Sanitation, Disinfection, and Safety Practices
Three levels
Sanitation reduces germs on surfaces. Disinfection kills most pathogens on nonporous implements. Sterilization destroys all microorganisms, including spores, and is rarely needed in a salon. Porous items such as files, buffers, wooden sticks, cotton, and sponges cannot be disinfected, so use them once and discard them. Nonporous implements such as metal, glass, and hard plastic are cleaned, rinsed, then immersed in an EPA-registered hospital-grade disinfectant for the label's full contact time.
Daily practice
Wash hands before and after every client. Wear gloves when blood or body fluids may be present. Clean a surface before disinfecting it, because soil blocks the disinfectant. Label and date solutions, keep SDS (formerly MSDS) sheets available, and place sharps in a sharps container. Universal precautions treat all blood and body fluids as infectious.
Traps
The favorite trap is calling a UV cabinet or an alcohol soak sterilization, because neither one is. Another is disinfecting before cleaning, or reusing a porous file. Remember that the disinfectant must be mixed to label concentration and used for the full contact time.
Rule of thumb
After a haircut: remove hair, wash and dry the shears, immerse them in EPA-registered disinfectant for the labeled time (often 10 minutes), air dry, and store in a clean closed container.