Answer:
In the salon, all tools, implements, devices or other pieces of equipment must be properly cleaned and disinfected before coming into direct contact with a client, as required by the licensing rules and regulations of your region, state or country.
What are the risks?
If you go to a salon to get a manicure or pedicure and the foot spas and tools have not been properly disinfected, you are at risk for picking up an infection. The teeniest tiny abrasions or open wounds can pose a risk and even recently shaved or waxed legs can allow a microorganism to enter through the skin. During the service, if your cuticle is cut or a callus shaved down, small abrasions in the skin can let bacteria in.
Now that might not sound so bad, but if you want to know what you can contract from a dirty nail tool or foot spa, the two biggest troublemakers are mycobacteria infections and staph infections and other issues include fungal infections. I urge you to alternate between Googling and using your imagination if you’re curious as to what they are. I’m not about to get into those gory details. But take my word, they are no picnic.
What is sanitizing, disinfecting, and sterilizing?
There are three levels of decontamination that we need to know about. The lowest level is sanitation, which significantly reduces the number of disease-causing microorganisms considered to be disease-causing, considered to be safe by regulating public health bodies. Disinfecting is the middle level which destroys microorganisms and most disease causing pathogens on non-living surfaces and pre-cleaned surfaces. And the highest level of decontamination is sterilization, which completely destroys all living organisms on an object or surface.
Most salons will meet minimum standards and at least disinfect their tools. By the way, disinfect means using a product which has been registered with the EPA and contains the term ‘disinfectant’. This means it is bactericidal, fungicidal, and virucidal, all good things as far as you are concerned. They should be disinfecting for at least 10 minutes, which is the appropriate dwell time for the product to effectively wipe out that bacteria.
Nail care tools
Nail tools work hard to get your nails looking great, and are used of course for both manis and pedis. They scrape, shave, clip, file and ultimately capture bacteria in the process. In order to kill any microorganisms, the tools need to be properly disinfected. These include files, buffers, cuticle cutters, tweezers, callus removers, scissors, clippers and all other little nail implements. Most are metal and some are foam, wood or emery board.
What you want is to determine if your tools have been properly disinfected, or better yet, sterilized in an autoclave (which kind of looks like a toaster, and tools are kept in small disposable plastic envelopes). And, any other tools such as buffers or files should be changed with each new client. Some salons give you a box if you’re frequent visitor for your own files, and others just give you the tools as a little take home gift. You should see them take your tools out of an autoclave pouch, or feel free to ask if the tools have been cleaned in an autoclave. Otherwise, determine if they’ve been cleaned with a proper disinfectant for at least 10 minutes (which is the dwell time required to effectively kill bacteria). If they break out some raggety lookin’ tool, grab your purse and leave. Keep in mind pumice stones cannot be disinfected, so either bring your own or decline that part of the service.
The concern with busier salons is that they have less opportunity to sterilize or at least properly disinfect their stuff. It is advised to visit a salon during a weekday at the beginning of the week, when there’s a lull in volume. That way, you’re getting good clean stuff. It may not work with your schedule, but if you want to know nail salon prime time for cleanliness, this is it.
Laws in your city, state or province
Many federal, state, provincial and even municipal bodies are starting to heavily regulate salons and spas to ensure proper cleaning of tools and foot spas to avoid infection. You can go on your city’s public website and search ‘salons’ or ‘cosmeticians’ to see what kind of regulations come up. They may have a list of salons safe to visit or not to visit, or will have a sample sign or sticker which is displayed at salons which have passed or failed inspections. Knowing is half the battle! If you are curious about a certain salon’s credibility or if you have any concerns, investigate with the governing body where you live.
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