Sanitation, Safety, and Infection Control
Clean, disinfect, sterilize
Sanitation questions reward precise vocabulary. Cleaning removes visible debris with soap and water. Disinfection kills or inactivates most pathogenic organisms on nonporous surfaces but does not necessarily kill bacterial spores. Sterilization destroys all microbial life, including spores, and is not what a typical barber shop does with combs and clippers. Use an EPA-registered hospital-grade disinfectant according to its label: concentration and contact time matter. If the label says ten minutes, a five-second dip is not disinfection.
Implements and surfaces
Nonporous tools-metal combs, clipper blades, scissors, razors-can be cleaned and disinfected. Porous items-wooden combs, nail files, buffers, some brushes-cannot be reliably disinfected; discard or use single-use. Keep clean and dirty tools separated. Change capes and neck strips between clients; launder towels and linens. Wash hands before and after each client and after removing gloves.
Blood and body fluids
Stop the service, put on gloves, and clean the area. Use an EPA-registered tuberculocidal disinfectant or a freshly prepared bleach solution at the label’s dilution, then dispose of contaminated single-use items in a closed container. Report exposures according to shop policy and law.
Worked example
A clipper blade nicks a client and draws blood. The blade is contaminated. Stop, glove, remove the blade, clean it, disinfect it with the labeled product for the full contact time, and discard any single-use item that cannot be disinfected. Rule of thumb: if you cannot disinfect it, throw it away.
Traps
UV cabinets are not a substitute for cleaning and disinfection. Disinfectant does not work instantly. “Sanitize” is not “sterilize.”