Safety, Sanitation, and Infection Control
Core concepts
Infection control is built on the chain of infection: pathogen, reservoir, portal of exit, mode of transmission, portal of entry, and susceptible host. Know the difference between cleaning (removing soil), disinfection (killing most pathogens on nonporous surfaces), and sterilization (destroying all microorganisms, which is not a routine salon process). Use an EPA-registered hospital-grade disinfectant at the label dilution and for the full contact time. Preclean implements, then immerse or wipe. Porous items that cannot be disinfected-cotton, wooden sticks, sponges-are single-use.
Safety and standard precautions
Treat every client as potentially infectious. Wash hands before and after services and after glove removal. Wear gloves for blood, body fluids, waxing, extractions, and handling contaminated items. Never double-dip spatulas or applicators. Keep SDS for chemicals, label secondary containers, and store chemicals away from clients. Dispose of sharps in a sharps container and blood-contaminated waste according to bloodborne pathogen rules.
Traps
Questions often swap “disinfect” and “sterilize,” ignore contact time, or imply a towel can be reused after one client. Dropped implements are contaminated even if they look clean. UV cabinets are not a substitute for chemical disinfection unless the manufacturer’s validated system says so.
Rule of thumb
If an item is porous, single-use, or cannot withstand the disinfectant, discard it. If it is reusable and nonporous, clean first, then disinfect for the full labeled contact time.