Infection Control, Sanitation, and Safety
The three-tier vocabulary
Infection control questions almost always hinge on precise definitions. Cleaning (detergent and water) removes visible debris but kills nothing. Disinfection uses an EPA-registered, hospital-grade disinfectant to destroy most pathogens on nonporous surfaces; implements must be fully immersed for the label's contact time - usually about 10 minutes - not given a "quick dip." Sterilization destroys all microbial life, including spores, and requires an autoclave or dry-heat unit. A jar of blue liquid sterilizes nothing.
Porous versus nonporous
Files, buffers, nail brushes, orangewood sticks, and wooden pushers are porous: discard them or give them to the client. Metal nippers, metal pushers, and reusable implements are nonporous and can be disinfected after cleaning. For a blood or body-fluid spill, glove up, stop the service, clean the area, then disinfect with a tuberculocidal product; sharps go into a rigid, labeled container.
Supporting rules
Know hand hygiene before and after every client, glove use, SDS sheets for every chemical in the salon, ventilation when working with monomers and solvents, and electrical safety near pedicure basins. Federal OSHA bloodborne-pathogen rules sit on top of state board rules, and both apply.
Traps and a rule of thumb
Watch for answers claiming a UV cabinet disinfects (it is storage only), or that a product "sanitizes" when blood is involved. Rule of thumb: if an item is porous or has contacted blood or broken skin, it cannot simply be disinfected - discard it or sterilize it.