Tool Cleaning, Disinfection & Sanitation: the full procedure
The clean-then-disinfect workflow for tools, capes, and stations — with the legally-required disinfectant and contact time set by your state board.
- Applies to: All licensed staff.
- Frequency: Between every client; daily/end-of-day for the salon.
- Scope: Covers the clean-then-disinfect workflow and cadence. The specific EPA-registered disinfectant, its concentration, and contact time are set by YOUR state board of cosmetology + the product label.
What you need
- Soap + hot water
- EPA-registered disinfectant (per state board)
- Covered jar / containers
The procedure, step by step
- Remove debris and clean — Remove hair and debris, then clean tools with hot soapy water and rinse — disinfectant does not work on dirty tools.
- Disinfect for the full contact time — Disinfect with an EPA-registered disinfectant (immerse, wipe, or spray per the product) and leave it in contact for the full required time. The required product and contact time are set by your state board — follow it and the label.
- Rinse, dry, and store clean — Rinse/dry as the product requires and store disinfected tools separately from dirty ones.
- Single-use items — Discard porous/single-use items (neck strips, certain files) after each client — they cannot be disinfected.
- Maintain solutions and cadence — Change immersion solution as required (often daily), and disinfect stations/shared surfaces on the cadence your state board requires.
Quality check before you finish
- Tools cleaned of debris with hot soapy water.
- Disinfected for the full required contact time.
- Rinsed/dried; stored separate from dirty tools.
- Single-use items discarded per client.
- Immersion solution fresh; station cadence followed.
This is a free, source-anchored standard operating procedure (SOP) you can print and hand to staff. It documents the work sequence for a Hair Salon 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)
- Associated Hair Professionals — Sanitation (associatedhairprofessionals.com)
- State Board of Cosmetology — Disinfection Rules (your state) (dpor.virginia.gov)
About Free Salon Disinfection SOP
Free printable salon sanitation SOP: the clean-then-disinfect workflow for shears, combs, clippers, and capes plus a sanitation cadence — with required disinfectant and contact time deferred to your state board.
How to use
- Read the full procedure top to bottom before the work — the SOP runs in order and each step builds on the last.
- Toggle Ink-saver (black & white) for a cheaper mono print for the binder; leave it off for the full-color version.
- Click Print SOP to print or save as PDF. Print one per crew, laminate it for the binder, or attach it to the job in your scheduling system.
- Train new hires on it and have staff sign off. Found something out of date? Use the feedback link — flagged SOPs are re-researched against the source list.
Frequently asked questions
How do you disinfect salon tools?
Clean first to remove hair and debris, then disinfect with an EPA-registered disinfectant kept in contact for the required time, and store disinfected tools separately from dirty ones. The specific required disinfectant and contact time are set by your state board of cosmetology — follow it and the product label.
How often must salon tools be disinfected?
Tools that touch a client are cleaned and disinfected between every client; stations and shared surfaces on the cadence your state board requires. This SOP gives the clean-then-disinfect workflow and a cadence; the board sets the legal specifics.
Part of ToolFluency’s library of free online tools for Printables. No account needed, no data leaves your device.