I asked a relative who is a doctor about sanitizing a razor blade. He seemed to think wiping it down with bleach would do. After that I wipe mine down with a Q Tip soaked in bleach, let sit a bit, rinse off and wipe dry. Then the same with hydrogen peroxide and finally isopropyl/rubbing alcohol. It is probably over kill. As PaulFLUS is correct, as far as I know, about antigen survival.

The crap around the pivot area is most likely dried old lather and whiskers plus rust. You may also find that black crap on the inside of the scales too. People just seem to love getting lather all over the razor for some unknow and unnecessary reason. I just soak the scales in Simple Green and scrub the crap out with a tooth brush. It may take several tries.

The only thorough way to clean the pivot area is to unpin the scales and repin when finished. Being lazy I rarely do that.

Bob