Thread: Some questions

1. How do you take care of a safety razor and a DE blade after a shave? My current routine: After every shave I switch the blade in the razor. After every 5'th shave I replace the blade and I scrub the safety razor with a toothbrush and toothpaste. I don't leave the razor overnight in rubbing alcohol and I don't use alcohol to clean the safety razor or blade. That's all I do.
2. How do I clean and generally care for my shaving brush? My current routine: After each shave I squeeze out the lather,rinse it under warm and then cold water, squeeze the excess water,shake it a few times,lather it on a towel and then finally store it on a stand. I don't use borax, dish detergent or brush cleaning soaps to clean it.

Can't answer the blade thing I just throw the blade away after use, never seen the need to use more than once, and don't you frugal Freddie's jump on me, I do what I like with my blades , a fresh clean feather is what I like , now I don't use a DE that often so now it really makes sense to throw it away cause it might sit there for a few months.as for cleaning the DE inrinse under hot water ,mdrizzle a little alcohol on it leave it to dry in its rack .

Now for the brush , I,ve been using a brush and soap for over 40 years and all I,ve ever done is shake it out,nub it on my towel and hang. , so far so good , some of those brushes were really old to. Tc

As to a DE I rinse it and open it and let it dry. Maybe once a year I clean the razor itself with soap and water. I don't remove the blade and have never had issues. If they were carbon Steel then I'd remove it. I usually get 3 shaves per blade.

As to the brush I rinse it super thoroughly and then shake it out good and hang it upside down.

I open the DE, remove the blade, rinse the DE head in hot water, wipe dry/clean, wipe residues off DE blade on towel, reinsert blade or new blade, and store razor.

I use a blade about 3x then discard.

I believe that clean dry razors age better than razors that are wet inside with residues. This is especially true for alloy modern razors.

I rinse my brush under running water while Palm lathering. When no more lather comes out of the brush, I gentily shake dry and store on an open shelf.

If you are happy with your shave, you are doing OK with your blades. If you are losing.closeness, trying to compensate with more pressure and passes over the same spot, and getting nicks/irritation, it is past time to change the blade.

I try to be gentle with my DE to preserve the finish and mechanicals.

HTH

One blade per shave,never rinse, hang or clean my brush,all is well.

When I can be bothered I take the blade out and give the razor a dry off after rinsing (I always rinse the razor in whatever water is coming out of the tap, then give it a shake). I change the blade when I feel like it needs it.
I would say that I D/E shave rarely.

As to my brushes, excess lather gets wrung out and saved, the brush is rinsed and squeezed then shaken out and either put bristles down in a stand or bristles up on a shelf.

Blade, 5 days replace, rinse well after/ while shaving, clean razor with a nail brush at the 5 day mark. Brush just rinse well and set on a towel...

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

One blade per shave,never rinse, hang or clean my brush,all is well.

Well said. Let's not make this thing complicated.

I take the blade out at every shave. Rinse the razor with soap and water and let it air dry. It is part of my routine and I enjoy this part as much as the shaving itself. Next time it is nice and clean. Never had an issue with rust of stains of any kind.
As for the brush, I just clean it under water to remove the soap/cream residue, squeeze gently and let it air dry. Will only clean it more thoroughly once every 6 months or so.

I just rinse the razor off, leave the blade in it, and put it on the stand to dry. Same with the brush, except I squeeze the water out. When the razor looks dirty I clean it. I am not as particular with my DEs as my straights.