cleaning a gillette super speed razor for first time use

Hello,

I received my razor in today's mail ('54 SS) and looked over the wiki on cleaning the razor. It is a pretty thorough process.

The razor I got is in pretty good shape, no loss of plating and it looks bright and shiny as well.

Given the condition, can I simply wash it in hot soapy dish soap to disinfect it?

Got my TOBS ready to go

Thanks,

I took a pot, and boiled some water on the stove. Took it off the stove, poured it in a bowl, and then added some dawn dish soap to it. I swirled my 40's and Black handle Super Speed around in it. Used a tooth brush to gently scrub in the crevices. I then used another bowl with fresh water to rinse the soap off, and scrub some more. I then finally rinsed them out in the sink, and patted them dry. Haven't had any issues with them, and so far have cleaned all of my razors that way. A lot of people use barbacide as well. Is really just a matter of personal preference. Definitely a nice specimen you have there, and congrats on it. Yours has a different bottom knob on it than my undated 40's model, but sure it probably shaves the same.

I spray all my razors with "scrubbing bubbles", which not only cleans but disinfects. Hot soapy water should disinfect as well, but if you're still worried about bacteria, you could always use bubbles or Lysol or something.

That is a great example of a flare tip SS. You can use the date code on the bottom of the blade tray to find out what year and quarter it was made.

Nice razor, looks ready to shave. But you can do the hot soapy water bath followed by rubbing alcohol for a last cleaning before use if you like.
those are good shaving razors with sharp blades. Hope you enjoy!

People are going to say different things here. For me, it's not worth the risk of half way doing it. I went to Sally Beauty and got some Barbicide that I KNOW kills everything I want it to. It's like 5 bucks for a bottle. That's cheap peace of mind. Anyway, when I buy a used razor, I soak it in dish liquid then scrub it with a toothbrush using the soapy water. After a good dish liquid scrub , I also scrub it again with toothpaste to get it even cleaner and shine it up. I rinse it thoroughly then soak it in the Barbicide for about 15 minutes. After a final rinse, I feel good about using it. To me, it's a three step process. Wash the funk off, shine it up then disinfect the heck out of it.

Serge said:

Given the condition, can I simply wash it in hot soapy dish soap to disinfect it?

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Yes. I do this with all my new razors.

Hot soapy water, old toothbrush scrubbing, rinse, load blade and shave.

That's my method.

Thanks for all the responses, much appreciated. I feel better about what I'm doing with a little feedback.

I looked over the WIKI again and saw I could use hydrogen peroxide, which I happen to have around the house for emergencies when my dog eats chocolate

So hot soapy water it will be along with the peroxide to finish up!

Thanks again,

A little overkill perhaps this is my routine for newly acquired vintage razors

- Boiling hot water & dish soap into the ultrasonic (all nickel only; no red/blue tips)
- Ultrasonic for 15-20 min then leave overnight
- Apply Maas polish all over and scrub gently all over with toothbrush (avoid coloured tips and numbers on slim/FBs)
- Rinse and polish with cloth

I got fantastic results doing this. Razors came out in showroom condition.

Hey, we're razor Eskimo buddies! Razor Emporium also suggests running it through the dishwasher in the door rack to make sure you kill any remnants from the previous owner.

This thread has been eating at me enough that I must reply again. Absolutely zero offense intended to any of the "soap and water" advocates but I simply think this is risky. Would I pick up a surgical tool that was used at a hospital that potentially contains blood, wash it with soap and water then use it on myself? Absolutely not and I don't plan to with razors. Barbicide (and others) lists that it kills MRSA, Hep C, HIV, etc for a reason. I showed my dear wife this thread who is an experienced RN and she just cringed. "Enter at your own risk" if you must but some of the risks associated with used items containing skin cells or blood is real. Take that for what it's worth.

Risk can be a very emotional topic, but seen rationally the risk from a clean used razor is no greater than the risk from a clean new razor. A brand-new razor is not sterile, nor is a brand-new blade. Hands up all those who have caught any disease shaving themselves with a razor, used or new.

Anyone?

Hospital scenarios can be pretty scary: read up on "needlestick" injuries if you like that sort of thing. But they not relevant to disposable-blade razors because razors are not surgical tools, and they only hold the disposable blade. A used razor does not resemble a used hypodermic needle. It lacks the hollow tube that can harbor live infections and inject them deep into tissue.

Similarly, barbers are careful to use barbicide because they reuse implements on a number of customers in a day, and the tools would never get a chance to dry out after simpler cleaning methods. Barbers sometimes used to transmit skin infections through their brushes, for example, and there were cases in the old days of barber shaves apparently resulting in blood poisoning. But at home this is very unlikely. When you get a razor in the mail, it has been not been used for weeks or years. Even Hepatitis C can only live outside the body for a week or so, and needs moisture. Anything else will die even more quickly.

At home, a clean metal surface is good enough, and soap and water are fine. If you are feeling paranoid, add a quick treatment with scrubbing bubbles, lysol, or something like that. Avoid bleach, avoid vinegar, and do not mix products.

Serge said:

Thanks for all the responses, much appreciated. I feel better about what I'm doing with a little feedback.

I looked over the WIKI again and saw I could use hydrogen peroxide, which I happen to have around the house for emergencies when my dog eats chocolate

So hot soapy water it will be along with the peroxide to finish up!

Thanks again,

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Your dog eats chocolate?

alex2363 said:

Your dog eats chocolate?

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Chocolate is toxic for dogs and one time he grabbed a box and summarily ate them all. Called my Vet and he had me administer hydrogen peroxide (down his throat/not fun) so he would disgorge the chocolate he ate. Did not have any, but the next-door neighbor did! My son was reading a book and overlooked the whole thing and the dog was basically at his feet eating his chocolates

clyde2801 said:

Hey, we're razor Eskimo buddies! Razor Emporium also suggests running it through the dishwasher in the door rack to make sure you kill any remnants from the previous owner.

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No no no no no.
And no.
Well maybe you could, but certainly not with dishwasher detergent. And if you're not using that, why bother putting it in the dishwasher?

Just wash it in hot water and soap. Use Scrubbing Bubbles, the non bleach kind, for any grungy bits. if you want more shine, use some Maas.
It's really that simple.

axledobe said:

This thread has been eating at me enough that I must reply again. Absolutely zero offense intended to any of the "soap and water" advocates but I simply think this is risky. Would I pick up a surgical tool that was used at a hospital that potentially contains blood, wash it with soap and water then use it on myself? Absolutely not and I don't plan to with razors. Barbicide (and others) lists that it kills MRSA, Hep C, HIV, etc for a reason. I showed my dear wife this thread who is an experienced RN and she just cringed. "Enter at your own risk" if you must but some of the risks associated with used items containing skin cells or blood is real. Take that for what it's worth.

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It may eat at you but it doesn't eat at me.
Where is the risk? What skin and blood cells are managing to cling to bare metal? Assuming they managed to find a cell-hold somewhere, what diseases do you expect to find, still extant and capable of multiplying and infecting, after even a couple days, never mind years of sitting around on the metal of a razor?
Scrubbing is good enough for me. It may not be enough to assuage your fears but rest assured, you really don't have to worry about the rest of us taking what we believe to be non existent risks.

Haggises said:

It may eat at you but it doesn't eat at me.
Where is the risk? What skin and blood cells are managing to cling to bare metal? Assuming they managed to find a cell-hold somewhere, what diseases do you expect to find, still extant and capable of multiplying and infecting, after even a couple days, never mind years of sitting around on the metal of a razor?
Scrubbing is good enough for me. It may not be enough to assuage your fears but rest assured, you really don't have to worry about the rest of us taking what we believe to be non existent risks.

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After reading some of the comments...although I soaked it overnight in hydrogen peroxide (after washing in hot soapy water) and used it that way...I got some Oster clippercide and sprayed the razor the following day!

The RN comment made me uncomfortable

No need for overkill. Just a good, hot soapy bath and a toothbrush for the nooks and crannies. Polish with a good metal polish like Maas, Flizt, Simichrome. Douse in rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide if you want, but that is not necessary.

Load it up and enjoy.

Hi guys, I'm new to the site and kinda hooked on traditional 'Wet' DE shaving (I have to say my skin has been much healthier since I started!

I've gone headlong into collecting and at the moment I have a few Gillette 'FatBoy' razors on their way to me. One is an E1 that has been 'revamped' by the Razor Emporium and looks pretty tidy with fresh Rhodium plate. I have a D4 and an G1 coming from another source but are pretty much mint. I was planning on giving these a clean (though all sellers claim they are cleaned, polished and sanitised.

I was thinking, Barbicide as directed might be ok to use - any caveats in in using it with a mid size jar or maybe just sit the shaver on it's head in a tray of solution for the required 15 mins? I also have some 95% grain alcohol Polish Spirit (everclear analog) - would that do as well or is that too strong?

FatboyFan said:

Hi guys, I'm new to the site and kinda hooked on traditional 'Wet' DE shaving (I have to say my skin has been much healthier since I started!

I've gone headlong into collecting and at the moment I have a few Gillette 'FatBoy' razors on their way to me. One is an E1 that has been 'revamped' by the Razor Emporium and looks pretty tidy with fresh Rhodium plate. I have a D4 and an G1 coming from another source but are pretty much mint. I was planning on giving these a clean (though all sellers claim they are cleaned, polished and sanitised.

I was thinking, Barbicide as directed might be ok to use - any caveats in in using it with a mid size jar or maybe just sit the shaver on it's head in a tray of solution for the required 15 mins? I also have some 95% grain alcohol Polish Spirit (everclear analog) - would that do as well or is that too strong?

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Welcome to B&B!

Barbicide is supposed to be quite a bit more effective than alcohol. Neither one is strictly necessary: as Safety_razor_maintenance on the wiki points out, a clean dry razor is pretty safe already. If you use anything stronger than soap and water, follow any directions. Avoid things like bleach that may damage the plating. With those razors your biggest risk from using barbicide as directed, or alcohol, is that it could affect the paint.