Rubbing alcohol to dry DE blade

I have been dipping my DE razor in isopopyl alcohol aftr rinsing it to dry any remaining water. I read in one of the threads that oxidation is a major factor in dulling of DE blades, and thorough drying would improve longevity of the blade. What say you?

I say it's a waste of time, but if it makes you feel better, do it.

IF you are using carbon steel blades, then yes, the alcohol will make a major difference. Stainless blades last as long as stainless blades. Most of the coatings on modern SS blades are metals that don't oxidize under normal atmospheric conditions: platinum, chrome, iridium etc. Really, an alcohol bath has the potential of doing more harm than good; as every time you remove the blade from the razor, you run the risk of damaging the edge and/or cutting yourself.

I do it, not so much for blade drying/oxidation prevention but for disinfecting. I just feel better using a razor the next day that doesn't have microscopic creepy-crawlers on it.

I could probably use some Barbicide or other "official" disinfectant, but isopropyl alcohol is cheap and I already have a couple of bottles available.

Edit: I don't remove the blade...I just swish the whole razor head (with blade) in a small jar of alcohol.

I have always kept my cartridges and DEs submerged in rubbing alcohol. That way you can eliminate corrosion of the edge and still keep them in the bathroom.

Snargle said:

I do it, not so much for blade drying/oxidation prevention but for disinfecting. I just feel better using a razor the next day that doesn't have microscopic creepy-crawlers on it.

I could probably use some Barbicide or other "official" disinfectant, but isopropyl alcohol is cheap and I already have a couple of bottles available.

Edit: I don't remove the blade...I just swish the whole razor head (with blade) in a small jar of alcohol.

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Hygiene
same reason I do it

Snargle said:

I do it, not so much for blade drying/oxidation prevention but for disinfecting. I just feel better using a razor the next day that doesn't have microscopic creepy-crawlers on it.

I could probably use some Barbicide or other "official" disinfectant, but isopropyl alcohol is cheap and I already have a couple of bottles available.

Edit: I don't remove the blade...I just swish the whole razor head (with blade) in a small jar of alcohol.

Click to expand...

+1. I'm with Larry.

I don't bother for these reasons:

1) modern blades all have coatings which I think last as long as the edge, which for me is a few shaves, max 5 days. DE blades that is.

2) I rinse my razor off in hot water, razor loosened so the water can get at everything. I leave it like that on a towel and it dries in between shaves. That takes care of any germs, remembering that it is my razor.

3) I'm kind of lazy.

Also what I've learned here is that alcohol is hygroscopic, so you should consider refreshing your alcohol dip from time to time.

If you all get satisfaction from drying your razors or disinfecting them after each shave, I say go for it.

-jim

Snargle said:

I do it, not so much for blade drying/oxidation prevention but for disinfecting. I just feel better using a razor the next day that doesn't have microscopic creepy-crawlers on it.

I could probably use some Barbicide or other "official" disinfectant, but isopropyl alcohol is cheap and I already have a couple of bottles available.

Edit: I don't remove the blade...I just swish the whole razor head (with blade) in a small jar of alcohol.

Click to expand...

Larry:
I also 'without fail' rinse my Razor with alcohol after every use for sanitation & personal hygiene reasons

Christopher

I have been dipping my razor in alcohol for all the reasons above, don't see any harm in it. Whether it makes much difference to a stainless steel blade I can't say for sure, but it may cut down on corrosion on my Merkur 38c!

I just see alcohol dipping as a vain effort to keep the cost of shaving down by trying to prolong the life of the disposable blade. I might get and extra shave out of it that way, but the trade off with the additional cost of alcohol might remove the monetary savings.

I have accidentally proven to myself that all stainless steel blades can rust if are they kept wet long enough. I try to make sure that I give the razor a good shake after rinsing and store it head up so that the blade doesn't sit in the remaining water runs off.

And I don't worry about sanitation. After all, that's me on the blade. And soap is still the best way to prevent the spread of infection. Studies on hand washing have proven that.

If you are concerned about sanitizing the blade, then rubbing alcohol is a poor choice for that. Better off using Barbicide, which is a sanitizer.

I don't use the alcohol for sanitation, I never had an infection problem for 30 years with carts being left in the shower with just a rinse, and am not overly concerned about the cost (I use a Feather 3 or 4 times max. and it is still cheaper than crappy multiblades). I was just wondering if the quality of that 3rd or 4th shave would be improved by an alcohol rinse. I could use a fresh blade for every shave, but it would be a pain lining up the blade in my slant for every shave.

diverdoug said:

I don't use the alcohol for sanitation, I never had an infection problem for 30 years with carts being left in the shower with just a rinse, and am not overly concerned about the cost (I use a Feather 3 or 4 times max. and it is still cheaper than crappy multiblades). I was just wondering if the quality of that 3rd or 4th shave would be improved by an alcohol rinse. I could use a fresh blade for every shave, but it would be a pain lining up the blade in my slant for every shave.

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You could always try it for a couple of weeks and see if you do get a better shave on the 3rd or 4th use. The results would be interesting to hear about.

-jim

I do it with my vintage blades to make them last, but not on modern blades. It take me less than 10 seconds to do it, so it's not really a waste of time.

gearchow said:

You could always try it for a couple of weeks and see if you do get a better shave on the 3rd or 4th use. The results would be interesting to hear about.

-jim

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I think it helps, but I think I am susceptable to a "placebo effect" Everything having to do wtih the evaluation of shaving is so subjective.

I also give my blade a quick swish in ethyl alcohol after every shave. It is just part of my entire shaving ritual at this point. I disassemble the razor - obviously - and dry all of the parts, hand strop the blade and give it the alcohol bath before putting everything back together and hanging it in the stand. Some say it doesn't make a difference, but it doesn't hurt anything either. Do what makes you feel good.

As a related observation, I took a gillette blue blade from c. 1920 in an old style and after each shave patted it dry and applied Ballistol. Classically, an old blue blade was a 1 or at most 2 shave blade. I got 4 comfortable shaves and on 5 it started to pull so I aborted the shave. This is a non stainless blade but it is an interesting finding. Worth it practically speaking, not really unless you were on a desert island with a limited supply of blue blades and gallons of ballistol!

Volatile alcohols will indeed assist in drying the blades. They do this by absorbing the free water, which then evaporates along with the alcohol.

I might be a victim of the placebo effect too, but I do the alcohol dunk as well. In fact, I do a vinegar dunk and then an alcohol dunk after that (with tap water rinse before the vinegar and before the alcohol, of course). It seems my blades are lasting much longer using this technique, and they certainly are staying prettier - no hard water or residue spots anymore.

diverdoug said:

I have been dipping my DE razor in isopopyl alcohol aftr rinsing it to dry any remaining water. I read in one of the threads that oxidation is a major factor in dulling of DE blades, and thorough drying would improve longevity of the blade. What say you?

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I think you can easily extend blade life 10-20% like this! So your blade that used to last 3 shaves can now go 3.6!

Snargle said:

I do it, not so much for blade drying/oxidation prevention but for disinfecting. I just feel better using a razor the next day that doesn't have microscopic creepy-crawlers on it.

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There are very few creepy-crawlies that can survive 10 minutes in the open air, let alone after having been soaked in hot water and covered in soap.