Sanitize that USED brush!

[sempra]

Actually it's more that the alcohol lowers the Ph of your mouth making it more hospitable to bacteria which actually magnifies halitosis. You're right that a dry mouth will also encourage bacterial growth, but that's more an issue of hydration. It's also one of the reasons that I advocate a big glass of water first thing in the morning, I usually will drink at least a gallon of water over the course of a day.

I guess that is the reason J&J refused to comment when 60 Minutes asked about the alcohol in Listerine making your bad breath worse. And to the Listerine brush washers, and correct me if I am wrong, I thought it took at least 40% alcohol concentration to 'kill the 'germs'. Listerine is only about 20% alcohol. So just what are you accomplishing washing your brush with Listerine? Killing one half of the germs?

Mitch

 

[sempra]

I'm not making this a recommendation to anyone. It's more a try at your own risk should you desire. I sterilize my brushes in Marvicde every month or so. I let them soak (the whole brush) for about 2 minutes followed by a very thorough bowl lather and warm water rinse. I've noticed no side effects with my skin or problems with the brushes (I had heard tale of this turning faux Ivory brushes blue but I have two and this hasn't been the case). Now maybe somewhere down the road I'll develop a third eye or something but until then... Could this shorten the life of the brush? Perhaps, but they'll be clean for as long as I have them. YMMV

See my post below on the warning label on Mar-v-cide. I have some Barbicide that I use to sanitize my used razors that I buy. But both Barbicide and Mar-v-cide are corrosive. I just don't want to use it on my brushes. Metal razors, yes. Nice brushes, no.

 

[GearHead_1]

See my post below on the warning label on Mar-v-cide. I have some Barbicide that I use to sanitize my used razors that I buy. But both Barbicide and Mar-v-cide are corrosive. I just don't want to use it on my brushes. Metal razors, yes. Nice brushes, no.

I had already read your post. Coca-Cola is corrosive. I mix the Marvicide according to their directions, soak, wash and rinse thoroughly. As I said, I'm not recommending this procedure to anyone, simply stating what I do. What can I say? I'm a thrill seeker. As far as the cost of the brush, some are expensive, some not so much.

 

[jcwit]

Simple question here? How sanitary is the dishes you eat off of when you go out for dinner?

Sounds gross but in reality how sanitary is the air you breath when the car/truck ahead of you drives over road kill and you sneeze?

 

[franz]

Chlorhexidine on a brush? Well I have to compliment you on your creativity.

A simple wash with dish soap followed by short vinegar soak seems sufficient to me.

 

[cb91710]

Yeah and I believe a member on here sent his brush to get work on it and found it had mold in it, so he washes it with Marv-Cide frequently, maybe he'll chime in.

I didn't know vinegar killed all that, nor soap. I guess alcohol does though, not sure if either is safer, but my brush always feels completely fine after the Marv-Cide (I dilute it according to directions too).

Ya, I'm not sure that I would trust vinegar or lemon... they are still organic based compounds and have active bacteria populations of their own, granted, none that would be toxic if ingested, but many germs that our digestive and immune system has no trouble dealing with may still cause irritation on the skin... and the Ph balance of acidic and alkali solutions is more of a concern for skin irritation, just as I can not use melt-and-pour type soaps. My skin is not particularly sensitive... I get into dirt, oil, and other nasties all the time that have some people breaking out, but there are a few alkali items that really set me off. Some bath powders will cause hives... no problem with corn starch or talc based powders, more likely the perfumes.

Anyways... when it comes to bacteria, as commented above, we are loading the brush with soap. Anything that's living on that brush (shy of some molds) is going to have a hard time surviving normal use. IMHO, molds should not be a problem when a rotation of brushes is used and if they are not stored in a humid environment. Obviously, with a large family, if you have mold growing on the paint on the walls, then brushes too might have a problem, and that's the time to move the shave den storage cabinet to a different room. In my situation, it's the two of us, never more than 3 showers in a day, and we keep the window over the tub cracked open for ventilation.

 

[Le Buzz]

I'm not a germaphobe. A couple of test lathers with a shave soap followed by a short soak in diluted vinegar to soften it up is good enough for me.

This. We're not doing surgery here. And the thing gets cleaned every time you use it, it's shaving soap!

Lets not persecute here. If a segment of our community wants to be diligent in matters of sanitation, there is nothing wrong with that.

No one has ever died or fallen ill due to being too clean.

 

[cb91710]

See my post below on the warning label on Mar-v-cide. I have some Barbicide that I use to sanitize my used razors that I buy. But both Barbicide and Mar-v-cide are corrosive. I just don't want to use it on my brushes. Metal razors, yes. Nice brushes, no.

Most corrosives have no impact on plastics. They will go to town on metal, and especially plating, but plastics and glass are typically used to store corrosives.
Important to understand just what a corrosive is.
In the case of hydrochloric acid, it reacts with the oxygen in iron oxide to create water, leaving a chlorine/iron salt compound behind.
Hydrochloric acid will not react with plastics or glass. Plastics are hydrocarbons and are already stable.
Hydrochloric acid will eat your bone or ivory brush handle to nothing VERY quickly.

So just because something is "corrosive" does not mean that it is corrosive to everything. It may only be corrosive to a few specific items. The label instructions indicate that it is corrosive because they have to do so due to the risks of skin contact. It may or may not react in a corrosive manner with bone/ivory or wooden brush handles or the hair in the knot.

Diluted per instructions, and if the item is not left to soak (longer than the instructions indicate), it is completely safe for regular use.

 

[luvmysuper]

Uh... we're worried about used brushes?

How about brand-spanky new ones?

Badger hair comes from a dead animal.
Any idea of how many hands were all up in that hair from harvest to out the door?
Seen any of the sweat shop style factories in China where they come from, and the poor wretched souls who are doing the work?

I'll just wash mine with soap and water thanks.
I have no more to fear in the used brush than I do with a new one, and washing with soap and water has been a pretty tried and true way of cleaning things.

Just sayin'

 

[cb91710]

I had already read your post. Coca-Cola is corrosive.

Yup.

Phosphoric acid.

A cheap (???) way to clean a motorcycle fuel tank prior to applying an anti-rust sealant is to fill the tank with cola and let it "cook" for a while, rotating the tank regularly.

I added the (???) because I think a proper phosphoric acid solution is not only more effective but also comparable in cost to 2-5 gallons of cola.

 

[GearHead_1]

Yeah, used to use a bit of Coca-Cola with some #0000 steel wool to take rust of the bumpers and rims of 60's and 70's model cars. It's actually pretty amazing.

 

[cb91710]

No one has ever died or fallen ill due to being too clean.

I disagree.

Children being exposed, in a controlled manner, to everyday germs is a very important part of the development of the immune system.
It is the entire theory behind inoculation that has virtually wiped out many diseases that used to wipe out entire cities.

Now, I'm not one of these whacks that would send their child to a "Chickenpox party", and if I caught my child eating dirt, there would be a discussion... but in my experience (nearly 50 years) it seems that the healthiest people are also those who have more of a "don't really worry about it" attitude. I'm not talking about people who don't shower or use deodorant... I'm talking about people who just live a normal life without worrying about "catching" something... and those are the people that have called in sick for work 3 times in 10 years, and it's not because they are coming to work sick.

I'm a traffic signal tech. I work outdoors. I get dirty. I stay dirty. I rub my eyes and my nose. I wash my hands after using the restroom, before eating, or if I'm done working for the day.
I'm getting my hands down into concrete boxes on the sidewalk that are filled with all manner of crap... I have no idea if there was a sewer overflow a week ago, and when I have to get in there to fix something, I can't concern myself with that. I am exposed to literally a hundred or more people every day.
I "catch something" that has me really down maybe once a year. Normally ends up being a weekend thing and I'm fine for work in a day or two. It's always during flu season.
Beyond that? No skin conditions, no digestive disorders... just a normal human being.


A good friend of mine has a wife that is obsessive about maintaining a germ-free environment. He works in a high-end office, and is exposed to fewer than 10 people outside of family on a normal day. He has IBS, and is sick in bed 3-4 times a year. We are the same age, grew up together, would have had virtually identical immune systems until he got married.

 

[sempra]

Uh... I think we are getting a little off topic here.

I like a clean razor and a clean brush. I found out about Barbicide here on B&B and got some to sanitize the used razors I have been buying. I looked at the label and thought, no way would I use it on a nice brush. I looked in my medicine cabinet and found the leftover Hibiclens. It looked perfect for cleaning the used brush I just bought. It is used as an oral antiseptic, and as a pre-surgical wash. You might prefer something more potent, but Hibiclens it is for me on used brushes.

But now that it has been brought up, I will be thinking about cleaning even the new stuff. After all, most of Wally World's products come from third world countries. How good is the sanitation? What about the blades you are using? Maybe the poor children making the products in the slave factories are contaminating the products with who knows what to punish the rich Americans who are paying their slave wages? I don't want to think about it.

This is bad, I may become a clean freak, make some lye soap, get a pair of Oskosh, let my beard grow...

Mitch

 

[malocchio]

Mar-V-Cide clearly states on its label "safe for brushes" ,and it is...I have used it more than 40 years....The hibiclens will probably work in killing microbes as well,but DO NOT get that stuff in your ear..it is TOXIC in the ear !

 

[rickboone1]

I figure it's been lathering soap. I wash with soap. Brush is pretty clean. Don't think I'd put conditioner on the brush, though. Could destroy the hairs natural coatings and stuff.

 

[cb91710]

I figure it's been lathering soap. I wash with soap. Brush is pretty clean. Don't think I'd put conditioner on the brush, though. Could destroy the hairs natural coatings and stuff.

I'd be concerned about it impacting the lather.

First and only time I tried using Noxema as a pre-shave, yes, I got a good shave... but what remained on my face and got into the brush absolutely KILLED the lather... the entire bowl went flat when I put the brush back in.
I ended up having to clean that brush with Dawn to restore it.

 

[_JP_]

Marvicide and Barbacide are safe when used as directed, which includes the length of time that an item is supposed to soak in the stuff. And don't forget the rinsing with water step either.

This thread reminds of the Ever Ready shaving brush displays that I used to. In big type they stated that the brushes were sterilized.

 

[sempra]

I disagree.

Children being exposed, in a controlled manner, to everyday germs is a very important part of the development of the immune system.
It is the entire theory behind inoculation that has virtually wiped out many diseases that used to wipe out entire cities.
------cut

If you want to read something really interesting about, GERMS, check out Guns, Germs and Steel: A short history of everybody for the last 13,000 years.

From the Guns, Germs and Steel Wikipedia entry:
The book's title is a reference to the means by which farm-based societies conquered populations of other areas and maintained dominance, despite sometimes being vastly out-numbered – superior weapons provided immediate military superiority (guns); Eurasian diseases weakened and reduced local populations, who had no immunity, making it easier to maintain control over them (germs), and centralized government promoted nationalism and powerful military organizations (steel). The book uses geography to show how Europeans developed such superior military technology, and how Europeans and Asians developed some immunity to diseases which spread among them, while epidemics of them devastated the indigenous populations in the Americas after European contact. Eurasia was the beneficiary of favourable geographic, climatic and environmental characteristics...

You NEED to be exposed to those germs, I just don't want them on my razors or shaving brushes.

Mitch