Hygiene, Sanitation and Infection Control
Three words that are not synonyms
Sanitising reduces visible soil and most transient microbes. Disinfecting kills most pathogens on inanimate surfaces. Sterilising destroys all microbial life, including spores, and needs an autoclave or a validated chemical sterilant. Answers lose marks for calling a UV cabinet "sterilisation"; UV cabinets are for storage and light disinfection only.
Core rules
- Hands: wash for 20 seconds with soap and water before and after each client. Alcohol rub only when hands are visibly clean.
- Implements: metal tools that may contact blood or cut skin (cuticle nippers, tweezers, extractors, blades) go to the autoclave. Non-porous tools that only touch intact skin are cleaned, then disinfected with 70% isopropyl alcohol or a hospital-grade solution for the stated contact time.
- Single-use items: blades, nail files or single-client files, orange sticks, wax spatulas, gloves, cotton.
- Linen: a fresh towel per client, hot-wash cycle, separate soiled bin.
- Pedicure tubs: drain, clean and disinfect between clients; biofilm hides in the jets.
- Waste: sharps in a puncture-proof container; blood-stained items bagged separately.
Worked example
A cuticle nipper nicks a client and a bead of blood appears. Reasoning: stop, wear gloves, clean and dress the wound, place the nipper in a labelled contaminated tray, brush it under water to remove debris, dry it, then autoclave it. Wipe the station with disinfectant, change the towel and bag the waste. Cleaning must come before disinfection, because disinfectant cannot reach microbes under dried blood.
Traps that cost marks
- "Sprayed it with sanitiser" for a tool that cut skin.
- Reusing a wax spatula between clients.
- Disinfecting a tool that is still wet and dirty.