DE sterilization question

[Dave Colangelo]

I dip mine in barbicide then rinse before every shave. A good soak in barbicide does the trick in my opinion.

Regards
Dave

 

[cb91710]

just for the heck of it i queried the director of infection control at the hospital.

her reply: if you want to be as sure as possible that you have killed everything bad, bleach.

Which will also damage the plating.

We're not talking about stainless steel medical equipment that is intended for surgery on a person with a compromised immune system.
We're talking about a part that is made of brass, or steel, or aluminum, lightly plated, containing plastic and springs.

Bleach will damage razors.
If I am purchasing a used piece of shaving gear, I would prefer that the seller do nothing more than clean it as well as the dinnerware at Denny's.

Vinegar is another commonly (ab)used cleaner that will remove the plating. It is highly acidic... may as well dip them in swimming pool acid.

 

[Toothpick]

Which will also damage the plating.

We're not talking about stainless steel medical equipment that is intended for surgery on a person with a compromised immune system.
We're talking about a part that is made of brass, or steel, or aluminum, lightly plated, containing plastic and springs.

Bleach will damage razors.
If I am purchasing a used piece of shaving gear, I would prefer that the seller do nothing more than clean it as well as the dinnerware at Denny's.

Vinegar is another commonly (ab)used cleaner that will remove the plating. It is highly acidic... may as well dip them in swimming pool acid.

agreed.

and FWIW I accidentally splashed a few TINY drops of bleach on my bright blue shirt. I've wore it for a few weeks with a couple tiny white spots from the bleach. Yesterday I noticed where one tiny white bleach spot used to be was now a hole. yup, definitely not cleaning my razors with bleach.

 

[Go West Young Man]

Razors are metal, germs live ON them not IN them - once you rinse the germs off and down the drain it's as clean as it'll ever be.

The issue is that gunk sticks to surfaces of razors, including nooks and crannies you can't see. THAT'S where the nasties grow, and getting that gunk to loosen up and rinse off can be an issue, but nothing stronger than soap, hot water, elbow grease and maybe a foaming bathroom cleaner is needed.

 

[chrisf8657]

Add another who uses barbicide...

 

[linty1]

Hi, I saw a mention of Scrubbing bubbles above, I had a Lord l6 and used Scrubbing bubbles on it and it marred the finish. Granted the l6 is as cheap as they come, and yes, the bottle said "with bleach" and I think it was that. So be careful!

FOr myself I just rince it after every use with water, and when I change the blade, I wipe the works with one of those little alcohol pads.

 

[NCJack]

Please let me add this, for my own poor little reputation: I have never advocated LEAVING razors in bleach or boiling water, I do not do so now, and I will not do so in the future.

That said, if ONE quick swirl in mild bleach solution or boiling water takes off plating, you got a real piece of crap to begin with, and it ought to be trashed right now

 

[phillylion]

I just give it a spray with Lysol. Kills any and all germs in less than 10 minutes and has never harmed any finishes.

 

[DirtDiver]

just use THIS

kills 200,000,000 germs in 15 seconds!

Also worth zooming in to read the article/ad



A bit of related trivia: Aqua Velva aftershave was originally marketed exclusively as a mouthwash for men in the 1920s. It’s wasn’t until 1935 that it was pitched as an aftershave. Not sure if today’s Aqua Velva formula would allow it to still be used as a mouthwash. Anybody know?

 

[Teppanyaki]

I think Barbicide is an EPA registered disinfectant for killing various pathogens - you can always check the EPA website. Per the Barbicide product website, it is active against HIV, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C. There's Barbicide Plus, which is also active against tuberculosis and Clostridium difficile.

Having access to an autoclave is nice.

Found this on the CDC website - http://www.cdc.gov/hicpac/Disinfection_Sterilization/toc.html. I would think that alcohol and quarternary ammonium compounds (Barbicide, for example) would be more razor-friendly options than bleach or peroxides.

 

[Gladiator]

MRSA can live on a dry surface for 56 days. Just saying... But soap,hot water, thirty second in 70% isopropyl alcohol and you are good. 70% no more no less. That is most effective against microbials.

 

[Gladiator]

what if you just put the razor in the freezer overnight after you buy a used one...shouldnt that kill everything?

You're better off washing them off with soap and water. To remove them from the surface, rather than trying to kill them. The alcohol after wash is just insurance.

 

[luvmysuper]

When I buy a used razor, I go through the following process;

24 hour soak in scrubbing bubbles
2 hour boil in CLR
Soak in Barbicide for 2 days
Scrub with toothbrush, toothpaste, alcohol and MAAS for at least 60 minutes
48 hours in the Autoclave
Another 1 hour boil in CLR and Vinegar
Just to be safe, I hit it with a Propane Torch with a full Rosette Tip.
I've done this with the 376 Razors I bought.
I now have 2 razors in my collection, but they don't seem to shave worth a darn.

While they are soaking, I go off to the local fast food joint and have me a great big old fountain drink with ice from their machine.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/OnCall/story?id=1641825&page=1#.UeCfDEGcfTo

http://www.nydailynews.com/life-sty...r-fecal-bacteria-study-finds-article-1.176854

 

[cb91710]

what if you just put the razor in the freezer overnight after you buy a used one...shouldnt that kill everything?

Asked and answered a couple of days ago.
Refrigeration/freezing PRESERVES nasties.

 

[Chadao]

+1 I am a little baffled, but one of the few areas where I don't have issues is germs.

This is the right question and answer.

The finish on both of those razors does not hold up to any kind of strong antibacterial agents.

soap and water (i.e. shaving with them) is all they will ever need outside of the occasional light scrubbing with a soft tooth brush and some mild dish soap to remove soap build up once every couple of months. If you remove the blade after each shave and towel dry your razor you may never need to even do this. I don't think I have cleaned my razors in years as I dry them off after each shave.

 

[Chadao]

+10,000

When I buy a used razor, I go through the following process;

24 hour soak in scrubbing bubbles
2 hour boil in CLR
Soak in Barbicide for 2 days
Scrub with toothbrush, toothpaste, alcohol and MAAS for at least 60 minutes
48 hours in the Autoclave
Another 1 hour boil in CLR and Vinegar
Just to be safe, I hit it with a Propane Torch with a full Rosette Tip.
I've done this with the 376 Razors I bought.
I now have 2 razors in my collection, but they don't seem to shave worth a darn.

While they are soaking, I go off to the local fast food joint and have me a great big old fountain drink with ice from their machine.

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/OnCall/story?id=1641825&page=1#.UeCfDEGcfTo

http://www.nydailynews.com/life-sty...r-fecal-bacteria-study-finds-article-1.176854