Sanitation, Disinfection, and Infection Control
This domain tests whether you can defend every item and surface in your treatment area with a defined process. Questions focus on the difference between cleaning, disinfection and sterilization, correct product selection, contact time, single-use rules, and blood exposure response.
The four levels
Cleaning removes visible debris with soap and water and must happen before any disinfectant, because residue blocks chemical contact. Sanitation reduces microbial load on surfaces. Disinfection destroys most pathogenic organisms on non-porous items. Sterilization destroys all microbial life including spores and is rarely required in lashing because tools do not enter the body. Classification follows risk: critical items contact broken skin or blood, semicritical items contact mucosa, and noncritical items contact intact skin.
Product and process rules
Use an EPA-registered hospital-grade disinfectant carrying a tuberculocidal claim for tweezers, scissors and reusable implements. Immerse fully and leave for the label contact time, often 10 minutes, then dry and store in a closed clean container. Single-use items are disposed of after one client: lash strips, spoolies, microbrushes, adhesive nozzles, glue rings, gel pads and wands. Never double-dip into an adhesive bottle; dispense a fresh drop onto a ring. Wash hands for at least 20 seconds before and after each client and change gloves between tasks. Launder linens at high temperature or use disposables. UV cabinets are storage, not sterilization.
Worked example
A tweezer drops on the floor mid-set. The correct sequence is: retrieve it with a gloved hand, clean it with soap and water to remove debris, immerse it in hospital-grade disinfectant for the full label contact time, dry it, and store it covered. Replacing it with a spare and wiping the dropped one with alcohol is inadequate because alcohol is not a hospital-grade tuberculocidal disinfectant and the item never received contact time.
Blood and body fluid exposure
Stop, don gloves, clean the wound, apply an antiseptic and cover it. Clean and disinfect the area, dispose of contaminated single-use items in a closed bin, and document the incident. Report according to your local bloodborne pathogen policy.
Traps that cost marks
Treating sanitizer as equivalent to disinfection; skipping the label contact time; believing UV cabinets sterilize; storing disinfected tools in an open tray; reusing adhesive nozzles; and forgetting that cleaning must precede disinfection.