Whether you’re cleaning modern or vintage safety razors, you will have come across people mentioning a product called Scrubbing Bubbles. It appears that most razor forums are based in the USA where Scrubbing Bubbles is widely available. However here in the UK it has never been heard of. I for one have wondered for many years what this mystical product does and where I could get a Scrubbing Bubbles alternative.

Bathroom Cleaner

Even though I have never personally used Scrubbing Bubbles; from what I gather it is a cleaning product that ‘fizzes’ in the water, which makes it very good at removing grime – especially in hard to reach areas. Scrubbing Bubbles is sold as a bathroom cleaner, so any bathroom cleaner really would do a similar job. There are several in the UK that advertise a ‘fizzing’ effect.

Cillit Bang make one called ‘Active Foam Soapscum’ which can be purchased in bulk cheaply from Amazon.

Bathroom Mousse

Any supermarket generic Bathroom Mousse will also do a good job. I like to put the razor in the bottom of the washing up bowl and then spray a load of the mousse all over it, making sure it’s completely covered. Let it sit there for about 10 minutes until the mousse has started to turn to water. At this stage get a toothbrush and scrub the razor with the left over mousse. Simply rinse with water.

Baking Soda

Not strictly a Scrubbing Bubbles alternative, but if you have a really dirty razor then a good first step is to simply use baking soda and boiling water. Take a bowl or a pan, place your razor at the bottom and pour on the boiling water. Then start slowly pouring in the baking soda, you will notice that it will suddenly fizz up and you will see years of dirt and grime float to the top of the water. Lush! Leave it to soak for about 30 minutes or until the water has become luke warm and remove the razor and give it a rinse under the cold tap.

Don’t forget about the Polish!

I know this post was about a scrubbing bubbles alternative, but don’t forget the last important stage of cleaning a vintage razor – the polish. Again, most forums talk about a product called MAAS. Luckily this one is easy to get in the UK, although mostly online such as Amazon. 

Although MAAS is a great product and I used to use it exclusively, I have found a cheaper alternative that is even easier to get in the UK and that is called Peek. It doesn’t have the nice smell of MAAS, but it seems to do the job just as well and depending on where you buy it, it can be half the price.

You can normally buy Peek in most DIY shops or even supermarkets, but even the growing ‘bargain’ places such as B&M are selling it now so it can be had even cheaper.