Michelle Palmer, a nail tech at The Nail Company in Camdenton, Mo., got tired of cheaters—clients who’d skip the soap when sent to wash up—so she instituted a new and improved system.

“At first, we had a single nail brush and antibacterial soap in the washroom, but that didn’t cut it. Then we started handing each client her own nail brush, but they were still in and out so quickly that I realized they weren’t using soap,” explains Palmer: Finally, she bought a bottle of antibacterial soap to keep at her station, and when it’s time to scrub up, she gets out a sanitized nail brush, puts the soap on it herself, and hands it to the client with strict instructions to wash both nails and hands. After use the client rinses the brush and places it in a container of Barbicide by the sink.

“At the end of the day, we remove all of the brushes that have been soaking clean them, and leave them to dry for the next day. I don’t know if there is a foolproof way to ensure everyone washes properly, but I have found that this method leaves no room to question what expect them to be doing,” she says.

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