Infection Control, Sanitation, and Salon Safety
The chain of control
Cleaning removes visible debris with soap and water; disinfection destroys most pathogenic organisms on nonporous surfaces; sterilization destroys all organisms, including spores, and is done with an autoclave. These are not interchangeable, and questions test the order: an implement must be cleaned and dried before immersion in disinfectant, or the disinfectant is overwhelmed and fails.
Organisms
Bacteria (cocci, bacilli, spirilla) cause infections such as folliculitis and staph infections; viruses include hepatitis B and HPV; fungi include tinea; parasites include lice and mites. Pathogenic organisms cause disease; nonpathogenic ones do not. A disinfectant must be EPA-registered, hospital-grade, and labeled tuberculocidal, mixed at the manufacturer's concentration and used for the full contact time - often ten minutes for immersion.
Practical rules
Wash hands before and after every service and before gloving. Wear gloves for blood, for nail services, and for contact with non-intact skin. Porous items - tissues, cotton, wooden sticks, emery boards - are single-use and discarded; they cannot be disinfected. Never carry implements loose in a pocket; keep clean and dirty items separated. Follow universal precautions and OSHA bloodborne pathogen standards, and know where the SDS binder is kept.
Salon safety
Watch for electrical hazards near water, store chemicals below eye level in labeled containers, ventilate for vapors, and keep a first-aid kit accessible.
Traps
UV cabinets and towel warmers do not disinfect. Cloudy or improperly diluted disinfectant solution is not effective.
Rule of thumb
If it cannot be submerged, treat it as single-use; if it touched blood, it stays contaminated until cleaned and disinfected.