Infection Control, Sanitation, and Safety
The three levels
Cleaning removes visible debris with soap and water. Disinfection destroys most pathogenic organisms on nonporous surfaces using an EPA-registered hospital-grade disinfectant with a tuberculocidal claim, used exactly at the label's dilution and contact time. Sterilization destroys all microbial life, including spores, and is required only for items that penetrate skin or contact blood.
Blood and body fluids
Any blood exposure stops the service. Put on gloves, clean the area, then disinfect with an EPA-registered hospital-grade disinfectant labeled for bloodborne pathogens; discard porous items in a closed container. Wash hands before and after gloves. Never recap, bend, or break a used razor or blade - dispose of it in a sharps container.
Worked example
You drop your clippers on the floor mid-haircut. Do not brush them off and keep going. Remove hair and debris, clean with soap and water, then fully immerse or spray with the hospital-grade disinfectant for the label's stated contact time - often ten minutes - then dry and return to service. Porous items such as a neck strip or buffer block cannot be disinfected and must be discarded.
Safety
Store chemicals in labeled original containers, keep a current SDS for every product, never mix products, use GFCI outlets near water, and keep the floor dry. Ventilate when using acrylics and relaxers.
Traps
Believing a "sanitizer" spray equals disinfection. Skipping the contact time. Trying to disinfect a porous implement. Using a disinfectant past its expiration date. Forgetting that implements must be cleaned before they can be disinfected.