Sanitation and Infection Control
What this domain tests
Sanitation and infection control asks you to separate cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization, select the correct EPA-registered hospital-grade disinfectant, and apply board rules for implements, hands, and blood exposure.
Core rules
- Cleaning removes visible soil; disinfection kills most pathogens on nonporous implements; sterilization destroys all microbial life and is not the routine salon standard.
- Nonporous tools such as shears, combs, and nippers must be cleaned, dried, then fully immersed in an EPA-registered hospital-grade tuberculocidal disinfectant for the label contact time.
- Porous items such as paper files, cotton, and wooden sticks are single-use and discarded.
- Wash hands before and after every client; wear gloves for blood or broken skin.
- For a blood spill: stop, glove, clean visible matter, disinfect with an EPA-registered hospital disinfectant with an HIV/HBV claim, dispose properly, and document.
Worked example
A comb falls on the floor during a cut. It is contaminated, not sterile. Pick it up without touching other tools, remove hair, wash with soap and water, dry, submerge it completely in disinfectant for the full label time, then store it in a clean closed container. Do not wipe it with a towel and reuse it.
Traps
Using UV cabinets or disinfecting wipes instead of immersion; skipping cleaning; topping off old disinfectant; assuming “sanitized” equals disinfected; reusing porous files.
Exam focus
Know which items are porous versus nonporous, and read the disinfectant label rather than memorizing one contact time for every product.