Autoclave sterilisation for used razors

Again, heaps of useful information. What about iodine solution?. Would it be effective as a sterilizer?. What about the plating, would it damage it?.

Not laughing at you, but I totally got a cartoon bubble of a chromed razor dyed medicine red, half way up the handle at a weird angle.

I'm sure iodine wouldn't hurt a thing.

I would seriously say to just enjoy the razor. It is newer, at least a two piece... Put it in your dishwasher, and it will be at least as clean as the stuff you eat from.

I kind of get being "ick" about the sixty five year old gunk stuck in an old TTO, but a newer Merkur?

If it really is that "ick", my thought is to just buy a new one. We aren't talking about very much money, and I am sure all the shop workers wash their hands religiously after using the bathroom...


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Do you know what the greatest public health breakthrough in human history was? Hand washing. With soap and water, not that fast pass through the magic water you see your boss do in the men's room after he's dropped....never mind, you get the point. A good soap and water clean with a toothbrush is fine but don't use any abrasive cleansers as you'll damage the finish. And give bugs more nooks and crannies to hide in

Actually, the CDC recommends 20 mins. in 70% alcohol. It kills better.

Correct, that is assuming though that we are dealing with a live virus / bacterium. Everything we are / should be afraid of (AIDS / HIV, Hep (pick a letter) etc) cannot survive for long without some sort of "host" cells. Unless what you are receiving is damp, you really are not in much danger. Reassuring yourself with a alcohol dip / spray is really enough.

Hepatitis can survive on surfaced longer than the other viruses-days, possibly weeks. But, scrubbing bubbles contains a good disinfectant that is easy and fast to use.

All of the "bugs" wingdo mentions will wash off with soap and water, as will spores or methicillin resistant Staph. aureus and Strep. B.  
I do want emphasize that, despite popular wisdom, alcohol DOES NOT kill germs. It just cleans the area that was swabbed and/or desiccates any microbes left on the surface. You still have wash/wipe them away, as some do not die when dehydrated. Soaking for 15 min. in hot water and anti-bacterial hand soap will be much more effective than alcohol and denaturing and killing the "bugs".

That is correct. Just to be 99.99% safe I use a Lysol wipe after all the washing/soaking/scrubbing & 70% alcohol soak as on another forum a bonafide microbiologist said that Lysol is the best product to use after washing/scrubbing.

FWIW, I never use anti-bacterial soap for anything as it has contributed to antibiotic resistant bugs + it's not needed. Plain ol' regular soap works fine. I often use old carbolic soap.

All of the "bugs" wingdo mentions will wash off with soap and water, as will spores or methicillin resistant Staph. aureus and Strep. B.  
I do want emphasize that, despite popular wisdom, alcohol DOES NOT kill germs. It just cleans the area that was swabbed and/or desiccates any microbes left on the surface. You still have wash/wipe them away, as some do not die when dehydrated. Soaking for 15 min. in hot water and anti-bacterial hand soap will be much more effective than alcohol and denaturing and killing the "bugs".

That is correct. Just to be 99.99% safe I use a Lysol wipe after all the washing/soaking/scrubbing & 70% alcohol soak as on another forum a bonafide microbiologist said that Lysol is the best product to use after washing/scrubbing.

FWIW, I never use anti-bacterial soap for anything as it has contributed to antibiotic resistant bugs + it's not needed. Plain ol' regular soap works fine. I often use old carbolic soap.

Antibacterial soap won't contribute to antibiotic resistance because they do not contain antibiotics. The one I use has benzalkonium chloride, which disrupts the cell wall and acts as a fixative. You are right that you usually don't need to use antibacterial soap as most of the time regular does the job; however, if you want to kill germs, you have to use it because regular soap does not kill them.
The Lysol and Chlorox wipes that you refer to use a similar active ingredient to that in antibacterial soaps. It's just more concentrated because it's not meant to be used on living organisms.

Actually, the CDC recommends 20 mins. in 70% alcohol. It kills better.

Correct, that is assuming though that we are dealing with a live virus / bacterium.  Everything we are / should be afraid of (AIDS / HIV, Hep (pick a letter) etc) cannot survive for long without some sort of "host" cells.  Unless what you are receiving is damp, you really are not in much danger.  Reassuring yourself with a alcohol dip / spray is really enough.  

An autoclave will render items sterile, which is what is wanted for surgery.  Even Personna Med Prep blades are not truly "sterile" as the wrapping is not air tight.  That doesn't mean though that they are not used in hospitals.  I am personally a germ-a-phobe even though I work in healthcare.  That doesn't mean though that I obsess over things which I know have no impact on me or my health.  This includes shaving gear I receive.

Once whatever is on the blade aka skin, blood dries up all pathogens are either dead or too weak to infect

Once whatever is on the blade aka skin, blood dries up all pathogens are either dead or too weak to infect

This isn't true. Visit cdc.gov and read how long hep b/c remain infectious when on environmental surfaces. That said, the benzalkonium chlorides in EPA-registered disinfectants (like Scrubbing Bubbles) WILL lower the titer to levels that reduce infection risk to levels like one in a million. I've spent my career around biohazardous substances, and infection control is really a lot of common sense, following protective and disinfection procedures, and not getting careless. I think the risk of infection from shaving gear is extremely low, but I still do a Scrubbing Bubbles scrub.

Antibacterial soap won't contribute to antibiotic resistance because they do not contain antibiotics...

"Spawning Superbugs

Indeed, recent research suggests these products may encourage the growth of “superbugs” resistant to antimicrobial agents, a problem when these bacteria run rampant, turning into a dangerous infection that cannot be treated with available medication.

Similar growth of drug-resistant strains has already occurred with antibiotics. The overuse and misuse of antibiotics has led to several drug-resistant microbes, such as streptococcus pneumonia and strains of E. coli.

Dr. Stuart Levy, president of the Alliance for the Prudent Use of Antibiotics and a professor of molecular biology at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, believes antibacterial soaps are dangerous.

“Triclosan creates an environment where the resistant, mutated bacteria are more likely to survive,” says Levy, who published a study on the germicide two years ago in the journal Nature.

Charles Rock, a researcher at St. Jude Children’s Research Hosptial in Memphis, Tenn., also published work in Nature last month supporting the resistance theory.

“The use of triclosan in these products will lead to the emergence of resistance,” he predicts. “There is no strong rationale for [its] use.”  

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=117985&page=1

I have to agree with most here. I piece of metal unless it has microscopic groves and scratches can be sterilized which is safer than sanitizing. The use of alcohol or boiling water should be sufficient. I believe all 50 States as well as most of Europe has banded the use of the typical straight razor in barbershops, because of the microscopic scratches caused by sharpening can contain bacteria which can cause disease, because the razors were never sterilized. So now straight razors with disposable blades are used. I use a stainless razor which I could put in boiling water (212 degrees F) or steam which depending on the altitude can be hotter than 212 degrees. Some razors have plastic handles so, I would consider the effect of the process you use on the handle if it is any other than metal.

I hate to say this but, it brings up another issue. Used brushes (which I have never or will never will purchase) because sterilization could cause damage to the knot.