Thread: Sterilization

Hello there...

I was wondering...

whats the best way to thoroughly sterilize the blade after use ?

I shave on average every 2-3 days... paraffin oil ?

No need to sterilize the blade after each use. I use mineral oil to assist in rust prevention.

I don't sterilize my own blades.

When I hone for others, I wipe them down with rubbing alcohol and let them air dry before I pack them up to go back to their owners.

I rinse mine under hot tap water , dry it off with a couple of cotton balls , then let it air dry for 24+ hours . If you wish you can wipe the blade down with 90% isopropoyl alcohol , before you shave . The only way to truly sterilize the blade is to use an autoclave , but that is wholly impractical , and it will destroy your scales .

Originally Posted by Maxi

I don't sterilize my own blades.

When I hone for others, I wipe them down with rubbing alcohol and let them air dry before I pack them up to go back to their owners.

hone for others you say... Location: Toronto, I see?



hai there...

I might require your services someday!!!

Let me add a bit to that. After a shave, I run my razor under hot water & rinse off all the shave soap and whiskers. I personally make an effort to keep lather & water on the blade, not the tang. I then wipe the blade down and then strop around 20x. This helps to clean the edge better, removing any of the micro-crud that may hold moisture, thus causing rust & killing an edge. I then wipe the blade with a small rag that is saturated in mineral oil & put it in my rotation box.

if the blade is cleaned after shave, i.e rinse, strop, you do not need to disinfect, bacteria and such do not like to live on steel.

I don't worry about sterilizing my razors after use! If you're really worried about virus's and or bacteria, when your done shaving, rinse any residue from the blade with hot tap water and then give it a 'quick' dip in a glass of boiling water (use the microwave), then gently wipe it dry allow to air dry for awhile and then coat it with some mineral oil. I use Ballistol instead of mineral oil and love it! It keeps the blades and edges from rusting but rinses of very nicely with hot tap water. You can also use WD 40. Glen GSSIXGUN ships razors back to the owners with a light coat of it.

Coating with wax won't help! In fact, it could probably trap moisture and cause problems!

I hope this helps!

so basically... Rince, dry, strop, store...

sounds like a plan!

thanks

+1 to Mainaman

'Sterilization' is accomplished most readily in soaking in glutaraldehyde overnight or by autoclave. 'Disinfecting' can be accomplished by wiping it off with alcohol. Sterilization is out of the reach of most people and would in many cases destroy your razor. Disinfecting the razor is easy enough and since you're the only person to use it, there isn't really a reason to do that either...I just clean the razor after use and put it away. After two years of shaving with old razors for several years, I have yet to catch a single bug as evidenced through a blood screen completed a couple months ago.