When you hear the word “investment”, you probably think of things like stocks, bonds and real estate. And yeah, those are pretty important things to learn if you ever want to retire one day, but I also want you to think of your safety razor as an investment.
No, it’s not your typical investment like a stock or bond investment where one day you will be able to sell it for a profit, but it is an investment that can pay dividends for decades if you take care of it. How so?
First of all, it will continue to deliver superb performance as long as you take care of it. Much like your car, as long as you perform routine maintenance on it and fix any lingering issues, it will deliver peak performance.
Second of all, as long as you keep it in excellent working condition, it will save you money on razor blades. I’ve already covered this before, but one of the benefits of wet shaving is that the double-edge blades they use are incredibly cheap. Keep your safety razor in good working condition and the only added cost you will have is buying DE blades and soap or cream.
Develop It Into Your Routine -- But Don’t Stress
Out About Being a Perfectionist
Cleaning and performing preventative maintenance on your safety razor is important, but there’s no need to stress out about it. Quality safety razors are incredibly durable and don’t need to be spotless after every use. If you're in a rush and don't have the time to really clean it off every once in awhile, it's going to be ok!
But building the habit of cleaning and making it part of your routine will simplify and expedite the process. It then becomes less of a chore and just more of “hey, this is part of my routine so I’m going to keep doing it.”
Today, I am going to cover how, when and why to clean your safety razor. There are 3 different methods for cleaning your razor, and each serves its own purpose.
- Daily Cleaning & Maintenance
- Weekly Cleaning & Maintenance
- Quarterly Cleaning & Maintenance (every 3 or 4 months)
Daily Cleaning & Maintenance
Tools needed: isopropyl alcohol
Time estimate: 60 seconds
Frequency: daily
Alright, let’s say you’re in excellent physical shape. Which of the following approaches would you take to make sure you remain in excellent shape?
- Approach A: workout 4 or 5 times a week for 20 minutes
OR
- Approach B: be lazy and do nothing 6 days a week, but then do a mega 2-hour workout 1 day a week
I'm not a licensed physical fitness trainers, but my results have always been much better when I consistently maintain rather than a crash and recover type of strategy.
It’s a similar approach with maintaining your safety razor. Yes, you should perform a more thorough weekly and quarterly cleaning as well. But a daily cleaning (i.e. after every time you shave) goes a long way in helping to maintain the performance and look of your razor.
It really doesn’t take too much time to clean your safety razor after every use. But what are common excuses why some wet shavers don’t properly clean their razor everyday?
- Bad habits/lack of knowledge: they never had to clean or maintain a cartridge/disposable so they aren’t aware it’s different with a safety razor
- Don’t have the time: if you’re running late and need a quick shave, don’t bother cleaning your razor. It's ok! However, try to budget a little extra time to your routine. It’s only 90 seconds. Just don’t get in the bad habit of never cleaning it.
- They view their shave as a chore and just want to get it over with: most guys just want to shave as quick as possible. Want my advice? Slow down. Enjoy the quiet time you have to yourself and place value on your shave. Then you won’t be so annoyed at having to clean your products. A good attitude about shaving goes a long way...
Here's my quick 5 step procedure on how I clean my safety razor on a daily basis after using.
- 1First, slightly loosen the razor head by twisting the handle counterclockwise. The blade should remain securely in the head, but you want enough space between the blade and the head so that any gunk, soap scum or other debris that is still there can be removed in the following steps.
- 2Next, run the razor head under hot water for about 20 seconds. You want water going against the blade so hold the blade opening perpendicular to the flow of the water.
- 3Gently shake off any excess water and re-tighten the razor head.
- 4Dip the entire razor head in a container of isopropyl alcohol. There are multiple benefits from doing this. First, the alcohol cleans and disinfects the razor blade and razorhead. Secondly, it helps displace any water that was remaining on the double-edge razor blade. Alcohol helps make the water evaporate quicker as well as deter and delay corrosion on both the blade and razor. It doesn’t harm your safety razor at all and you’ll be rinsing it off before next use anyway.
- Save some time and keep a closed container of isopropyl alcohol in your bathroom with your shaving gear. I have a half-full mason jar with a lid that I use. This will save you a lot of time in the future if you have the isopropyl alcohol ready to go.
- 5Hang the razor blade on a stand at least 1 foot away from the sink. Why? Because water corrodes the blade and although it may not be getting wet by being close to the sink, the humidity in the immediate area will have an impact. Also, do not store your razor in the shower. You just went through all that trouble of drying it off by dipping it in isopropyl alcohol, why undo all that work? If you like shaving in the shower that’s ok (although I don’t recommend it) but just don’t store your razor in there.
Well that was easy enough, right? Now let’s see what weekly maintenance you should be doing.
Weekly Cleaning & Maintenance
Tools required: towel or rag, isopropyl alcohol
Time estimate: 90 seconds
Frequency: once a week or every time you change the blade
Daily care for you razor is like brushing your teeth everyday: it is essential for preventative maintenance and helps get most of the “junk” off. However, it’s not quite getting in every nook and cranny. For dental hygiene it’s floss. For weekly safety razor cleaning and maintenance though, all you need is a fabric towel or rag to go along with the alcohol you are already using on a daily basis.
- 1Disassemble the entire safety razor and place each part on the counter. I usually lay out a hand towel next to the sink to prevent any of the parts from rolling off the counter.
- 2Safely discard the used razor blade. You won’t need it anymore and it is a safety hazard if you just leave it out on the counter. So be safe and discard it before doing anything else.
- 3Grab a different hand towel or rag and run part of it under some warm water. Squeeze out some of the water, you want it wet but not dripping soaked. I like using microfiber towels because they are usually thin and can usually get in tough to reach places better, but you can use any towel you have available.
- 4Now just take each piece and wipe/polish it down as good as possible. Don’t obsess over it, you’re not shining silverware for the Queen. Razor head, handle, inside the razor head. Don't obsess over it but remove as much soap scum and other debris as possible.
- 5Re-assemble the razor and put a new DE blade in it.
- 6Dip the head in your jar of isopropyl alcohol and store it on your razor stand in a dry area away from the sink and shower.
Quarterly Cleaning & Maintenance
Tools required: isopropyl alcohol, dish detergent, toothbrush (not the one you brush your teeth with), q-tips, empty glass/jar/bowl
Time estimate: 3 minutes
Frequency: every 3 to 4 months
If daily care for your razor is like brushing your teeth and weekly maintenance is like flossing, then quarterly care for your safety razor is like your semi-annual cleaning at the dentist. This is the time for a deep clean that really gets in the tough to reach places to make sure there’s absolutely no corrosion or deterioration.
Oh, and the quarterly cleaning will basically make your razor look like it’s brand new. Pretty awesome, right?
So why is it so important to give your safety razor a deep clean every 3 or 4 months?
First of all, you can’t see all the little nooks and crannies where there is water and soap scum building up. Your basic daily and weekly cleanings do a really good job at making sure your razor stays in good working condition, but you can’t get everything with just a towel. It takes smaller more precise tools like the bristles on a toothbrush or a q-tip to be able to get in some of those tight spaces.
Secondly, the soap scum and other debris that builds up doesn't just deteriorate your razor, it also hinders the performance. It's like gunk that builds up in your car's engine and prevents everything from operating efficiently. With safety razors, gunk buildup can prevent lather from being distributed efficiently or prevent the blade from making optimal contact. Either way, it's a problem.
Lastly, I think a nice shiny safety razor has a psychological effect on your shave experience. Half the battle with shaving is just having a good attitude about it. Yeah you need to use proper technique and buy the right products, but having a good attitude about your shave goes a long way to improving it.
I used to dread having to shave in the morning before work. Not anymore though. Now I enjoy the experience. Using a nice shiny safety razor that leaves my face soft and smooth makes it a reward, not a chore or obligation. Not to mention my wife sure seem to like my clean-shaven face...
- 1Disassemble the entire razor and place the individual parts on a towel next to your sink/work area.
- 2Safely discard the used double-edge razor blade.
- 3Mix a few squirts of dish detergent with warm water in a cup, glass or bowl. I recommend keeping a spare glass in the bathroom with your other shave gear so you don't have to go find another glass or bowl every time you do your quarterly cleaning.
- 4Dip a toothbrush in the solution, mix it up and get a good lather on it. Hopefully I don't need to say it, but use a different toothbrush than the one you brush your teeth with. Just buy any cheap toothbrush on Amazon and set it aside solely for the purpose of cleaning.
- 5Scrub away on each individual piece. Make sure you really pay attention to the tight spaces you are typically unable to reach during your daily and weekly cleans. Use the same technique and force like you use when you are hand washing dishes.
- 6If you're having trouble reaching tough spots with the toothbrush, use a q-tip to try and scrub the soap scum and grime away. I have found that butterfly razors usually have the most difficult areas to reach.
- 7Once you have adequately cleaned everything, rinse all the pieces off with water and then pat them dry with your towel.
- 8Reassemble your razor and put a new razor blade in it so it’s already locked and loaded for your next shave.
- 9Almost done! But first, don’t forget to dip the head and blade in your jar of isopropyl alcohol before properly storing it back on your razor stand.
- 10Enjoy how awesome your safety razor looks and count all the money you saved by switching from a cartridge or disposable.
Want to kill 2 birds with one stone? Wash your safety razor with your dishes! After all, you're using essentially using the same tools. Just make sure to remove the blade and safely discard it before adding the safety razor to the pile of dirty dishes in your sink.
I have even heard of some wet shavers washing their razor in the dishwasher, but I have never tried this method. Washing it in the dishwasher definitely cleans it and disinfects any bacteria, but I'm not crazy about it because it sits in steam for a longer cycle. Quality razors shouldn't rust or corrode in these conditions, but I just don't like taking the risk. It takes less than 5 minutes to handwash and clean. Do you really not have that much time?
So Fresh and So Clean, Clean
Look good. Feel good. Shave good. That's the saying right? Something like that...
Daily and weekly cleanings take less than 2 minutes. Quarterly cleanings takes less than 5 minutes. No excuses. Well-made safety razors are made from quality materials and are really durable, but you still have to take care of them if you want them to last.
Preserve Your Safety Razor and It Will Be a
Cool Vintage Gift Someday
I have found that most guys that switch to a safety razor typically don't just buy one razor. Even guys that find the one that they really like, they still usually end up trying a couple more options out.
Some of you are like me and are going to build up an arsenal of safety razors. But some of you are probably thinking “I'm only going to use this razor for about 6 months before upgrading to a new, better one. Why should I take care of it?”
Because they make really cool gifts. Instead of giving your nephew, son, grandson or friend a gift card for his birthday, Christmas or graduation, how cool would it be to pass down to them a safety razor?
Spreading the knowledge of wet shaving is really cool and I am glad you found out about it. Not all guys are so lucky because the market is so dominated with cartridge and disposable razor advertising.
So try to pay it forward. Spread the word about how awesome wet shaving is by taking care of your safety razor so you can gift it to someone in the future. They will be very thankful.
