Maintaining germ-free workstations and treatment areas has always been a priority in spas and salons to prevent the spread of infection. As a nail-technician, the up-close and personal interactions between you and your clients during pedicure treatments also puts your health at risk, so knowing how to reduce the threat is equally as important. Fortunately, there are many disinfectants available today that can help you stay on top of keeping your work surfaces, equipment, and other high-touch areas cleaned and disinfected. But there is one particularly resilient pathogen that requires your special attention that if not heeded, can easily spread from one client to another resulting in fines, business closure or bad reviews which can irrevocably harm the reputation of your salon. What is the source of this danger? It’s the dreaded fungus.
What is Fungus?
Typically, spas and salons must guard against three types of germs in their facility: bacteria, which can lead to skin diseases; viruses, like flu, Hep B & C, and coronavirus which can make people ill; and fungi, that can lead to nail infections and athlete’s foot. Nail fungus, also known as “onychomycosis”, is a particularly unpleasant condition that can be acquired during pedicure treatments. As much as 14% of the American population is reported to have this affliction which results in the unsightly discoloration, thickening or yellowing of nails—mostly in feet but it can also show up on fingernails as well.
How does Fungus Spread?
Fungus is very contagious and can survive for weeks on hard non-porous surfaces especially in warm, humid, or wet environments like pedicure stations which will include furniture, footrests, tools, and soaking basins. When germs from an infected individual are left behind, they can become a source of infection for the next unsuspecting client. To make things worse, fungi can spread or contaminate other objects they touch unless they are properly dealt with after every client service or treatment.
What Makes Fungus So Different?
Unlike many other germs commonly found in spas and salons, fungi are notoriously hard to kill on surfaces. For this reason, some disinfectants are not able to kill fungus or if they do, the contact time (time for a surface must stay wet with the disinfectant to do its job) is impractically long — in some case as long as 10 minutes! In a busy facilty, it may not be realistic to spend 10 minutes disinfecting between clients resulting in a dangerous number of fungi still being left behind. A disinfectant may also evaporate before the contact time is met requiring re-application, another reason that makes fungus management difficult.
How are Prevention Disinfectants Different?
Prevention disinfectants kill a broad spectrum of germs in just 1 MINUTE including bacteria, viruses, AND fungi. That’s up to ten times faster than other disinfectants — assuming they even come with a fungicidal claim (see how the disinfectant you may be using measures up to Prevention). Now you can clean and disinfect your foot baths and entire pedicure stations in just a fraction of the time with confidence, knowing you are keeping you and your clients safe while also adhereing to licensing requirements. You would think a disinfectant this fast and powerful must resort to using harsh chemicals, but Prevention comes with the industry’s highest safety rating. In fact, the active ingredient in Prevention is biodegradable and breaks down into water and oxygen. Prevention is also non-irritating to eyes and skin and emits no unpleasant odor.
How to Disinfect Foot Bowls / Sinks with Prevention
Using Prevention disinfectants to disinfect your pedicure soakers couldn’t be any easier by following these few simple steps:
- Drain water and pre-clean any visible dirt or debris.
- Spray or foam Prevention evenly onto bowl surface.
- Allow to remain wet for 1 minute to kill fungi, bacteria and viruses.
- Rinse with fresh water.
Disinfecting other pedicure areas, equipment and high-touch surfaces is just as easy: view all step-by-step protocols.
OTHER DISINFECTANTS
PREVENTION DISINFECTANTS
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Prevention: A Game Changer for Your Pedicure Service
Managing or working in a clean and germ-free environment is critical to staying safe and preventing your clients from acquiring an infection during their appointment. It’s also key to passing inspections and meeting state licensing regulations. While most service and treatment areas can be addressed through regular disinfecting, pedicure stations pose a greater challenge owing to the persistence of fungi that could lead to nail fungus and athlete’s foot. Now Prevention Disinfectants deliver the same 1 minute germ-kill activity against fungi as they do against bacteria and viruses. No other disinfectant formulated for salons and spas has made infection prevention this fast, safe, or easy.
