First off, here are 3 important points:
• Use the cleaning machine once a week… maybe twice if you have lot of facial hair or if you live in very humid environment.
• After each cleaning, pull out the cleaning solution cartridge and reseal it after each cleaning. This prevents evaporation and greatly extends the life of the solution.
• When your solution gets low (machine will tell you), don’t buy expensive, wasteful refills. Make yours efficiently and for cheap at home! Here’s how:
1) Take the fluid cartridge out of the machine. Don’t throw it away. In the cartridge, there will be some fluid or sludge of hair particles in the filter on the bottom.
2) Pour in rubbing alcohol (Isopropyl) to loosen the particles. Cover the two holes with your thumbs, shake vigorously and then pour the solution out into a sink or toilet. Try to pour the solution out of the non-filtered hole to allow the particle to escape.
3) Repeat with some fresh alcohol if there are still has too many particles still in it ~ it does not have to be perfect.
4) Let the container drain as much as possible or reasonable ~ again, it does not have to be perfect.
5) Make your own fluid (cleaning solution). Here’s the formula and how:
170 ml (max)
(II) Put in 4 teaspoons of water, preferably distilled (20 ml). This is a must.
(III) Fill the rest with rubbing or isopropyl alcohol (140 ml). Be sure to not overfill. Do not top it off. If you remember the original cartridge they are about 80% full. You should be around 70-75% full. If you overfill, the overflow fluid can corrode the cleaning machine and/or your shaver (blades)
6) Put the cartridge back into the base unit.
Done. Save money and resources from excess plastic and shipping costs!
I don’t understand why you are thinning the alchol with distilled water. All the rest of the receips I have seen use straight alchol. Do you still have to use the water if you don’t use the glycern?
Man, I did all that research and testing (trial & error) 3 years ago. For whatever reason I think the water was necessary to make the solution thinner or less viscous in order to all allow it to move around the tiny spaces in the machine.
Since then, I’ve actually stopped using the cleaning machine and fluid completely. I’ve been cleaning my electric razor with the brushes. I do the dry clean with the brush along with some shaking immediately after every use. This has worked just fine for the last 2 years. It may help that I live in Arizona and the extremely dry environment helps with avoiding moisture sticking to the electric razor and causing any corrosive issues.
I’ve been doing the Make Your Own Braun Refills for the past 3 years. And, let me tell you, it works and saves money! By my estimate I’ve saved somewhere in the neighborhood of $100 a year. May not seem like much when taken in that context. But, let me tell you, I’d rather keep that money in my pocket for something else instead of paying for something I don’t need.
I have found simply putting the plug back in the top of the cleaning cartridge after every use is the best way to get maximum life out of the genuine Braun cleaning refills. What used to last about 2 months is already at about 6 months and still counting. If you live in tropical/humid climates you will find the cleaning solution just evaporates away without any use.
Also I have read people asking the following on other websites:
Does the genuine Braun cleaning solution make the paint on the back of the shaver bubble/peel? – YES. I have only ever used genuine Braun clean solution and mine is peeling.
Has anyone had the thin metal on the foils disintegrate using the Braun cleaning solution? – YES. Same again, only ever used Braun’s stuff and I have had this happen once out of 2 foils.
my low cleaning solution light keeps the razor from cleaning despite the cartridge being filled. why is this?
ray t
Yes, mine has peeled.
Very simple! I used 70% isopropyl alcohol and added one tablespoon of regular tap water. Works like a charm!
Yes, you do need a little water added. the electrodes require something to sense and the light oil that makes up the remaining 30% of the solution must not be conductive enough.
Tip: try putting a little of your favorite aftershave in. It definitely leaves some on the shave that ends up “Subtly” on your face. Makes the room smell nice too.
Hi,
I followed your receipe by the letter.
Now the low light eliminates and the machine stops immediately
Would you know the reason
It seems that I am not the only one with the problem
Paul, which recipe is that?
The low fluid level light stops the machine. O used your receipe to the letter. Wonder why.
The receipe I followed is from http://www.efficient-life.com/author/admin/
On the top of the page.
Since I changed the fluid, the machine indicates that the fluid is low and stops.
The formula is as follow.
(I) First put in 1 teaspoon of glycerin if you have it (5 ml). If you don’t have it, skip this step.
(II) Put in 4 teaspoons of water, preferably distilled (20 ml). This is a must.
(III) Fill the rest with rubbing or isopropyl alcohol (140 ml). Be sure to not overfill. Do not top it off. If you remember the original cartridge they are about 80% full. You should be around 70-75% full. If you overfill, the overflow fluid can corrode the cleaning machine and/or your shaver (blades)
Maybe tinker with the proportions or add water to increase the fluid level. Last resort… I use the dry brush to thoroughly clean after each use, then use an actual refill (forgive me) about once every three months. I recap the refill after each clean in order to keep the alcohol from evaporating. It lasts 1-2 years.
Thank you. Sorry for the delay in answering.
I lost the site.
I cleaned the cavity where the shaver rest, and everything is back to normal.
I added some water and everything works like a charm. Thankyou
I now recap the refill after I used the cleaner.
Tanks again. Great job.
Paul
Hi all, just re-filled mine. Used Isopropanol (pure ), added some Glycerin and topped up with PURE water. It didn’t work and just reset itself to cartridge empty.
Anyways, I added some tap-water, about 30mL, tried it again and it works, it is busy doing its cleaning cycle as I type, with a full cartridge.
So, the water must add a conductive effect, and its also cheaper than iso-prop.
regards
Nick
I would add that one major Braun ingredient not mentioned here is d-Limonene—a lemon-based solvent which cuts grease and provides a fragrance. It is an ingredient in the Braun cartridges, less than 5% of the formula. It is available to buy online for around $5, or the price of one cartridge, but as a 4 oz. bottle, should last for dozens of cartridges.
Thank you Bob. Great little bit to know!
Thanks so much @Efficient Life Connoisseur for sharing this great recipe and want also thanks to @Bob Foss for his advice about D-Limonene.
So now current OP’s recipe should look like following
(I) First put in 1 teaspoon of glycerin if you have it (5 ml). If you don’t have it, skip this step.
(II) Put 1 teaspoon of D-Limonene if you have it (5 ml) (a lemon-based solvent which cuts grease and provides a fragrance). If you don’t have it, skip this step.
(III) Put in 4 teaspoons of water, preferably distilled (20 ml). This is a must.
(IV) Fill the rest with rubbing or isopropyl alcohol (135 ml).
I just followed the 4 part recipe for my series 7. Less than $14 worth of oil and alcohol. Worked perfectly.
I purchased the glycerine, and isopropyl from drug store and the lemon essential oil from fancy super market. Wife already had the distilled water at home. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Everyone states to use isopropyl alcohol, yet the MSDS indicates that the Braun solution does not contain IPA…it is composed of ethyl alcohol.
http://images.clasohlson.com/medias/sys_master/9264467640350.pdf
You can get this at a liquor store in the form of grain alcohol…Everclear, Graves are 2 common brands.
I haven’t tried it yet, but intend to do so.
Will be mixing glycerin and propylene glycol in equal parts, in addition to the ethanol.
I have used 100% denatured alcohol for years. Rinse with a hose and shake repeatedly to clean out the hairs, add a bit of alcohol to remove the water, drain, and fill.
I’m using the “5ml Glycerine, 5ml D-Limonene, 20ml Distilled Water, top off with Everclear” formula and found that the red “fluid level” light turns on when I overfill the cartridge; dumping a little bit of fluid out fixes the problem. I marked the original fill level with a sharpie and refilling it too just under that line seems to be the sweet spot. Reason I use Everclear is because it has a more neutral fragrance than isopropyl alcohol.
You don’t need to pay for Everclear at a liquor store. Denatured alcohol is available by the quart or gallon at any hardware store for a fraction of the price. It’s the same alcohol, but with a small amount of poison intentionally added so you can’t drink it and avoid paying the liquor taxes (imagine buying a gallon of 100% alcohol for $20.
Also, rubbing alcohol comes in a few different concentrations; 70% and 91% are the most common. The remainder is most likely distilled water. When one says use rubbing alcohol, which concentration do you use?
Also, if conductivity of the solution is at all an issue than you shouldn’t be using distilled water to make the solution conductive. Distilled water is completely nonconductive by nature; you need impurities like salts in the water to make it conductive. Tap water will work better and is conductive.
I am using the 70%. I feel as that handles the water portion of the recipe and as a lubricant oil I use a hair and skin treatment type of tea tree oil that contains canola oil.