediately.

And from the "how to straighten warped scales" experiment that gssixgun did, you'll have to clean the scales pretty well if you boil them because the minerals in the water will turn them chalky white!

I agree with Tim - no need to go crazy here - just soap and water, and then a little rubbing alcohol. Also, as mentioned, the honing will probably remove most anything anyhow.

Mark

...and just in case you're interested, here's the link:
http://straightrazorpalace.com/works...ed-scales.html

just remember that this is what happens after just a few seconds in boiling water - so while you can straighten them, I'd also say the reverse is true (i.e. they can warp in boiling water).

Mark

There are plenty of things that will survive open air or alcohol... that being said I took the risk with my first razor assuming it had sat in a case for a few years and went with free radicals from partially combusted butane followed by rubbing alcohol.

Now that I've chipped my razor having dropped it I'm kinda in the same boat. I would feel more awkward about a used razor that has been used more recently. Also note that steam autoclaves employ pressure in addition to the heat which makes a drastic difference in its kill properties.

The real worry of course would be viral contaminants like Hep C which can be stable on a surface for seven days. Or the possibility of heat stable spores.

Personally for ease of use and its designed for the purpose looks damn cool and while some may consider it overkill damn those quarternary ammonias are deadly...

I might invest in a bit of barbicide to treat my razor with.

Barbicide - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


*hopes he has not brought more mysophobia into this world*

A quick search for barbicide brings up many topics on these forums regarding razor sterilization.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/newbi...ng-razors.html

for instance.

I agree that "germ" phobia is overblown however I also agree with the person who started this topic that it is reasonable to be prudent regarding a new razor.

I would be happy to debate the topic of decontamination at greater length and am particularly curious regarding the broken link to an article suggesting barbicide was ineffective (found in the "sterilization" link above)...

I've always used barbicide to clean my razors, just a 10 minute dip and air dry per the instructions works fine. It also cleans off any residue left from the shave soap during the shave without any scrubbing. I just keep a bottle like you see in barber shops near my sink and after my shave while I clean up I hang the blade inside the jar over the edge so the cutting edge is totally immersed. Razors received from a honing service get cleaned prior to use and I clean my razors after each shave in the barbicide too. Blades usually come out of it pretty shiny.

There may be some pathogens that survive open air and alcoholNOT BETADINE though