How do you sterilize a used razor?

I've got an auction razor on the way.  It's vintage.  No idea how many faces it's been on over the last 60 years.  How do I sterilize this thing before I use it?   I did this once before (with my first DE razor), but didn't really know what I was doing.  I soaked it overnight in rubbing alcohol.  The next day, I soaked it for a while in boiling water.  I figured alcohol kills stuff and so does boiling water, so I did both.  I'm not dead (yet) so either my strategy worked or I was just lucky. 

How DO you sterilize a used vintage DE razor before shaving with it?  Do you do it differently if it's stainless?  Gold plated?  Nickel plated?  Chrome?  Rusty?  And how do you get rid of the residual imaginary germs that outlast every possible sterilization effort?

Thanks,
- Bax

Some folks swear by Barbicide. I haven’t tried that as yet. What I do with nickel plated razors is soak them for a while in hot, not boiling, soapy water - people like to recommend Dawn dishwashing liquid. I use whatever my wife bought last. Then a thorough, gentle cleaning with an ultrasoft bristle toothbrush. Repeat if necessary. Rinse with fresh water. Pour a little rubbing alcohol in a shallow dish, place the razor in the dish and gently swirl for about 30 seconds. Don’t do this with gold plate. Stainless steel can handle a longer soak. Dry and buff with an eyeglass cleaning cloth.

I clean it thoroughly with dish soap and warm water.  You can gently use a soft child's toothbrush, if necessary.  Then I spray alcohol on it.

Nice to know my alcohol and boiling hot water methods weren't off-base!  Sounds like I was more aggressive than I needed to be.  I'll be more careful next time.
Thanks for the tips, Gents!
- Bax

Warm water, dish soap, ultrasonic cleaner, and a toothbrush if it's a bit grubby.

A UV light should help too, if you want to make sure.

Thoroughly clean it with soap and water, then boil it for at least 15 minutes.

I soak them in a Barbacide solution for 15 minutes.

And, like you, I haven't suffered any ill effects.

I went with the most reliable method possible, which was a mélange of methods suggested.  It was ultimately a 5-step process:  (1) soak in boiling water, (2) scrub with dish soap, (3) give it a BETTER scrubbing with toothpaste and toothbrush, (4) and let it soak a while in alcohol, and (5) enjoy two fingers of cold bourbon (or a quality sippin' scotch) while you wait for it to soak. If you finish your bourbon too quickly, pour yourself another one.  Voila!  Soon the razor is clean -- and even if it isn't, you don't care quite so much anyway.. so it's ready for use!  This tried-and-true, old time, ancient method that was handed down for generations is one I just made up, of course, based on all of your inputs.  I don't think anyone suggested the toothpaste, but it sounded like a good idea at the time, so I added it.  After devising this ultimate method of sterilizing a razor, I modified it before revealing this DE Razor secret... originally the bourbon step was #1.  Maybe that's why toothpaste seemed so brilliant at the  time...
:-)
Thanks, fellas!
- Bax

Go easy on the toothpaste Bax. Depending on what you’re using, it might be too abrasive.

Hmm, no one mentioned a soak in H2O2 Hydrogen peroxide. as for the rusty razors, there is the vinegar soak to remove rust but so many not rusty razors of all ages that I would use the rusty ones in a collage or metal sculpture.