Double-edge blades are extremely sharp. Do not touch them by the edges. They should be handled only by the flat sides at all times, and the edges should only touch your skin when secured within a razor. Failure to abide by this simple safety protocol may result in severe bleeding.
When it's time to send your used double-edge blades out to pasture, it's important to remember that proper disposal of blades is critical. Most waste management companies don't permit un-protected razor blades (of any type, not just double-edge) into trash or recycling bins, as they present a danger to the people handling the materials. While double-edge blades leave far less overall waste material than the plastic backing, plastic base, blade cage, lube strip, rubber fins, etc. usually found on cartridge razors (and a smaller eco footprint on the production side), they still must be retired safely.
Your Badass Shaver comes with six loose blades wrapped in wax paper, all contained within a small plastic pouch. Some men prefer to take their used blades, re-wrap them in the wax paper, tape the paper shut, and place the used blades back in the plastic bag for disposal. This is adequate for most situations.
Our founder bought a 79 cent can of plain broth, cut a narrow slot in the top, emptied and rinsed the can (using the broth to make rice — he recommends this), let it dry, and now deposits his used blades into the slot, keeping it dry and rust-free under his bathroom sink. A can like that seals away the blades safely and completely, and holds more than a year's worth of blades before filling up and requiring disposal. Plastic jars and other non-breakable containers with a secure top also work reasonably well.
If you'd prefer to dispose of them directly instead of placing them into a disposal container, it's imperative to wrap them safely — either in their original wax paper and sealed with tape, or wrapped inside tissue and taped — before disposal, and even then it's better to then place them into a sealed plastic bag before disposal.
Some older homes (usually pre-1960) have a small flat hole in the bathroom wall, either next to the sink or inside the medicine cabinet. That hole is specifically for the disposal of double-edge blades — they just fall into the space between the walls. If your bathroom has an opening like this, you certainly have the option of using it. There are probably hundreds and hundreds of blades in there already from previous generations of shavers!
If you're using our Smooth Operator blades, then each five-pack comes with an opening at the top to get your next fresh blade, and also an opening the bottom to store your used blades safely. When you've used all five blades, they're already protected — you can simply throw the pack away as a whole. How easy is that?
These blades come in small cardboard boxes instead of a disposal pack. For these, we recommend disposing of them as you would loose blades. You can, alternately, place your used blades carefully back in the box, and then tape it shut.