Tools, Equipment, Products and Salon Hygiene/Sanitisation
What this domain covers
This domain covers the identification, safe use, cleaning, and storage of salon tools, equipment, and products. The exam tests the difference between cleaning, sanitising, disinfecting, and sterilising, plus contact time and waste handling.
Core rules and concepts
- Cleaning removes visible soil, oil, and product residue. Sanitising reduces germs on surfaces. Disinfecting kills most harmful micro-organisms on pre-cleaned tools. Sterilising destroys all micro-organisms including spores and is done by trained persons with proper equipment.
- Always clean a tool before disinfecting it. Disinfectant cannot work through wax, hair, or oil.
- Follow the label contact time; a quick dip is not disinfection.
- Use single-use items such as files, wooden sticks, and razor blades for one client only, then discard safely.
- Store clean tools in a covered, clean container. Keep dirty tools separate.
- Check product expiry dates, labels, and storage instructions. Do not top up a bottle with a different product.
- A UV cabinet is not a substitute for proper cleaning and disinfection.
Worked example
A metal nail clipper has been used on a client. How should it be processed?
Reasoning: First remove visible nail dust and soil by cleaning with soap or detergent and water, then dry it. Next immerse it in a labelled disinfectant for the contact time stated on the label, then remove, rinse if instructed, dry, and store in a clean covered container. Placing the clipper in a UV cabinet while it is still dirty would not disinfect it. The reasoning is that soil protects germs from the disinfectant.
Traps that cost marks
- Disinfecting tools without cleaning them first.
- Treating a UV cabinet as a steriliser.
- Reusing single-use files or orange sticks.
- Topping up product bottles or using expired products.