How to clean old razor CASES???

I have many OLD Razor cases, some smell old, some like mold. How would I clean these for use again. As they are now I don't want to place my razors in them but I am sure there is a good SAFE way to clean them and NOT damage them.

I have some old coffin cases, leather, hard card board like material...

Any and all suggestions are welcomed.

Thanks in advance!

Water is your enemy so cleaning on those coffins is limited. One thing you may try that I haven't yet for the moldy and musty smells would be to set them in direct sunlight for short bits of time. Sunlight can kill mold spores. Setting moldy/musty books opened and in the sun is a method book restorers use to stop additional mold damage. Or so I've read.

Chris L

I've never really noticed the smell, and I don't really do much with the coffins anymore but throw them in a bag, but when I first started buying razors I'd coat the coffins in a wood glue and water mix to strengthen and seal them. I'd imagine it would seal off any smells. You can also seal with shellac or lacquer. All these options can make the colors run a bit, but not anything that really damaged the boxes appearance.

For cracking or separating lids and seams on old boxes I have found Sobo craft glue here to be great. A used book seller turned me on to it years ago. It not only dries clear but remains flexible so if you have a book where the binding is beginning to fall apart Sobo will fix it and the binding will remain flexible.

A soft gum eraser is good for cleaning paper. Like Chris said sunlight is good for the mold and smell. If after the mold is dead, and the smell still lingers you can put it in a sealed container with activated charcoal to absorb the odor. You can get the charcoal in the aquarium section of Wally-world.

Charlie

Keep them dry and aerated. You get odours in moist, low oxygen conditions. Oxygen neutralizes many odours.

I know that coffee grounds, like charcoal, is good for "soaking up" smells (you can use it in refrigerators). Perhaps try leaving a couple cases in a container with charcoal and then a couple of others in a case with coffee grounds and see which soaks up the absorbs the stink more.

depends on the construction. Some were paper with shellac on them and some were like an oilcloth type material. Possibilities? Fill them with baking soda and let them sit a while. if you have a UVC Lamp you can use that. You can't scrub them with any water or liquid though. Maybe a light steam treatment but you have to be very careful.