Infection Control, Sanitation, and Safety
Four words that are not synonyms
Cleaning removes visible debris, product residue, and oils with soap or detergent and water. Sanitizing reduces microorganisms to a level public health authorities consider safe. Disinfecting destroys or inactivates nearly all pathogens on a nonporous surface using an EPA-registered hospital-grade disinfectant. Sterilizing destroys all microorganisms, including spores, and is done in an autoclave - not with a UV lamp or a spray bottle.
Order matters: clean first, then disinfect. Disinfectant cannot penetrate debris, so an implement that was wiped but not washed is not disinfected.
Porous vs. nonporous
Only hard, nonporous implements (stainless steel nippers, metal pushers, glass, hard plastic) can be disinfected. Porous items - wood sticks, emery boards, buffing blocks, foam-core files, cotton, linen - cannot be reliably disinfected. They are single-use and belong in the trash. Expect a distractor that offers "disinfect the emery board."
Contact time and storage
Read the label. Immersion disinfectants typically need about 10 minutes of full contact to support a hospital-grade claim; a quick dip fails. Store disinfected implements in a clean, closed container.
Blood and body fluids
Wash hands with soap and warm water before and after every client. If you see blood, stop, glove, apply antiseptic to the client, bandage, then clean and disinfect every contaminated item. Antiseptics go on skin; disinfectants never do.
Rule of thumb: clean → disinfect for the full label contact time → dry → closed storage. If the item is porous, replace it instead of trying to disinfect it.