Infection Control and Sanitation
Infection control questions ask you to connect a salon event to the correct decontamination level, product, and sequence. The exam favors practical judgments: what must be cleaned, what must be disinfected, when a tool must be discarded, and how to protect the next client.
Core rules
- Cleaning removes visible soil; disinfection destroys most pathogenic organisms on nonporous surfaces; sterilization destroys all microbial life, including spores. A surface must be cleaned before it is disinfected.
- Implements that contact blood or body fluids, or that are designed to penetrate skin, require the higher level of protection or must be single-use. Porous items such as most nail files cannot be reliably disinfected and should not be reused on another client.
- Follow the EPA-registered disinfectant label for dilution and contact time. Immersion is preferred for small implements; sprays are for large surfaces only when the label permits.
- Wash hands before and after each client, wear gloves for blood exposure, and dispose of contaminated sharps in a rigid sharps container.
Worked example
A nail nipper slips to the floor. Picking it up and spraying it is wrong because debris protects organisms and spray may not reach hinges. Correct sequence: set it aside, put on gloves, clean it with soap and water and a brush, dry it, immerse it fully in the labeled disinfectant for the full contact time, then store it covered.
Traps
Assuming a UV cabinet disinfects; skipping cleaning; topping off disinfectant; using a towel to dry a disinfected implement; treating a dropped tool as clean because it touched only the floor.