Barbicide/Virucide/alcohol

Mong.

Mong.

doesn't care for Euro Palmolive
Group Buy Associate
2015 Sabbatical
Joined
Aug 9, 2012
Location
Melbourne
I am really hesitant to use the razors I bought back from Vietnam without some kind of disinfectant, but finding something other than alcohol is proving difficult. What I really want is either Barbicide or Virucide, but I'm not having much luck finding anywhere online in Australia. I asked at Hairhouse Warehouse and that turned up nothing. What have you guys used to disinfectant/sterilise your razors, and where did you find it? I might be stuck with just alcohol (I assume this will do the job anyway), but I wouldn't mind something that's rated to kill hepatitis if I can get it.
 
Worked in a health care facility before I retired. We used: Wavicide-01® Disinfecting/ Sterilizing Solution, to disinfect equipment. I believe it's available international. A pharmacy of a medical supply store should have it.
 
I use Barbicide which I got via eBay from the US. Not sure who I got it from but there are a few listings like this one. Mar-v-cide is another one available via eBay in listings like this one.
 
I went to a local beauty/hair dresser wholesale place, you know the type for Hairdressers only lol... They let me buy some chemical from them.

I asked for Barbicide and they said they don't use that but sold me a solution that they claimed was the same.

Was like $4 and make like a thousand litres or something ridiculous.

If you like I will get the name of it when I get home?
 
Johnus said:
Worked in a health care facility before I retired. We used: Wavicide-01® Disinfecting/ Sterilizing Solution, to disinfect equipment. I believe it's available international. A pharmacy of a medical supply store should have it.
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I'll have a look around for that one too, thanks mate.

Mark1966 said:
I use Barbicide which I got via eBay from the US. Not sure who I got it from but there are a few listings like this one. Mar-v-cide is another one available via eBay in listings like this one.
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I actually have the barbicide you linked there on my watch list. I had a vague memory of you mentioning before that you'd used barbicide before, I was hoping you'd had more luck than me and found an Aussie seller. Just to check, you haven't had any trouble with the barbicide as far as any razor damage is concerned? Not sure if it has anything that might be bad for gold plating (not that I have any gold razors...yet). Cheers for the links too. How much of your bottle have you gone through

Lynchy said:
Was like $4 and make like a thousand litres or something ridiculous.

If you like I will get the name of it when I get home?
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That would be much appreciated, cheers mate. If there's something under a different name in common use out here, I can try the other branch of this Hairhouse Warehouse joint and try my luck there. $4 sounds way better than $25 from the US.
 
This is the stuff I was talking about.


I have used this on a few razors without any issues. I haven't used it on any Silver or Gold plated razors so you would have to test it out on something first.


Anyway here is some solid information I came across after reading so much contradicitng info over at YKW. So this is all I really do now TBH:


Public Health (Hairdressing) Code of Practice 2000.
"17 Razors
(1) Cutthroat razors must not be used.
(2) Single-use razors (that is, razors for which replacement blades are not
supplied) must be disposed of after a single use in a ‘sharps’ container that
complies with Australian Standard 4031-1992, as varied from time to time.
(3) Safety razors must be processed after each use as follows:
(a) disassemble the razor;
(b) discard the blade in a ‘sharps’ container that complies with Australian
Standard 4031-1992, as varied from time to time;
(c) clean the body of the razor using the following method:
(i) rinse in warm water;
(ii) wash in warm water;
(iii) rinse in hot water (minimum 75º C);
(iv) dry thoroughly;
(v) wipe the body of the razor with a 70% alcohol solution;
(vi) store dry."

Obviously the bit about straights is a Hairdressing/barber rule in the ACT but the rest appears to be good enough for me.......and here's the full link if you want to read it all.

Hope that helps to calm/ease your fears?:D
 
Wow, after each use? I loosen it up a bit and run some hot water over it. Once in a while take it apart and clean it with an old toothbrush and some toothpaste. That's only really a visual thing to get rid of soap scum.
 
Barbicide is terrible stuff on any razor if you leave them in it for too long. I think 10 mins is enough and more does not do any more to kill things. Leaving razors in long can gum them up - trust me ...

If you only have a couple to do and can wait till I get back home in January I can send you some (I think). PM me
 
Pjotr said:
Wow, after each use? I loosen it up a bit and run some hot water over it. Once in a while take it apart and clean it with an old toothbrush and some toothpaste. That's only really a visual thing to get rid of soap scum.
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I think that is meant between clients PJ!

Rise under hot water is all mine get between shaves!
 
I forgot to say thanks at the time for the excellent info guys. I just wanted to update. I'm still paranoid about these Vietnamese razors and I still haven't found a place that'll sell me saloncide. A couple of places in Australia stock it, but I encountered a nitpicky customer service person at a Perth-based hairdressing supply store who will only ship it to me if I lodge a hairdresser's registration number or an equivalent business number. There's just no reasoning with this person, they seem to expect me to become a hairdresser so that I can sterilise things in my home.

In the end, I used the solution glenos provided and spent a bit of extra time in hot water and dish soap with the scrubbing brush. I'm not really satisfied because I wanted something that could kill hepatitis, but I do concede that my desire for a better disinfectant hasn't got much rational basis at this point. Better safe than sorry though.

The good news is that my Slim and Krona are finally fixed up and ready to go.
 
I'm no microbiologist but after two months in Australia anything residual that could cause hep-b would have died naturally. Why are you so worried about viruses/bacteria etc? Surely just walking through the streets of Vietnam would be a much higher exposure risk than a razor. Unless of course it was bought second hand fresh from the hands of a mainlining, hep-b positive junkie. But even then after two months of what is effectively quarantine I wouldn't be worried about it at all. There's a much higher risk of contracting something nasty from the good old Australian dust that's collected on them.
 
Pjotr said:
I'm no microbiologist but after two months in Australia anything residual that could cause hep-b would have died naturally. Why are you so worried about viruses/bacteria etc? Surely just walking through the streets of Vietnam would be a much higher exposure risk than a razor. Unless of course it was bought second hand fresh from the hands of a mainlining, hep-b positive junkie. But even then after two months of what is effectively quarantine I wouldn't be worried about it at all. There's a much higher risk of contracting something nasty from the good old Australian dust that's collected on them.
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Agreed- Mong, I don't think you have anything to worry about mate.
 
Pjotr said:
Why are you so worried about viruses/bacteria etc?
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Happy to concede I'm flapping over nothing, but I guess it's just that there's a reasonable chance it's been in contact with blood and I have no way of knowing how it's been cared for and where it came from. True what you say about two months of quarantine in regards to hep C, but I wonder about tetanus. The army surplus market in Saigon is a nice breeding ground for that. When I got them, these razors looked like they had sat around in the dirt for many a year.

Like I said though guys, I've put them away for use now. This was just a case of erring on the side of caution. Plus, it seems good practice to sterilise before selling and I'm hesitant to boil the Slim in particular, so I don't inadvertently harm the plastic inside.

Another practical reason for looking for this stuff is that my mum is a nurse/midwife and is contemplating doing some external consulting, so she will get some use from it too. I wouldn't just be buying a litre for the sake of two razors, it works out well for both.

All the above aside, A NOTE TO ANYONE READING THIS IN THE FUTURE FOR INFORMATION:

Glenos suggests an 80/20 mix of ethanol to water, and I'm satisfied that this will kill anything nasty. I used metho, as a google search suggested any denatured alcohol was suitable. A short bath and then rinse with this, followed by a good scrub in hot soapy water is all that is really needed. I've gone far overboard for the reasons above, but it's hardly necessary.
 
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