Footspa Cleaning Guidelines for Nail Technicians

Keeping your salon and equipment clean, sanitized, and disinfected is just as important as offering your clients great service. In reality, the two go hand in hand. If you do both, you’re guaranteeing yourself plenty of satisfied customers who will be more than willing to return for more.

With that in mind, the California Bureau of Barbering and Cosmetology adopted cleaning regulations last year for salons using whirlpool pedicure footspas. Improperly disinfected instru­ments or equipment may harbor bacteria that may spread disease or infection to clients and nail techs who come in contact with the equipment.

The guidelines offer cleaning instructions between each client, at the end of each day, and every other week. Contact your state board if you have questions on what your state requires in terms of proper cleaning and disinfection methods. It’s also important to read the footspa manufacturer’s cleaning instructions carefully and ask your manufacturer or distributor to show you how to keep it clean. If you neglect to follow proper health and safety procedures, your clients can contract serious infections — ones for which you may be held accountable.

To make it easier for you, we’ve provided you with a footspa cleaning demo courtesy of European Touch Ltd. II. The demo provides instructions on cleaning a footspa after each client, at the end of each day, and each week. Be sure to contact your state board and footspa manufacturer to obtain information on their cleaning and disinfection guidelines.

After each pedicure:

• After every pedicure rinse the walls off and liberally spray the tub with an EPA-registered disinfectant.
• Wipe the tub dry with a clean towel.

At the end of each day:

• Remove the suction cover.
• Clean out debris from the suction cover by using a soft brush and totally immersing it in an EPA-registered disinfectant.
• Place the suction cover back on the footspa.
• Fill the tub with hot water.
• Add three teaspoons of powdered dishwater detergent and two ounces of household bleach.
• Run the jets for 10-15 minutes and then drain the water out of the tub.
• Fill the tub with cold water and run for five minutes. Drain the water from the tub.

Every week:

• Follow daily cleaning instructions, then fill the tub with hot water and 1/2 cup of household bleach.
• Run the jets for five to 10 minutes and let the water solution sit in the footspa overnight (six to 10 hours).
• After letting the solution sit, run the jets for five to 10 minutes and then drain the water from the tub. Follow the procedures to flush the system using the dishwater detergent and bleach.

Between Each Customer:

• Drain all water and remove all debris from the footspa.
• Clean the surfaces and walls of the footspas with soap or detergent and rinse with clean, dear water.
• Disinfect with an EPA-registered disinfectant with demonstrated bactericidal, fungicidal, and virucidal activity used according to manufacturer’s instructions.
• Wipe dry with a clean towel.

At the End of Each Day:

• Remove the screen. All debris trapped behind the screen of each footspa shall be removed, and the screen and the inlet shall be washed with soap or detergent and water.
• Before replacing the screen, perform one of the following two procedures:

1.   Wash the screen with a chlorine bleach solution of one teaspoon of 5% chlorine bleach to one gallon of water, or

2.   Totally immerse the screen in an EPA-registered disinfectant with demonstrated bactericidal, fungicidal, and virucidal activity, which must be used according to the manufacturer’s instructions, then

• Flush the system with low sudsing soap and warm water for 10 minutes then rinse and drain.
• Make a record of the date and time of this cleaning and disinfecting.

Every Other Week:

• After following the outlined required cleaning procedures for the end of each day, fill the footspa tub (five gallons) with water and four teaspoons of 5% bleach solution (a dose of 50 parts per million ppm: 0.64 oz.).
• Circulate the solution through the footspa system for five to 10 minutes.
• Let the solution sit overnight (at least six to 10 hours).
• The following morning (before the first customer) drain and flush the system.
• Make a record of the date and time of this cleaning and disinfecting.

In addition to the procedures outlined above, the following procedures are included in the Bureau’s health and safety rules and must be followed to ensure proper disinfection:

• Non-electrical instruments and equipment must be washed with soap or detergent, rinsed with clean water, dried with a clean cloth, and then totally immersed in an EPA-registered disinfectant with demonstrated bactericidal, fungicidal, and virucidal activity used according to manufacturer’s instructions. [16 CCR Section 979 (a)]
• All foreign matter must be removed from electrical instruments. Then, an EPA-registered disinfectant with demonstrated bactericidal, fungicidal, and virucidal activity must be used on the electrical instruments according to manufacturer’s instructions. [16 CCR Section 980]
• Any instrument or supply that comes into direct contact with a patron and cannot be disinfected shall be disposed of in a waste receptacle immediately after use. [16 CCR Section 981 (a)]
• Disinfectant solutions must be in a properly labeled container and remain covered at all times. Disinfectant solutions must be changed at least once a week or whenever visibly cloudy or dirty. [16 CCR Section 979 (b)]
• All disinfected items must be stored in a clean, covered place that is properly labeled to identify the items as clean. [16 CCR Section 979 (d)]
• All instruments/equipment that have been used on a patron or soiled in any manner shall be placed in a properly labeled receptacle. [16 CCR Section 979 (c)]
• No establishment shall knowingly permit a person afflicted with a transmittable infection or parasitic infestation to serve patrons or train in the establishment. [16 CCR Section 984(a)]
• No establishment shall knowingly require or permit a licensee or student to work upon a person with a transmittable infection or parasitic infestation. [16 CCR Section 984 (b)]
• No person working or training in an establishment or school shall massage any person upon a surface of the skin or scalp where such skin is inflamed, broken (e.g., abraded, cut), or where a skin infection or eruption is present [ 16 CCR Section 984 (e) ]
• Every licensee performing services shall wash his or her hands with soap and water immediately before serving each patron. [16 CCR Section 983 (b)]
• The Bureau of Barbering and Cosmetology would like to remind its licensees, once again, that the health and safety laws, rules, and regulations are for the protection of the consuming public as well as for the licensee. These laws, rules, and regulations are meant to prevent the spread of disease, infection, or other communicable conditions. Establish­ment owners and licensees are responsible for ensuring that the health and safety laws, rules, and regulations are carefully followed.

If you have questions or concerns regarding proper disinfection procedures, you may contact the Bureau’s Enforcement Division at (916) 445-0713. You can also contact us through our website: www.dca.ca.gov/barber.