Sanitation, Disinfection, and Infection Control
Sanitation, Disinfection, and Infection Control
This domain tests how you stop disease from spreading in the shop: the difference between cleaning, disinfection, and sterilization, how to handle blood and contagious conditions, and which tools may be reused.
Core rules
- Cleaning removes visible debris with soap and water; disinfection kills most pathogens on nonporous surfaces; sterilization destroys all microbial life, including spores.
- Use an EPA-registered, hospital-grade disinfectant with a tuberculocidal claim for shears, clippers, combs, and razors. Immerse completely for the label's contact time, commonly 10 minutes.
- Porous items such as wooden handles, some files, and buffers cannot be disinfected: discard them.
- Wash hands with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds before and after every client, and wear gloves when blood or body fluids may be present.
- Refuse service for contagious conditions: tinea capitis (ringworm), pediculosis, impetigo, scabies, and active herpes lesions. Refer the client to a physician.
Worked example
A client sits down and you see a circular scaly patch with broken hairs on the scalp. Reasoning: broken hairs inside a scaly ring suggest tinea capitis, a fungal infection spread by contact and contaminated tools. You do not cut, shampoo, or treat the area. You stop the service, tell the client it needs medical evaluation, and disinfect everything that touched the scalp.
Traps
- Alcohol or UV cabinets are not substitutes for an EPA-registered disinfectant.
- Disinfectant cannot pierce debris: clean first, then immerse.
- "Hospital-grade" alone is not enough; check the tuberculocidal claim on the label.
- Blood spill: stop, glove, absorb with a disposable towel, disinfect with an EPA product or 1:9 bleach, and seal waste in a bag.