Tool Cleaning & Disinfection: the full procedure

Clean every multi-use tool, then fully immerse it in an EPA-registered hospital-grade disinfectant for the label contact time before reuse.

• Applies to: Barber.
• Frequency: After every client, before the tool touches the next person.
• Scope: Covers cleaning, disinfecting, and storing clippers, blades, combs, and shears. The required disinfectant and contact/immersion time defer to your state barbering board and the product label.

What you need

• EPA-registered disinfectant (e.g. Barbicide)
• Labeled covered jar / wet tray
• Soap & water or pre-clean spray
• Brush
• Clean covered drawer

The procedure, step by step

1. Remove debris — Brush hair and product off the tool and rinse away visible buildup — disinfectant only works on a clean surface.
2. Clean first — Wash the tool with soap and water or a chemical cleaner, then rinse and pat dry; this step is mandatory before any disinfection.
3. Mix fresh solution — Prepare the disinfectant at the label dilution and replace it daily (or sooner if cloudy or contaminated) per EPA rules.
4. Immerse fully — Submerge the entire tool so all surfaces stay wet for the full label contact time (Barbicide concentrate is 10 minutes) — never short the timer.
5. Discard single-use items — Throw away every disposable — razor blades, neck strips, paper — after one client; they are never reused or re-disinfected.
6. Rinse & dry — Remove the tool, rinse if the label directs, and dry with a clean towel before storage.
7. Store covered & clean — Place disinfected tools in a clean, covered, dust-free container or drawer, separate from soiled tools.
8. Confirm compliance — Verify your state board’s required method and time — if it is stricter than the label, follow the state board.

Quality check before you finish

• Tool visibly clean before it went into solution.
• Disinfectant mixed fresh and dated today.
• Full label contact time observed (timer used).
• All single-use items discarded, not reused.
• Tools stored in a covered, clean container.
• Disinfectant is EPA-registered and labeled bactericidal/virucidal/fungicidal.
• Soiled and disinfected tools kept separate.

This is a free, source-anchored standard operating procedure (SOP) you can print and hand to staff. It documents the work sequence for a Barber Shop business — not safety or regulatory rulings, which defer to the cited authorities, the applicable code, and your own health-and-safety plan. Open the tool above to print it, toggle ink-saver, or (with a free ToolFluency Business account) edit it to match your own workflow.

Sources

• BARBICIDE — Infection Control Best Practices (barbicide.com)
• Virginia DPOR — Board for Barbers & Cosmetology (dpor.virginia.gov)
• US EPA — BARBICIDE Pesticide Product Label (epa.gov)