How to Keep Your Salon Real Clean

When a lot of people share a lot of tools that are used in their persons, as in the case of salons, it stands to reason that keeping the place and instruments hygienic is of critical importance not only to customer satisfaction and repeat business, but most importantly, to public health and safety.

The risk of contamination cannot be understated, for while there are no invasive procedures performed, there are a lot of instances where contagious diseases can be spread: on the manicuring tabletops, files, towels, cushions and implements, or wherever a client's skin or hair comes into direct contact. Keeping these surfaces clean and disinfected is not just mandatory business practice but actually enforceable by law.

So how do you go about keeping your salon real clean? There are three levels: sanitation, disinfection and sterilization.

Sanitation. Sanitation entails keeping the place visibly clean and bacteria-free. This requires more than just sweeping the hair off the floor or keeping the mirrors smudge-free, but more crucially, keeping the stylist/barber/manicurist's hands free from potential pathogens. Washing with antibacterial soap and water hot enough to endure accomplishes this. When it comes to surfaces, a thorough scrubbing to remove visible signs of debris or residue and rinsing with clean water is standard.

Tools should also be scrubbed with antibacterial soap under running water, rinsed off with clean water, and blotted dry. Sanitizing prepares implements and surfaces (those that come in contact with clients' skin) for disinfection.

Disinfection. Disinfection renders all harmful surface bacteria and other pathogens inert or altogether destroyed. This is often done on multi-use tools that come in contact with the skin like cloth towels, nippers and pushers, manicure bowls, and abrasive files and buffers to name a few.

The Environmental Protection Agency prescribes the right kind of disinfectant for salon use. The solution recommended is hospital-grade Barbicide (to kill HIV). Disinfecting protocols should also be strictly followed. Non-porous tools should be soaked in a correct ratio solution for a certain length of time (usually 10 minutes) in a covered container set aside for only this purpose, and then tools should be removed with tongs, rinsed well with clean water, and blotted dry with disposable towel. The one doing the disinfecting should wash hands before and after the procedure.

Sterilization. Sterilization requires an autoclave to completely remove all living organisms on a tool. This is done in settings where non-porous instruments enter a body cavity which does not regularly occur in your typical salon. (Porous materials like cotton and gauze should be single-use and disposed of properly afterwards.) While the sight of an autoclave may give the client an assurance that tools are cleaned properly, sterilization is only effective if sanitation and disinfection have been carried out first.