Another Cleaning question

This is probably a dumb question but I will ask.

I soaked in soapy water.
Scrubbed with toothbrush 10 minutes
Soaked in Barbicide for 10 minutes.

I noticed it still has some greenish stuff and some blackish spots.
Should I buy scrubbing bubbles, soak and scrub again or will a metal polish clean the rest up?

Besides a toothbrush should I use something else to scrub?


If I scrub again would you soak in Barbicide again? This is the most important question. I figured that under the greenish and blackish spots there might be germs.

I would use soapy water (warm) and a toothbrush. It got rid of everything I saw last time and I saw myself...

Someone was talking about Scrubbing Bubbles the other day where Murker hardware was concerned. Apparently the cleaner is so powerful and the underlying metal of a specific nature that prolonged exposure can be detrimental to the handle. That hasn't prevented me from using it, but I rarely leave the spray on more then a minute...

I would recommend scrubbing bubbles. Although I did have a bad experience earlier in the week with it but it turns out it might not have been just the scrubbing bubbles. While washing my Gillette Pres. with scrubbing bubbles, finish flaked off the shaft, but it may have been spot plated sometime in the past.

I scurbbed two other razors and they turned out fine. I would just go slow and easy with it.

millertime150 said:

I noticed it still has some greenish stuff and some blackish spots.

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This goes for silver colored vintage razors only:

I have noticed the green spots before after cleaning silver razors with scrubbing bubbles. People say that brass shouldn't turn green (only copper gets a green patina), but turn a dull gray. It has been my experience, however, that these green spots you see are actually places where brassing is present. I have applied a little brasso to the area where the green is, scrubbed it lightly with a toothbrush.............and voila, the green disappears revealing a spot of brassing.

I have no opinion on the barbicide question.

I don't have "scrubbing bubbles" available here, so I use hot water and "CLR" - calcium, lime and rust remover, after a good soak I use an old toothbrush to scrub.
They normally come out pretty good after that.
If still stained I use a dremel, a cutting compound and a buffing pad for the tough to budge marks.

pablo_h said:

I don't have "scrubbing bubbles" available here, so I use hot water and "CLR" - calcium, lime and rust remover, after a good soak I use an old toothbrush to scrub.
They normally come out pretty good after that.
If still stained I use a dremel, a cutting compound and a buffing pad for the tough to budge marks.

Click to expand...

I would have assumed that you had a scrubbing bubbles equivalent available. It is basically a bathroom / shower cleaner that targets soap scum. It will foam on the surface it is applied to and comes in an aeresol can. It is much milder than CLR, IMO. I'm leary of using CLR during the cleaning / sanitizing process, but have used it to free up sticky mechanics on TTO's / Adjustables by pouring a small amount into the handle of an upright razor and letting it sit there for 1 -2 minutes before rinsing with hot water.

After cleaning nearly 200 razors, I would NOT recommend scrubbing bubbles. I think it's a waste of time and only gets recommended because everybody else recommends it- kind of like newbies fear Feather blades because Mantic told us all to....


DE Cleaning
For razor cleaning- stick with WHATEVER is under your sink to clean your bathroom. Use that and a toothbrush for the first step. Often I clean things after I've let them soak in some warm soapy water to loosen all the gunk. If you have a nickle razor like a super speed, fatboy, or slim, proceed onto a brass brush- you'll be amazed what that does.

Also, use a toothpick in the groves of the razor. Often times people scrub and scrub and use all sorts of harsh chemicals when a simple toothpick can get rid of a lot.

DE Polishing
If you have a gold razor- use only toothpaste or some elbow grease as a light polish. Remember- polishing takes metal away! Be gentle with gold anything.

If you have a silver/nickle/chrome/ect. razor- I have found great results with Flitz Metal Polish, Wrigley's Silver Polish, or MAAS. All three have different things they are good at, but you should experiment to find what you like best. Remember- polishing should be used sparingly as a last resort. Often, the cleaning steps listed above will bring a DE razor up to a point that doesn't need polishing.


SOMETHING TO NEVER DO TO ANY RAZOR EVER
Never, ever boil a razor. Don't listen to every post you read. Along with the Feather blade hysteria, this myth needs to DIE. All you do is RUIN the finish, whether you can see it or not.

Bubbles & CLR work for me, also a brass brush and a Gun brush because the bristles are harder that a tooth brush. also, Q-tips and pipe cleaners are a must for adjustables under the blade head.....