Thread: infection or disease from a used razor?

im new, 20 years old and my name is Moises. im fairly new with straight razors. i have been doing extensive research day and night on this art and now it comes down to actually doing it. i just recently purchased 2 used straight razors from an antique store. they are in fairly good condition. i showed my family and when i told them where i got it, they said to throw them out because i dont know if the person who used it had any diseases or infections. they said its almost like using a needle, especially if you cut yourself with it; this never crossed my mind! is it even true? if so what do i do now? thank you.

The possibilitys are extremely slim.

Do a search on disinfecting razors and you'll see all the discussion on this topic.

http://straightrazorpalace.com/razor...cohol-dip.html

Be sure to read the stickies in the beginning of each forum lots of info there.

I have over 70 razors, most of which are used! I have been shaving with them for over 15 years! I have never sterilized any of my razors beyond soap and water! Germs like warm, moist surfaces and not cold, dry, metal surfaces!
If your concerned just wipe them down with alcohol!

There are bound to be many other suggestions!

I am from the SD area myself! If you need help just PM me!

thanks for the quick help =D ive been reading some previous threads and they all seem so, whats the word im looking for, intense! dont get me wrong now, im a " do it yourself" kind of guy but could i take my razors in to someone who hones/polishes and all that neat stuff and have them give it a good clean with no danger and sharpen for their first time?

Yep! There are plenty here willing to do just that! I am certain they will be poking their heads in this thread soon!

well there are people who do all the cleaning restoring and honing for you ... but you might need to send them out. it is a skill set that is just really being renewed


but yes look int he classified under member services and when the razors come back they will be good to go!

I can relate to the sanitary problem you are worried about. Most of the time if I buy an older razor if I think that the scales can take it, I take it apart clean and sterilize and then re-pin it.


Take Care,
Richard

Originally Posted by JMS

I have over 70 razors, most of which are used! I have been shaving with them for over 15 years! I have never sterilized any of my razors beyond soap and water! Germs like warm, moist surfaces and not cold, dry, metal surfaces!
If your concerned just wipe them down with alcohol!

There are bound to be many other suggestions!

I am from the SD area myself! If you need help just PM me!

I'm with Mark on this one. I've got about the same amount of razors, and shaved with well over half of them so far. Many of them it didn't occur to me to even wash 'em with soap and water. I don't recommend this for anyone, but all of these razors have been sitting at least 10 days before I shaved with them. IMO that's long enough to kill anything in a stored-dry environment.

Cleaning razors:
As a restorer, I have probably cut myself with razors more than most of you, I use a product that the wife got actually for use in the tanning salon industry, this stuff is rated to kill everything and is plastic/acrylic safe so I keep it mixed at double strength and use it as a spray before and after restoration... The first thing I do when I get an old crusty razor, is the 90% alcohol dip, this not only is a sterilizer, but it also loosens a lot of crud off the razor, I use old toothbrushes to clean the whole razor...
Then the Sterilizer spray down, then I leave it to dry...
After that I begin work....

Now much of this process probably is not needed, because the razors have been sitting idle for so long, but when I noticed how well the alcohol cleaned the crud I just started using it as part of the routine...

The sterilizer was added later after the wife really read the label, and said "I dont think this will hurt your razors if you were to use it"