Infection Control, Sanitation, and Safety
The Kentucky esthetics exam checks whether you can stop transmission of bacteria, fungi, and viruses through tools, hands, linens, and surfaces. Most items are scenarios: pick the correct decontamination level, the correct contact time, or the correct blood-exposure step.
The decontamination ladder
- Cleaning - soap or detergent and water remove visible debris. Cleaning must come first; disinfectant cannot penetrate residue.
- Sanitizing - an EPA-registered sanitizer reduces bacteria on surfaces and some tools; it is not a substitute for disinfecting implements.
- Disinfection - an EPA-registered hospital-grade (tuberculocidal) disinfectant kills most pathogens but not spores. Implements must be fully immersed for the label contact time (commonly 10 minutes), then dried and stored in a clean, covered container.
- Sterilization - destroys all microbial life including spores; done with an autoclave in an appropriate setting.
Single-use and dispensing rules
Porous items - files, buffers, wooden spatulas, cotton, paper - cannot be disinfected and must be discarded after one client. Products are dispensed with a clean spatula onto a disposable surface; never double-dip, and never return unused product to the jar. Pumps and droppers are preferred over jars. Launder linens at the highest temperature the fabric allows and keep clean and soiled linens separated.
Blood and chemical safety
For a blood spill: stop, glove, apply absorbent material, clean, then disinfect with an EPA-registered tuberculocidal product; seal all contaminated material in a biohazard bag. Never recap or bend a contaminated needle. Keep SDS sheets accessible for every chemical, label secondary containers, and ventilate when working with acetone, monomers, and acids.
Worked example
A metal extractor drops on the floor. Wiping it with an alcohol wipe is wrong: alcohol is a sanitizer and the tool is contaminated. Correct order - clean with detergent and water, dry, immerse fully in hospital-grade disinfectant for the label time, remove with clean gloves, store in a covered clean container.
Traps
Confusing sanitizing with disinfecting; skipping cleaning before immersion; ignoring contact time; storing clean tools in an uncovered tray; treating a UV cabinet as full decontamination; and gloving up without washing hands first.