Is Barbicide necessary to sterilize an old razor or will an alcohol soak be adequate.
I use Mar-V-Cide on my brushes once every 2 months.I dip the brush down PAST the knot ,and onto the handle,so the anti-microbial ingredients can get deep into the base of the knot.I don't want to crack the handle,so I only leave the handle submerged for 2 minutes,then I elevate it ,so only the top 2/3rds of the knot are submerged,5 minutes is enough....mold,microbes etc. are far more likely to fester deep down in the knot than on your metal razor.The other tips are just fine to sterilize your razors,toothbrush,scrubbing bubbles and hot water rinse.Dry it off with toilette paper.Marvy is good if you want to douse your blades,just PAT them dry with tp,don't wipe them.
If you already have some sunk money in Barbicide, you might as well use it.I paid something like $7-8 for some Barbicide, for that little money why not just do it?
If you already have some sunk money in Barbicide, you might as well use it.
Recently I have been letting the head of my razor soak in rubbing alcohol for a few seconds while I go through my post shave routine, but really have to question the need to do so.
I don't normally keep Scrubbinb Bubbles around the house, so for my last acquisition of an old razor I cleaned off the gunk with toothpaste and some vinegar, rinsed in hot water, soaked it in Lysol, rinsed again, soaked in alcohol, and rinsed again. When I get the next razor, I'll probably skip the Lysol bath.
......I sent a vintage butterscotch duke I used for about 25 years to rudy vey a few years back,when a crack in the handle became worse and worse.Rudy found a nasty patch of mold growing deep in the knot,even though I always let it thoroughly dry.I never used disinfectant until that day.I have been using Mar-V-Cide every few months since then.Marvicide is safe for brushes,and used in proper dilution,has no scent and once rinsed out is gone for good,nothing toxic in the brush at all.It is 100% as effective as barbicide but costs 50% less to use.You should vigorously shake as much water out of your brush as possible,then hang upside down for maximum drying. A second or third brush really helps a lot,giving your brushes time to really get bone dry in between shaves.With a nice Marvy disinfectant jar you can disinfect all your brushes at one time,or 1-2 brushes and your razor..Never really thought about the mold etc. but you are completely right, the razor seems to dry off faster, at most it gets some rust. But Badger hair can sometimes stay wet (I've had mine not dry out a couple of times before the next shave due to my error of not squeezing out enough water).
My question for the brushed is 1. How long have you been doing this and 2. Have you noticed any issues at all?
Not sure how the current recommended tip of vinegar and water will kill all off everything, maybe most, not sure, but I guess if it does work it would be a lot less damaging (I would think) than Mar-v-cide. Then again I'm not really sure, just sounds like hair would get a little funky with that strong of a chemical, but the shampoo/conditioner might bring it back fine, the problem is I'm wonder how it will affect the brush in the long-term (if you're like me and have extra razors, but brushes are a bit pricey to ruin!)
Any living organisms will die if the razor is left alone for a day or two, so all you really need to do is scrub the scum, dirt and grime off of it with dish soap, scrubbing bubbles or some other cleaning agent that won't harm the finish or coating of the razor. I recommend using an old tooth brush to get into all of the nooks and crannies.
I never quite understand why people soak their DE razors for X amount of time in barbicide or alcohol. If you're going to soak anything in a disinfectant soak the things that are going to cut you (the blades) and not the harmless hunk of metal that just glides across your skin.
And even that's not necessary, we have an immune system for a reason.
Do you soak your kitchen knives in alcohol before cutting a salad?
Just my 2 cents.
Bob:If the razor is dirty with soap scum, a soak in Scrubbing Bubbles will both clean and sterilize it. For razors that are already clean, I just use alcohol... and I haven't died of infection yet.