Ways To Use A Barbicide Jar

By Christi Larsen


The Barbicide Jar is an icon and has been used for over half a century. Setting the standard for cleanliness, it is a familiar sight to all who have made a trip to the barbershop, hairdressers, manicurist, or spa. Still in use today, the jars are now being seen in many homes for a variety of reasons. Its simplistic design makes it a unique display. It also serves anywhere inside the home including the kitchen.

In 1947, Maurice King, a science teacher, came up with a formula to sanitize hair combs, brushes, tweezers, razors, scissors, and clippers. This liquid solution rids the items of fungus or germs when immersed in the fluid. The blue solution has set a high standard of cleanliness for over a half century and is still used, in its namesake glass jar in shops and homes today. While still seen in barbershops, salons, manicure stations, and spa's it is now being used in the home for a variety of reasons.

Made of glass, the molded jars have a stainless steel cover and attached basket where items can be placed and sanitized. When retrieving the items, fingers or hands never enter the liquid. The glass rarely breaks and the metal parts never rust. They are functional and simple in design and have become a nostalgic icon of our society.

The jars have not changed much over the years. They are still clear glass with the name Barbicide on the side with the same stainless steel basket and cover. Some spas and salons use a wrap with different patterns to match the decor and their clientele. A few of the designs used are animal prints, bamboo, rose gardens, and tie-dyed patters in addition to many more.

They are not only for commercial use. More and more people are using them in their homes. Shaving dens and bathrooms now sport the jars filled with Barbicide or a different sterilizing solution. Straight razors dipped into the jar before and after use are kept sterile as are safety razors and tweezers.

The older ones have become collectible items and are displayed on shelves and cabinets. They are also being used to store sachet bags, small soaps, cotton balls, and baths salts in homes. Some people even use them to dispense drinking straws and other items.

Other uses for the jars are just as practical as the original intent for its design. Expensive makeup brushes can be stored inside and easily accessed with the retrieval basket. In the kitchen, drinking straws are often seen in these containers. Wrapped mints and other candies can also be placed inside and presented for gifts or just placed on a coffee table for small gatherings of friends for coffee or tea.

The functional and decorative Barbicide Jar is being used in many different ways. In the home to sanitize hygiene tools such as razors, clippers, and tweezers or in the bathroom for easy access to makeup tools, cotton balls and swabs, soaps, small bath soaps, scented candles, or scented sachets. The design and nostalgic value has made it a collectible with many admirers. Its design and functionality has made a place for it in a display at the Smithsonian at the National Museum of American History.




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