DECONTAMINATION; Sanitation, Disinfection, and Sterilization and Wet Sanitizer

STATE BOARD OF COSMETOLOGY REQUIRES HAIRDRESSORS, BEAUTY SCHOOL STUDENTS AND APPLICANTS FOR COSMETOLOGY LICENSE TO FOLLOW ALL SANITATION AND DISINFECTION PROCEDURES

All the surfaced that we touch are contaminated with  contaminants: bacteria, microbes, and germs. To control  those  contaminants, cosmetologists need to sanitize and disinfect their implements and the surfaces that they are around. Cosmetologists are practically not able to kill bacteria or distroy the bacteria spores by sanitation and disinfection. A higher means of decontaination is necessary; which is sterilization.
 The three measures of decontamination are:

1. Sanitation
2. Disinfection
3. Sterilization

 Sanitation helps control contaminants (bacteria) on surfaces, like  tables, stations, etc. Example: wiping surfaces with windex, or any disinfectant.
Disinfection is used for the immersion of reusable implements in the wet sanitizer. Disinfectant would make the bacteria go to a spore forming stage where the germs will not reproduce, but disinfectant will not completely kill the bacteria.
Sterilization is used in hospitals to kill all bacterial spores, germs and microbes. Steam autoclave, boiling sheets with very not water, or freezing will completely kill microbes.
Cosmetologists are only required to sanitize surfaces and disinfect their implements in a wet sanitizer.
Wet sanitizer is a container with a lid, large enough for implements to be immersed in an EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) registered disinfectant for at least 10 minutes.
All dirty imlements need to be in a Soiled Implement Container (any container large enough to hold soiled implements) labled Soiled Implements , until they are ready to be disinfected. The disinfected implements need to be stored in a Clean Implement Container (labled Clean Implements).