Are vintage razors safe

[Straight Rasier User]

Well most saftey razors are safe to use.

In fact all of them except the Open Comb ones ... so if you have some of the Open Comb Razors send them to me for safe keeping.

[whavens]

I have several I just took out of the case and put a blade in and shaved. If it doesn't kill me it will make me stronger.

[Vickers]

Of course they aren't safe...FOR MY BEARD!

[arm017]

I think that is a great question that you asked! We are all so goo goo over razors, some might not even think about it. Very good idea on barbicide.

[takeshi]

I have a lot of people tellin me not to get any cause they might not be safe

As always, consider the source. Who? What do they know about sterilization of used DE's? "Lot of people" and correct aren't necessarily the same thing.

[RockyNomad]

Do you use the silverware at a restarant when you dine out?

Don't forget about surgical instruments, dental instruments, etc.

[duck dive steve]

I'm glad I read this thread. I bought an old gillette the other day and was going to use it tomorrow. Never even thought about this. Now I feel really daft. Good Post.

[Prof. Moriarty]

Welcome to B&B

[ladykate]

Hi new to the b&b just wanted to know if after all the cleaning
Are vinage razors really safe to use

I disinfect everything with Barbicide - including new razors. No where on the package does it say new razors are sterile. I hone razors for others occasionally and I never start the process without disinfecting the razor. That is common sense in this day of fire-safe virus infections. For my personal use, most of my stuff is vintage to say the least and, other than a third lip, I am just fine.

I just shaved with a 150 year old straight. No matter how you spin it - that is a cool feeling. So much has past through during that razor's lifetime and here I am getting a beautiful shave from it. I don't care if it sounds Hollywood - it is just nice. There is a zen to it all that can't be beat. If you have to shave, might as well do it with class.

The DEs and straights, in my opinion, offer the cleanest way to shave. Cartridge razors build up so much crap in them that they are cesspools of filth after a few shaves. If I was going to be afraid of germs when shaving - it would be with cartridges.

[Irishpride1986]

I was asking cause they come in contact with blood n even after
The blood has dried wat about what grows from that dried blood

[njpaddy]

I'm pretty confident that some Scrubbing Bubbles and a soft toothbrush will kill most anything on an old razor. Bet my old DE's are cleaner than the knives and forks I eat with at restaurants.

[duck dive steve]

Just put it in some hot water and disinfectant. Now looking on amazon for barbacide.

[PugslyCat]

Just because it's free advice from strangers on some forum doesn't mean you should trust it. If you had done a little more research you would understand the dangers of these death traps. Just send all of your vintage razors to me and I will sequester them them so that they don't endanger others.

Seriously, though, a vintage razor is usually made of a hard, non-porous material that isn't going to shelter nasties spreading any health issues. The forums here have good, well vetted advice on how to clean up old razors. A soak in Barbacide, Marvacide, rubbing alcohol, Scrubbing Bubbles, or other cleaning solutions followed by good old soap and water should do the trick.

I started with a bunch of vintage razors and rotated them through baths of soapy water, Lysol, alcohol and bleach. I didn't know what I was doing and was fortunate to not damage any of the plating or dull the plastic handles on some of the razors.

[ladykate]

I was asking cause they come in contact with blood n even after
The blood has dried wat about what grows from that dried blood

Dried blood, dried skin cells, dried, whiskers, dried toe jam - it all is a breeding ground once it gets damp. You should clean anything that has the likelihood of cutting you - even if you are the only one using it.

However, I detect some sort of black and white barrier that seems to imply that because something may have once had germs on it that it cannot ever be used again (safely). Cleaning and disinfecting is the proven way to make instruments safe. As was said, many of our hospital instruments, restaurant cutlery, and other daily items have had germs on them - including blood. Because something had germs on it at one time does not make it unusable. Like I mentioned earlier, that new razor in the clean bubble pack was probably subjected to lots of greebles. Just clean it, disinfect it, and use it.

[Irishpride1986]

Anyone know of any good places to get vintage razors in nyc

[Go West Young Man]

Thing is, these razors are metal so nothing bad can live IN them. All the nasties live ON the surface, so once you rinse them off your razor is as clean as it ever was.
The trick is that crusted, dried residue (cream/hair/blood/etc) doesn't let go easily, so you need soaps, hot water, disinfectants, etc to break them up and get them off the surface, but at the end of the day all you're doing is physically removing all surface contaminants.

[echotron]

Well, let''s see, I used for the first time this morning a Vintage VALET AutoStrop razor with FEATHER blade ... and I'm still ALIVE! (As of 3:19pm EST)

Of course, I cleaned and disinfected it first with Scrubbing Bubbles (cleans off the gunk and is anti-bacterial), then use Viricide (have it at work why not) and doused the razor in 70% Alcohol (again, got it on hand why not).

The BIGGEST DANGER with Vintage razors is the rusty old blade left in the razor by the seller and you cutting yourself on that blade! Can you say Tetanus?

[Jim]

Remember to put a new blade in that razor! After all, that new blade is what you are really shaving with, not the "razor".

[JRL]

I really don't think you need to go out and buy some special potion. If you're concerned, most homes have lots of chemicals that will kill bacteria and other pathogens. Hydrogen peroxide is mild and very effective. A 15min. soak in the standard 3% solution works well. If someone in the house colors his/her hair, they may have the 20% strength -- even better! Rubbing alcohol is also very effective. Remember, it works as it dries. Immerse the razor in the alcohol for a minute or so, then set it aside to dry. And if you're still not comfortable, you can go to the laundry room and get out the bleach. After all, when you see all those guys in the haz-mat suits trying to decontaminate the latest anthrax scare, chances are they're using diluted bleach.

[Krona Kruiser]

Im just a bit worried about it cause
I have a lot of people tellin me not to get any cause they might not be safe
Evean after all the cleanin

Agree with them...it's cheaper if they're a "novelty" item.