Thread: Keeping my Wapi clean

I've got a Wapi, and it's definitely a great everyday razor. Only problem is...How are you suppose to keep that thing clean??

The blade's been getting stained, the steel scales are always smugged up right after I shave, and my fingerprints end up all over the thing.

How do I keep it squeaky clean and ready for the next shave?

I haven't seen any significant problems with Wapis myself but maybe it's because of my routine after using my razors. There's a part about maintaining your razor in the Wiki, but in a nutshell, here's my care routine with them all...

I strop well before each shave and that may help clean and polish up the spine and edge some.

During a shave I'll rinse off whiskers and lather as it accumulates - that seems to prevent too much gunk buildup in tough to reach places and prevents the possibility that something will settle under the scales and dry to a nice concrete consistency.

After shaving I rinse it very well from all angles with a good strong flow of water to make sure everything is off of it before storing.

After rinsing I dry it VERY well with a dry towel (not the one used to dry myself off after shower, it's already got moisture in it).

One thing I do that may be a little odd is that after it's all clean and dry I hold a towel between the blade and scales and blow air through the gap in the scales to remove any hidden water there. Then I wipe what water was blown out from the edges of the scales.

Once completed I leave the razor half open and on top of my shaving box to allow it to dry off any moisture that may remain.

Every few months I'll give all the blades a good cleaning just to catch anything that may have gotten past all that paying particular attention to those areas where you normally have to spend time clearing out the gunk on ebay razors - like between the scales at the pivot pin and up in that corner where the back of the blade meets the underside of the shank. I also ensure that every blade is bone dry before it goes into the shaving box. If you're going to store a blade it may be useful to give it a light coat of Camilla oil before putting t away - especially if you live in a humid climate. For the stainless scales a polishing at intervals might help keep things looking nice as well.