Hairstylist exam: Infection control and sanitation

Key points

• Cleaning removes visible dirt. It must come before disinfecting.
• Disinfecting kills most germs on hard non-porous tools.
• Sterilizing kills all microbes, including spores.
• Single-use items such as emery boards and neck strips go in the garbage after one client.
• Follow the manufacturer's contact time for any disinfectant.

Study tip

If a question asks for the first step, the answer is almost always cleaning.

Try these

1. The first step before disinfecting a comb is:

   1. Sterilizing
   2. Cleaning
   3. Soaking in alcohol
   4. Drying
   Show answer

   B. Cleaning Disinfectant does not work well on dirty tools.

2. Which kills bacterial spores?

   1. Cleaning
   2. Sanitizing
   3. Disinfecting
   4. Sterilizing
   Show answer

   D. Sterilizing Only sterilization kills spores.

3. A neck strip should be:

   1. Reused for the same client
   2. Disinfected
   3. Thrown out after one use
   4. Washed weekly
   Show answer

   C. Thrown out after one use It is a single-use item.

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