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No Barbicide. Rubbing Alcohol OK?

Hi,

I have no Barbicide and don't purchase enough used razors to make it worth getting any. Is it acceptable and effective to use a high % content rubbing alcohol to handle disinfecting tasks. Say, over 90%. I think i've a bottle of it somewhere around here.

Thanks.
 
Hi,

I have no Barbicide and don't purchase enough used razors to make it worth getting any. Is it acceptable and effective to use a high % content rubbing alcohol to handle disinfecting tasks. Say, over 90%. I think i've a bottle of it somewhere around here.

Thanks.
Think of it this way:
Hospitals use alcohol, not barbicide.
So yes, it sure is safe.
 

Luc

"To Wiki or Not To Wiki, That's The Question".
Staff member
I think it's all right. Soak it overnight.
 
In the long run, I think the Barbicide (or a generic equivalent) will be cheaper than using rubbing alcohol.

You can use Barbicide diluted 32:1, but alcohol is used full strength.
 
Thanks everyone for the fast responses. I can't find the rubbing alcohol but would prefer to use it anyway as it doesn't require mixing and can be used for other things as well.
 
Rubbing alcohol may suffice, but I would use Barbicide to be on the safe side. Rubbing alcohol tends to kill off bacteria, but be less effective against viruses. Barbicide is inexpensive and the glass container looks old fashioned, certainly a complement to the whole wet shaving theme.
 
Rubbing alcohol may suffice, but I would use Barbicide to be on the safe side. Rubbing alcohol tends to kill off bacteria, but be less effective against viruses. Barbicide is inexpensive and the glass container looks old fashioned, certainly a complement to the whole wet shaving theme.

The biggest issue is that I have nowhere to put the glass container. I have less than 400 square feet of total living space!
 
Use a canning jar with a proper lid, label well, put it on the top shelf that you don't use often. I mixed up a pint worth in a quart jar, and it is enough to dunk just about anything. The cost is about $10 for a pint, which makes 8 quarts.
Phil
 
I use Scrubbing Bubbles and/or 70% Isopropyl alcohol to clean DE's. Both are cheap, readily available and do the job.
 
Rubbing alcohol may suffice, but I would use Barbicide to be on the safe side. Rubbing alcohol tends to kill off bacteria, but be less effective against viruses. Barbicide is inexpensive and the glass container looks old fashioned, certainly a complement to the whole wet shaving theme.


Actually rubbing alcohol will kill most viruses, isopropanol is less effective than ethanol, but will still kill Hep C and HIV. Alcohol will not kill many spore forming bacteria.
 
Soaking it in alcohol won't necessarily disinfect a razor like soaking in Barbicide would. Alcohol kills stuff during the process of drying.

I personally just give razors a thorough cleaning or two with Scrubbing Bubbles along with some polishing and call it good.
 
A quick dip into some rubbing alcohol and air dry will be just fine. If you were sharing a razor you might want more extensive decon solutions but really since you are the only one using it you just want to make sure you kill any random surface bacteria that might come in contact with the razor between shaves.
 
What is the barbicide/rubbing alcohol for? Before the shave, I rinse the razor and make sure it's clean. After the shave, I rinse and clean my razor and store it on a stand to air dry.
 
A bathroom or any ordinary room is itself a friendly place for germs no matter how clean you try to be. Do your best with what you've got and don't worry about it excessively.
 
I should mention that by far the dirtiest things we touch every day are purses and wallets. Look at it this way, you have to touch your wallet on the way out of the store even if you are buying hand sanitizer!

If the OP will wash the razor in mild detergerent and water (get it good and soapy and rinse), the vast majority of germs will just slip down the drain. Wash. Let it dry, get it good and wet with alcohol and then let it dry again would be what I would do.
 
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What is the barbicide/rubbing alcohol for? Before the shave, I rinse the razor and make sure it's clean. After the shave, I rinse and clean my razor and store it on a stand to air dry.

The barbicide soak is more a concern when buying a vintage (aka, "used") razor, you want to really make sure it's clean before using it.

Some guys do hit up their razors with alcohol or barbicide, but that's more a case of erring on the side of 'better safe than sorry'. Hot soapy water will kill just about anything you need to sorry about, and air drying will get the rest.
 
I picked up some barbicide at Sally's pretty cheap. And I got a new barber's barbicide jar for $5.00 at a vintage store (she wanted $15.00). For new-old razors, I usually clean with scrubbing bubbles and sometimes toothpaste, I will soak in barbicide, then use "NeverDull Wadding Polish" to finish it off.
 
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