Thread: Sanitizing Ebay Razors

I have bought a pile of razors off ebay to play with - some to practice honing, some to practice rehandling and some to add to the rotation.

I would like to clean and sterilize them before doing anything.

I have used the 'Search' and it seems that the responses were to either dip in boiling water or use Barbicide (Isnt this the Act of Killing Barbie Dolls! )

I googled for 'barbicide' and found this article:

For What Items is “Barbicide” NOT Applicable?

. “Barbicide”, or any other disinfectant solution, cannot be used to disinfect critical items (items which penetrate skin, or handle sterile items, etc.). These items must be cleaned and sterilized, with an autoclave or dry heat sterilizer, between uses; or be supplied in sterile packaging, and be a single-use disposable item. Critical items may include needles, blades, earrings, opening and closing pliers used for body piercing jewellery, etc.

· “Barbicide” cannot be used for any part of a shaving razor or blade that contacts the skin (critical items such as blades for shaving are single-use items which must be disposed of in a sharps container immediately after use). The handle and cradle, which holds the blade, must be cleaned and disinfected as a semi-critical items between uses. Old-styled straight razors (all one piece, so the blade is re-useable, and not disposable) must be sterilized in an autoclave or dry heat sterilizer between uses.

· “Barbicide” cannot disinfect semi-critical items. Semi-critical items may come into contact with blood or body fluids, or accidentally penetrate body surfaces, and are found in establishments offering services such as ear piercing, aesthetics, manicures or pedicures, but also in hair salons that offer these services.

· Semi-critical items used in hair salons or barber shops (which offer no other ear piercing, aesthetic, or nail services, etc.) may include: the handle and cradle of a razor, which is where the blade is inserted, a “crochet hook” for cap highlights (which can scratch the head, and scissors and clippers that have nipped the flesh.

· Text Box: An intermediate to high-level disinfectant is required to disinfect semi-critical items. Examples of an intermediate level disinfectant would be a solution of 70% to 90% ethyl or isopropyl alcohol, or a solution is 1 part of bleach and 99 parts water (1% dilution).



Some Common Misuses of “Barbicide”, and other Disinfectant Solutions

· Most personal service workers (PSW) are using their disinfectant solutions improperly, because they are not aware of proper disinfection methods.

· Often the PSW is not cleaning the item prior to disinfection. A dirty item cannot be properly disinfected. Placing a soiled item (comb, etc.) in a container filled with “Barbicide” (or any other disinfectant solution) will not disinfect the item. The more dirty items that are placed in the container of disinfectant, the more contaminated the solution becomes. For this reason, an appropriate disinfection area requires access to a sink with running water (not at a workstation).

· Another problem is not using fresh “Barbicide.” Some operators do not change their disinfectant solutions for days or longer.

· Objects to be disinfected must be fully immersed in the disinfectant solution. An item cannot be disinfected if it is not in full contact with the disinfectant solution.

· Spraying a disinfectant solution onto a contaminated object is not a effective means of disinfecting the item. Spraying and wiping a contaminated object only serves to smear and spread contamination over the surface of the object.

· Contact time is also a concern. Manufacturer’s instructions for proper contact time must be followed. If contact time is too short, disinfection will not be achieved. If an item is left in the disinfectant too long, it weakens the disinfectant solution, and may damage the item.

Developed by Christian Lapensée, City of Ottawa Public Health. Reproduced with permission by the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit, 681 Commercial Street, North Bay, ON P1B 4E7 (705) 474-1400.

The article was much longer, but the message is that Barbicide is ok to wipe surfaces and thats about all.

So what to use? I have bought an Antibacterial handwash (the sort used in hospitals to clean hands) and will give them a wipe over with this, and the razors that I shall be rehandling, I will be steam cleaning.

But what do I use to clean the others?

Any thoughts guys?

BTW, I am not normally a 'cleanliness' freak but some years ago I had a cold sore on my lip that got infected - ended up having the damn thing cauterized! I can still smell the burning flesh today

Frank,
You will hear lots of different perspectives on this, and I'm not even 100% sure on what to do.
Before, I used to clean out all of the grease and grime with a rag and some Lysol before giving the razor a 15min dip in a 1:1:1 alcoholater:bleach mix. That caused the metal to corrode and made cleaning it up a lot more difficult.
I came across the article you quoted either here or on another forum. Since then, I've changed the 15min dip part to just a wipedown with alcohol. Cleaning with both Lysol and alcohol should clean out all the germ-harboring grease/grime and kill anything that's not naturally floating around the house anyways.

Effigy,

Here's my opinion.

If you are just asking about cleaning the blade then that's easy. The surface of a razor makes a bad reservoir for pathogens because it is a smooth piece of metal which lacks the moisture or nutrients that they need to multiply. Most bacteria on a razor blade just die out from air drying. After that 70% isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol rinse or wipe and then air dry would kill 99.9% of bacteria on the blade.

The article you include seems to deal with professional barbers who risk transferring bloodborne pathogens (HIV, Hepatitis) from one customer to the next. They have to be a lot more carefull from an infection control perspective and they are regulated by the authorities. If you are planning on just using these razors yourself for home use then you have no risk of bloodborne pathogens.

I worry most about a rusty razor, because a cut with rusty metal could lead to tetanus.

-------Michael

Yes, this is a topic that has been frequently discussed, and one that I think is made entirely too much of. The chances of catching anything off a razor that no one has used for potentially years is pretty slim, in my opinion. You're right, you should be more concerned about getting nicked with a rusty razor. And honing probably removes any nasties from the edge, too, since you're getting to the fresh metal below.

I think rubbing alcohol and a good rinse will probably do you. If you're unpinning the scales anyway, though, you could boil it if you really, really wanted to.

That artical also looks like it was written by a lawyer (no offense ). In real live situations most bacteria and viruses are much easier to kill than we tend to believe. AIDs for instance is a very weak virus it dies in less than a day outside of a host and almost any disinfectant will kill it. Many other dangerous viruses are also as easy to kill. unless you are going from person to person cutting them it is doubt full any razor will spread infection. Of course I'm not a doctor or virologist so your mileage may vary but personally I just clean well with soap and alcohol then stop worrying.