Hygiene, Sanitation and Infection Control
What this domain covers
This domain tests whether you can name the levels of decontamination, apply them to tools and surfaces, and stop cross-contamination between clients.
The four levels
- Cleaning: physically removes soil, product residue and organic matter with detergent and water. Nothing else works on a dirty tool.
- Sanitising: reduces bacteria to a safe level; used for surfaces and laundry.
- Disinfection: destroys most pathogens on inanimate objects using a chemical at the label dilution and contact time.
- Sterilisation: destroys all microorganisms including spores; autoclave at 121C and 15 psi for 15-20 minutes.
A UV cabinet is a storage cabinet, not a steriliser; the light only reaches exposed surfaces.
Rules that earn marks
- Wash hands before and after every client; wear fresh gloves for waxing, extractions and any blood contact.
- Single-use only: nail files and buffers, wooden spatulas, wax strips, thread, cotton pads, mascara wands.
- Metal implements: wash, disinfect, dry, store covered.
- Never double-dip a spatula into the wax pot; never return used product to a jar.
- Waste: covered bin with a liner, plus a separate sharps container for blades and broken glass.
Worked example
A comedone extractor has just been used. Wash it with detergent and a brush, soak it in disinfectant for the stated contact time, dry it, and store it covered until it can be autoclaved. Reasoning: disinfection lowers the pathogen load, but only sterilisation removes spores, and drying prevents dilution of the next disinfectant batch.
Traps
- Calling a UV cabinet a steriliser.
- Topping up a disinfectant instead of remaking it at the correct dilution.
- Reusing thread or a towel between two clients.