Infection Control, Sanitation, and Safety
The chain of infection
Every sanitation question ultimately asks one thing: can an organism get from a source to a new host? Break the chain - kill or remove the organism, block the route, or protect the host - and the answer follows. Know the pathogen families (bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites) and which are bloodborne (hepatitis B and C, HIV) versus spread by contact with skin, droplets, or contaminated implements.
Three levels of control
Sanitizing lowers the microbial count and is the minimum for floors, counters, and linens. Disinfecting destroys most pathogens on nonporous implements and requires an EPA-registered, hospital-grade product used at label dilution for the full contact time. Sterilizing destroys all microbial life, including spores, and is done with an autoclave - not a UV cabinet. The classic trap: a UV towel cabinet or a quick spray-and-wipe is not disinfection, and implements must be scrubbed free of debris before they are immersed, then stored dry in a closed container.
Protecting yourself and the client
Wash hands before gloving and between clients; gloves do not replace handwashing. Use single-use items - spatulas, cotton, lancets, disposable brushes, wooden sticks - once and discard. Porous items that cannot be cleaned (emery boards, pumice stones) are not shared. Keep an SDS for every chemical, label secondary containers, ventilate for fumes, and practice universal precautions, assuming every client could carry a bloodborne pathogen.
Rule of thumb: if the label says ten minutes, the implement sits fully submerged for ten minutes - a ten-second spray is zero minutes.