Straight razor maintenance can be categorized into these 4 categories:
1. Daily maintenance
2. Touchup/rehone maintenance
3. Long term storage
4. Restore and reparation
1. Daily maintenance takes only 5-6 minutes longer than maintenance of a safety razor. After the shave you must ensure the razor is completely dry, by wiping it thoroughly with a paper towel, both on the steel and the scales, inside and out. Then you strop the blade on linen/canvas side of the strop to dry the edge completely. If you have no linen component, the leather will do just fine. Store the razor outside of your bathroom in a dry place until the next shave.
2. Rehone, or touchup of the edge is required once the blade doesn’t shave at its full potential. Note it is very important to have the razor honed by someone experienced to begin with, so you know what shave-ready means. This step takes only about 5-6 minutes, too, provided the edge isn’t damaged (no nicks and chips). It requires a finishing stone of high quality. It is hard to say how often a touchup is needed, as it depends on several factors. Some people do it after a month, some after 3 months, some a year. It depends on how often you use the razor, as well as on the steel, on your beard, and on your stropping proficiency... etc.
3. Long term storage. Once you decide to put away a straight razor for a longer period of time, say a month or longer, it’s advisable to lightly oil the blade. Mineral oil such as Balistol works well and is what I generally prefer, as it is safe in every way. Oiling a blade and storing it away shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.
4. Restore and reparation is something many people leave to the pros, or enthusiasts. I won’t get into this here, as it shouldn’t be a concern for the time being. Many things have been written on this topic, and this is not yet the right forum to look for answers in this area, unless you go to specific members who have a lot of experience already. In general, the SRP forum would be my go-to resource, should I have anything to ask or look for on restoration (including honing, cleaning, polishing, etc...).
With all that in mind, it’s obvious the maintenance doesn’t take much time. However, it must never be neglected. You cannot just leave a wet blade behind and run out of bathroom in a hurry.... so there’s discipline involved, definitely, but it’s a rewarding experience once you get proficient at shaving with a straight. It needs to be fun above all, because let’s face it, there are easier ways to shave today. If it’s a chore, then it’s not worth the effort, it will just annoy you in the long run and you will give up.
Hope that wasn’t too boring