Cleaning a safety razor

A

Alex7

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131
How should you clean a safety razor? Would water, a toothbrush, a pipe cleaning brush, liquid dish detergent, liquid disinfecting dish detergent, liquid hand soap, liquid disinfecting hand soap be enough? When do I need to use toothpaste and Scrubbing Bubbles? I was also told by Leisureguy to mix a solution of 1 part vinegar and 4 parts water and place the razor in the solution.
 
I just use a toothbrush with a spot of toothpaste to get the soap scum. Then dab brush on hand soap. Does the job. Ps make sure you put toothbrush away from one you use for your teeth, it tastes nasty. o_O
 
Alex7 said:
How should you clean a safety razor? Would water, a toothbrush, a pipe cleaning brush, liquid dish detergent, liquid disinfecting dish detergent, liquid hand soap, liquid disinfecting hand soap be enough? When do I need to use toothpaste and Scrubbing Bubbles? I was also told by Leisureguy to mix a solution of 1 part vinegar and 4 parts water and place the razor in the solution.
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What's the purpose of cleaning the razor?
Is it one of yours, but you have shaved with it? Not much cleaning required. Rinse, dry, put away.
Or is it something filthy you found on eBay? Depending on condition and material... all of the above and then some more...
 
Soft toothbrush and fairy liquid, rinse and dry
Vinegar is a bit drastic unless it's really crudded up. Besides - vinegar goes on fish & chips, not razors !

Once in a while I give all of my razors an ultrasonic bath in hospital grade disinfectant, which ensures all the nooks and crannies are 100% cleaned of soap build up .
To be honest, I only do it to give me something to do when I'm at a loose end, but it's quite satisfying.
 
I think once a week I'll use a toothbrush, a pipe cleaning brush, dish detergent, toothpaste and finally I'll soak it in the vinegar and water solution. Would this be a good routine?
 
Alex7 said:
I think once a week I'll use a toothbrush, a pipe cleaning brush, dish detergent, toothpaste and finally I'll soak it in the vinegar and water solution. Would this be a good routine?
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Don't over think it, Alex

Rinse under the hot tap and wipe dry with a soft cloth after each use. If you want to, disassemble the razor and wipe it all dry.
Every few blade changes, clean with soft toothbrush and fairy liquid.

Toothpaste is an abrasive, this is how it cleans your teeth so effectively, so don't scrub your razor with it.
 
Paul L said:
Don't over think it, Alex

Rinse under the hot tap and wipe dry with a soft cloth after each use. If you want to, disassemble the razor and wipe it all dry.
Every few blade changes, clean with soft toothbrush and fairy liquid.

Toothpaste is an abrasive, this is how it cleans your teeth so effectively, so don't scrub your razor with it.
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Guess I'll skip the toothpaste then.
 
I think once a week I'll soak the razor in a vinegar and water solution and then I'll scrub it with a toothbrush and liquid dish washing soap. Would this be a good routine?
 
Alex7 said:
I think once a week I'll soak the razor in a vinegar and water solution and then I'll scrub it with a toothbrush and liquid dish washing soap. Would this be a good routine?
Click to expand...
I think the frequency of that may do more harm than good Alex. It's good to give a secondhand razor a good clean but if it's only you using it, you really don't need anything more than a rinse and rub with a microfibre cloth (or similar). Don't overthink it.
 
Just loosen the head and rinse it under the tap. Blow it out & Pat it dry.
If you really think you need to, take it apart & Pat it dry after each use.
Vigourouly rubbing it will do more harm that good.
When you change a blade, strip it down using a soft childs toothbrush GENTLY clean each part with hand soap/brush and set aside.
Rinse off then pat dry & wait a bit (rest until dry your next shave would be good).
Fit new blade then your ready to go.
If you do what you are thinking of doing you will be buying a new razor every couple of months.
If its bacteria you are worried about, get a couple more razors, rotate them do a basic clean when changing a blade, hand soap soft brush regime. Leave a razor standing in a drawer or cupboard any thing on it is dead in 72hrs.
This is shaving. Its happened for centuries without men dropping dead from the dreaded dirty razor plague.
Just my thoughts on the matter, by the way tomorrow I will be using a razor that's over 100years old, I dont think it killed any of its previous owners.
T
Red Wine again!
 
Just finished a shave - rinsed the razor with water and wiped dry with towel - back in the box. I know for most it's like a hobby but sometimes I think there's too much fussing about this. DE razors aren't scalpels used for open surgery, even if you draw blood by the time you are finished it will have disappeared down the drain. Plus if you use alum and/or ASB/ASL you have covered all the bases. I'm sure someone will disagree with my relaxed attitude.
 
Tony'schin said:
Just loosen the head and rinse it under the tap. Blow it out & Pat it dry.
If you really think you need to, take it apart & Pat it dry after each use.
Vigourouly rubbing it will do more harm that good.
When you change a blade, strip it down using a soft childs toothbrush GENTLY clean each part with hand soap/brush and set aside.
Rinse off then pat dry & wait a bit (rest until dry your next shave would be good).
Fit new blade then your ready to go.
If you do what you are thinking of doing you will be buying a new razor every couple of months.
If its bacteria you are worried about, get a couple more razors, rotate them do a basic clean when changing a blade, hand soap soft brush regime. Leave a razor standing in a drawer or cupboard any thing on it is dead in 72hrs.
This is shaving. Its happened for centuries without men dropping dead from the dreaded dirty razor plague.
Just my thoughts on the matter, by the way tomorrow I will be using a razor that's over 100years old, I dont think it killed any of its previous owners.
T
Red Wine again!
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Thanks for the advice.
 
Tony'schin said:
Just loosen the head and rinse it under the tap. Blow it out & Pat it dry.
If you really think you need to, take it apart & Pat it dry after each use.
Vigourouly rubbing it will do more harm that good.
When you change a blade, strip it down using a soft childs toothbrush GENTLY clean each part with hand soap/brush and set aside.
Rinse off then pat dry & wait a bit (rest until dry your next shave would be good).
Fit new blade then your ready to go.
If you do what you are thinking of doing you will be buying a new razor every couple of months.
If its bacteria you are worried about, get a couple more razors, rotate them do a basic clean when changing a blade, hand soap soft brush regime. Leave a razor standing in a drawer or cupboard any thing on it is dead in 72hrs.
This is shaving. Its happened for centuries without men dropping dead from the dreaded dirty razor plague.
Just my thoughts on the matter, by the way tomorrow I will be using a razor that's over 100years old, I dont think it killed any of its previous owners.
T
Red Wine again!
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What's annoying to me is that I get limescale after every shave. I think I have hard water.
 
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