The invisible beachball-sized sphere of air that surrounds your face in all directions is a great place to start implementing efficient salon ventilation. NAILS walks you through all of the things you need to know, from what to look for in a ventilation system to how the components work to a few tweaks you can make in your day-to-day habits for extra protection. Get ready to breathe easy.
The Ideal Ventilation System
Setting aside for a moment money, space, and other concerns, what does the ideal nail salon ventilation set-up look like? It’s a three-part system that takes into account the breathing zone, the entire room, and the entire building in which the salon is housed.
| Area |
Ideal Ventilation |
What It Does |
Additional Considerations |
| breathing zone |
source-capture ventilation
...with arm
...or built into manicure table
|
> Pulls dust and vapors away from the nail tech and into a filter before she breathes them in.
> Uses the adsorption powers of several inches of activated carbon for vapors.
> Uses a separate filter to
trap dust.
> May use a third stage filter for additional contaminant removal.
|
If your salon primarily does:
Acrylics: Vapors from acrylic monomer and acetone are your main concerns. Get a source-capture system with several inches of activated carbon.
Gels: Dust from filing off gels is your main concern. A filter that removes particles down to the micron level is ideal.
Natural nails: Vapors from acetone and polish are your main concern. The go-to is the same choice as for acrylic-dominant salons: a system with several inches of activated carbon.
All of the above: Get one with several inches of activated carbon. Confirm with the manufacturer that it also has a dust filter in place. |
| workstation/room |
an air purifier specifically designed for nail salons
|
Several inches of activated carbon adsorbs vapors, due
in part to its many small,
low volume pores.
|
> Because source capture is not 100% effective, a whole salon room air purifier is also necessary.
> A salon air purifier is also a good choice for a product storage room |
| joined rooms/entire building |
HVAC with a special salon filter
|
> Increased dust holding capacity compared to a residential HVAC filter.
> Includes activated carbon panels to remove residual vapors (much less activated carbon than in the source-capture system because by this point, most of the vapors should already be trapped by the breathing zone and room capture systems). |
The salon filter can generally
be retrofitted into your existing HVAC system, replacing the existing filter. |
Next page: Inside a Source-Capture Ventilation System
