Infection Control, Sanitation, and Safety Practices
Three levels, one decision tree
Every tool decision begins with one question: is it porous? Cleaning (soap, water, brush) removes visible debris but kills nothing; it is always step one. Disinfection uses an EPA-registered hospital-grade disinfectant with a tuberculocidal claim to destroy most pathogens on nonporous implements. Sterilization (autoclave or dry heat) destroys all microbial life including spores, and is used where rules or manufacturers require it. Sanitation lowers microbe counts on surfaces and hands.
What the technician controls
- Hands: wash with soap and warm water before and after every client, after the restroom, and after removing gloves. Sanitizer does not replace washing when hands are visibly soiled.
- Porous items - emery boards, buffers, wooden pushers, cotton, orange sticks - are single-use and are discarded, never soaked and reused.
- Nonporous metal implements are cleaned, fully immersed for the label's contact time, then stored in a closed, labeled container.
- Chemicals: keep current SDS on file, label secondary containers, ventilate the area, store away from heat and food, never eat or drink at the station, and dispose of liquids per label and local rules.
Traps
Questions swap the vocabulary: “sanitize” offered for “disinfect,” soap-and-water presented as a complete answer for metal tools, a disinfectant used past its contact time or past its change date, a reused emery board, or gloves worn while answering the phone and then reused on a client.
Rule of thumb
If an item cannot be fully immersed and its label does not cover it, treat it as single-use.
Worked example: a metal nipper falls to the floor. With gloved hands, pick it up, scrub it with soap and a brush to remove debris, dry it, submerge it completely in EPA-registered hospital disinfectant for the labeled time (commonly 10 minutes), retrieve it with tongs, and store it covered.