When you are working with certain pieces of equipment, it is essential that they be thoroughly cleaned after they have been used. Just like in a hospital, if you are using any equipment on a client, then it should be cleaned before you use it again on another.
The most effective way to clean nail equipment is to sterilise it. Not all nail accessories need to be sterilised however, but the ones that do need to be done really carefully. There are health and safety regulations that need to be met when it comes to sterilisation. You will need to check out the rules from your local Environmental health department to ensure that you meet their rules.
What you should Sterilise and How it should be done.
There is only a small amount of nail tools that will need to be sterilised before they are used again. These include nail clippers, cuticle knives and cuticle clippers. Basically anything that has a sharp edge should be sterilised, as they pose the most risk when it comes to potentially spreading disease.
When it comes to actually sterilising the equipment, there are a number of methods that you can choose. It all really depends upon the size of your salon as to which method you should use. If you have a large salon then you should purchase a large piece of equipment known as the Autoclave. This system will heat the equipment up to extremely high temperatures and the heat will kill off all bacteria. If you would like to use something a little more sophisticated then it is possible to purchase a system which will sterilise all tools in a bag. They will be placed into a unit and then sterilised together. They should be kept in the bag until they need to be used again.
If you run a smaller salon then you may prefer to use chemical sterilisation. This is the most popular type of sterilisation for most nail technicians. It simply involves placing all items that need to be sterilised into a solution. If you do choose to use a chemical solution then always remember to protect your hands. Chemicals can be extremely damaging to the skin so you should never simply dip your hands straight into the solution!
Another thing to remember is that before you sterilise the tools, they should first be cleaned by hand. This will ensure that grease and loose dirt is removed. That will in turn ensure that the solution has more chance of eliminating bacteria, without having to fight its way past built up grease first!
Overall sterilising your equipment is not only necessary to avoid potentially spreading disease, but it is also a legal requirement. Always ensure that you check with local health authorities to see that you are using the correct sterilisation methods according to health and safety regulations.
When you are working with certain pieces of equipment,
