Could I use the Dishwasher to Clean and Sterilize

< Note: I also posted this in the restoration forum. I thought it would get a better response here>

Could I use the Dishwasher to Clean and Sterilize my DE Gillette Tech razor.

The dishwasher does a pretty good job on the forks and spoons. They come out looking pretty nice.

Is there a downside that I haven't considered ?

That's a thought.

You'd want the head disassembled, to get to the area where the blade is held. Then you'd want to be sure that the small pieces are constrained so they don't get tossed around the dishwasher.

If it's gold plated, the very hot detergent water might discolor or peel the lacquer coating.

- Chris

For your info...

I have a silver Tech, not the gold one. If I do this I would take it apart and put it in the silverware basket. In general things tend to stay in there unless they are really lightweight. I usually use Cascade brand dishwasher detergent.

I just thought that the really hot water could do it some good without a lot of scrubbing.

Masterblaster said:

Could I use the Dishwasher to Clean and Sterilize my DE Gillette Tech razor.

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Yes, yes you could.

I don't see why not.

Depends what you consider sterile. Just how hot does your dishwasher water get, and how long does it stay that hot? Also consider what your dishwasher does with food particles. There's usually a grinder to make the particles small enough to be washed away... eventually.

SiBurning said:

Depends what you consider sterile. Just how hot does your dishwasher water get, and how long does it stay that hot?

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well that got me curious. According to Wikipedia a dishwasher gets up to 130–150 degrees F.

Dishwashers don't sterilize (as in medical sterilization). But they do a thorough sanitation process. My dishwasher has a light that comes on when it believes the load is sanitized.

<From wikipedia>
Dishwashers do not sterilize the utensils, as proper sterilization requires autoclaving at 121 °C with pressurized wet steam for at least 15 minutes. Commercial dishwashers can use one of two types of sanitizing methods: hot water sanitizing (using final rinse water at a temperature of at least 83 °C (180 °F)), or chemical sanitizing (by injecting chlorine in the final rinse water). Not all dishwashers are capable of reaching the high temperature required for hot water sanitizing. Medical grade dishwashers and sanitizers are starting to use ultrasonic cleaners[citation needed], which use a liquid bath treated with sonics to remove particles and sterilize instruments.

Most consumer dishwashers use a 75°C thermostat in the sanitizing process. During the final rinse cycle, the heating element and wash pump are turned on, and the cycle timer (electronic or electromechanical) is stopped until the thermostat is tripped. At this point, the cycle timer resumes and will generally trigger a drain cycle within a few timer increments.

Most consumer dishwashers use 75°C rather than 83°C for reasons of burn risk, energy consumption, total cycle time, and possible damage to plastic items placed inside the dishwasher. With new advances in detergents, lower water temperatures (50–55°C) are needed to prevent premature decay of the enzymes used to eat the grease and other build-ups on the dishes. This also saves energy and can allow the washer to be hooked directly to the hot water supply for the house.

In the US, residential dishwashers can be certified to a NSF International testing protocol which verifies the cleaning and sanitation performance of the unit

SiBurning said:

Also consider what your dishwasher does with food particles. There's usually a grinder to make the particles small enough to be washed away... eventually.

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I don't understand your point here. Are you concerned that the dishwasher would grind up my razor and vice-versa ?

I would be more concerned with the dishwashing detergent damaging the finish of a good razor. It is quite caustic, and will damage certain cookware.

Modern flatware is made of stainless steel, which is not harmed by the detergent. I don't believe silver or silver-plate is safe from the effects of the caustic detergent. Don't know how nickel would fare . . . and, since it doesn't take much to strip the lacquer off a gold razor, I'm sure that would be toast as well.

If SWMBO doesn't catch me, I'll try to put a "junker" in the silverware basket after supper tomorrow to see what happens!

Do not put aluminium (aluminum) in a dishwasher.

Caustic solution + Aluminium = :-(

what about good ol' alcohol? 60-80&#37; aqueous solution of ethyl or isopropyl alcohol will kill the bacteria and fungi you are concerned with.

A dishwasher will sanitize but you must first clean the razor. After it is thouroughly cleaned throw it in the dishwasher with no soap. Thats how I sanitize my bottles for homebrewing. Heat + time =sanitized...You could probably also throw it in the oven set at 200 for like 2 hours. Im not sure what this will do to nickle plating however.

Regular automatic dishwasher soap contains bleach. Bleach and silver don't play well together. You might get by with it if you don't repeat the process over and over, but a dishwasher will even take the gold leaf off glasses and porcelain in time. At least be sure that the cleaner doesn't touch the razor undiluted. My dad washes his caps in the dishwasher (yes people do that and there is a holder made for it) and it seems to fade them over time. Have you read about the aluminum foil, baking soda and hot water trick? It is here on the group threads. It seems safe for all razors, but only works the magic on silver. FWIW I like the blue magic polish. When I clean razors my wedding ring turns my finger black where the tarnish comes off of it. It shines when I am just cleaning razors. As it is often said there is always scrubbing bubbles and alcohol. The are pretty safe if you don't over do the soak time tremendously.

On sanitation. I saw a few years ago where a young girl won a prize suggesting you could sanitize your toothbrush in a dishwasher. It worked good enough she won the prize.

good luck,
mrscottishman

Masterblaster said:

I don't understand your point here. Are you concerned that the dishwasher would grind up my razor and vice-versa ?

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Just that food particles can easily remain in the dishwasher and get splashed around. They usually end up on top of a cup (or rather under it, since they're upside down). Just one more question about how sterile a dishwasher is.

SiBurning said:

Just that food particles can easily remain in the dishwasher and get splashed around. They usually end up on top of a cup (or rather under it, since they're upside down). Just one more question about how sterile a dishwasher is.

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yes this is why I run the dishwasher first empty before using it to sanitize bottles. Good point.

Also we're talking sanitation not sterilization. There's no need to sterilize anything. Sanitation=reduced level of microbes sterile=zero microbes...Even Pasteur failed at sterilization which made people think he was wrong so they started looking into spontaneous generation again

We use our dishwasher for our daily use sterling flatware, although the gurus say not to. Been doing it for years and it does not seem to hurt the flatware. The dishwasher will not remove tarnish, but I polish the service about once a year.

I would not think a dishwasher would hurt a nickle plated razor. The water is only a bit hotter than the tap in many cases. Yes, the detergent is caustic and can stain aluminum but other items seem to be fine in it, including silver plate- we have some of that also.

Give it a go and report back.

This is funny. I was going at my Gillette Lady and my Fatboy today with the toothbrush and Scrubbing Bubbles and wondered the exact same thing.

Finally got SWMBO out of the kitchen last night . . . suggested that she had a rough day at work and should go sit down and watch TV.

I took three dirty (and worthless) razors from my junk pile: a '50s SS with "normal" crud, bad scratches on the doors and missing end caps, a dirty broken Super Adjustable with a frozen adjuster, and a gold Gem Micromatic with heavy crud.

The results were not worth the effort.

1. The SS developed a little shine, but not what I would have achieved with a simple Scrubbing Bubble treatment. The crud was removed, however.

2. The Super Adjustable came out cleaner than it went in. Adjuster collar still frozen, and no shine anywhere.

3. Gem still has crud in crevices, but flat surfaces were cleaned.

No finish was harmed by one trip through the dishwasher - but I did pick razors that had no silver plate, aluminum parts, or lacquer finish.

My conclusion - the dishwasher is not a very effective device for cleaning razors.

Hard to beat the simple combination of Scrubbing Bubbles and Elbow Grease.

Simple really is better . . . sort of like Occam's Razor, only different!

I wonder just why the concern about sterilizing? Have you been lending out razors to the local hobos again?
Tin foil, baking soda, boiling water and a rub off to dry and your done.

You could eat your dinner off a razor cleaned like that and there would be no lingering hobo smell I promise.

BBrad: Thanks you publishing the results of your science experiment. It seems like the dishwasher may be a worthy "first step" in the clean-up process.


valmara1971:

I wonder just why the concern about sterilizing? Have you been lending out razors to the local hobos again?

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One word - Hepatitis.

Just maybe your hobo cut himself with your favorite razor and bled on it. Now you want to do something similar on your face with that very same razor ?

hmm just FYI a new study suggests anyone that eats out more than 1 times per week should get a hepatitis vaccine.

Masterblaster said:

BBrad: Thanks you publishing the results of your science experiment. It seems like the dishwasher may be a worthy "first step" in the clean-up process.


valmara1971:

One word - Hepatitis.

Just maybe your hobo cut himself with your favorite razor and bled on it. Now you want to do something similar on your face with that very same razor ?

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Hepatitis A Virus
The hepatitis A virus, or HAV, is relatively hardy. In good conditions, it can survive outside the body for months. HAV can survive certain acids and some heat. For a period of time and under certain conditions, HAV can survive in sea water, dried feces and live oysters.
Hepatitis B Virus
The hepatitis B virus, or HBV, can still be infectious for up to a week outside the body.
Hepatitis C Virus
The hepatitis C virus, or HCV, can live outside the body for up to 4 days. However, many experts think it usually survives up to 16 hours at room temperature.
Hepatitis D Virus
This virus needs help from the hepatitis B virus to be infectious, so it only infects someone with hepatitis B.
Hepatitis E Virus
This virus is spread similar to the hepatitis A virus and causes acute disease similar to the others.

So unless the hobo in question has been storing the razor in a bucket of sea water/feces and oysters you should be quite safe with tin foil and baking soda.