Maintaining an excellent standard of salon hygiene is Beauty School 101, but it’s something that isn’t talked about alot. The hygiene of everyday businesses is under more scrutiny than ever before, so you need to make sure that clients have confidence in your business to deliver a safe service.
The last thing you need is a hefty lawsuit or list of bad reviews because you’ve let your salon hygiene standards slip. It’s paramount that you constantly clean your salon to protect your staff and clients from nasty infections or preventable injuries.
If you want to add more structure to your salon’s cleaning routine or just want to find more ways to give it that little extra shine, we’ve got all the salon hygiene tips you need in this handy little guide. We’ll take you through:
- Why Salon Hygiene Matters
- Equipment You Need
- How to Keep Your Salon Clean
Why Salon Hygiene Matters
A messy salon is a huge red flag to customers coming in for treatments. Many people come through your doors every day for treatments that involve sensitive areas susceptible to infection. So, a good salon should never show any signs of uncleanliness and always look spotless for every client that walks in.
It’s extremely important to keep on top of your hygiene in order to protect your clients and your staff. Here’s why salon hygiene matters:
- Risk of infection – personal and salon hygiene should be of utmost importance for everyone who works in a salon. As mentioned, most treatments involve skin-to-skin contact on sensitive areas of the body. This makes the chance of infection high if equipment isn’t sanitary and personal hygiene is of a low standard. Surface infections can easily turn into permanent damage and scars, so it’s important to do everything within your power to prevent these from happening.
- Cross-contamination – a lot of equipment in the beauty industry is disposable for a reason – to prevent cross-contamination. Using the same equipment from client to client increases the chances of passing on nasty infections and diseases. Therefore, it’s essential to sterilise your kit after each use.
- Avoid injuries – salon hygiene isn’t just about cleanliness, but physical tidiness too. A cluttered workspace will increase the chances of slips and trips – in other words, a legal headache you could do without. You should also present a tidy appearance for aesthetic reasons too, after all the beauty industry profits from the importance of looks.
- Hefty lawsuits – everything mentioned could lead to some pretty hefty legal fees if you’re not covered properly or things turn badly in your favour. That extra clean or thorough sterilisation can be the difference between smooth operations or having your salon shut down altogether!
A responsible salon owner should WANT to keep their salon hygienic and safe. So if you’re not committed to a regular cleaning schedule, then this isn’t the industry for you.
Equipment You Need
Now you can’t do much cleaning without the correct equipment. A bit of soap and water won’t cut it when it comes to meeting industry standards, so we’ve listed our top four essentials for maximising salon hygiene:
- Posh Look Spray Clean – the ultimate all-purpose sanitiser for your hands, equipment and surfaces. This is the perfect spray for disinfecting between clients and wiping down equipment at the start and end of each day. Also available in a handy pocket-size bottle for when you’re on the go!
- Disposable products – while you’ll have permanent pieces of equipment, there are some things that should just never be used twice. Beauty therapists who carry out treatments such as spray tans, eyelash extensions and waxing should stock up well on disposable equipment. This can include anything from tanning knickers to mascara wands to waxing spatulas. Use once then throw away.
- Gloves and face masks – if you want to step up your hygiene during treatments, personal protective equipment such as gloves and face masks will act as a barrier to infection. This will protect both you and the client from contamination due to skin-to-skin contact. However, try and find latex-free versions in case your client is allergic.
- Hand soap and sanitiser – it goes without saying that you need hand soap and sanitiser available at all times. As a salon owner, it’s your responsibility to make sure that your employees are keeping on top of personal hygiene. You can encourage this with signs and having soap and sanitiser available at different points throughout your salon.
How to Keep Your Salon Clean
So now you have your equipment ready, it’s time to get cleaning!
Day to Day Checklist
If you keep on top of a regular cleaning schedule, you’ll never have big problems. Draw up a daily cleaning routine and designate jobs to different employees so it doesn’t feel like a big task.
Keep a record of who carried out each job along with the date, so you know how often a certain area has been cleaned.
- Wipe down furniture, surfaces and larger equipment – this should be done multiple times each day. Every employee is responsible for sanitising before and after treatments so there is no risk of cross-contamination. Wipe down leather furniture with bleach-free sanitiser to prevent cracking the material as this can cause more germs to harbour.
- Ensure toilets are clean at all times – although this isn’t the nicest of tasks, your lavs are a reflection of your cleanliness so it’s extremely important to keep them clean. Clean them as you would at home – plenty of bleach, fresh floors, replenished toilet roll and disposable towels are a minimum. Step it up with premium hand soap, body sprays and potpourri for a luxurious feel. Who knew toilets could boost a salon’s reputation?
- Date and label products – sanitising isn’t where the cleaning ends. Keep track of the expiry dates on products you use for treatments and any stock that you sell. Out of date products can lead to bad reactions or poor quality treatments – a big no-no!
TOP TIP: Good presentation adds to the sense of cleanliness. Adding small touches, such as fresh flowers and pretty scents, can immediately elevate your salon’s image. But, avoid the magazines – if these aren’t updated regularly they become a germ’s paradise as each person reads them.
Treatments
Now that your salon’s clean, you need to make sure that you’re giving safe treatments to protect yourself and your clients.
Here are a few things you need to consider before, during and after a treatment:
- Don’t treat clients with infections or wounds – even if your client has arrived for their scheduled appointment you should never treat them if they have visible wounds. They could pass the infection onto you and it also leaves them extra exposed to any risk that comes with treatments.
- Wash hands – before and after each treatment, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds Lather soap in the hands and scrub between the fingers and under the nails, then rinse.
- Dispose of any single-use tools – as mentioned, disposable products are rife in the beauty industry. Dispose of any used tools safely by placing them in a sealed bag and into the bin.
- Focus – don’t let distractions get in the way of giving a professional treatment. Never check your phone or perform two tasks at once. This hugely increases the chance of cross-contamination and injury to the client, plus it’s unprofessional.
- Be extra careful when working on sensitive areas – treatments such as waxing and eyelash extensions work with sensitive areas. Be extra hygienic and careful when working on the eyes, feet and private parts of the body.
Personal Hygiene
Every salon professional should be dedicated to keeping a clean image. You should come to work each day with a clean and presentable uniform, groomed hair and nails. After all, no one wants to get a manicure from someone who has chipped nail polish.
A polished appearance will give your client more confidence in your abilities, while also enhancing your personal hygiene.