Many do manicures on their own. Someone accepts clients at home or comes to their house. In this regard, the question arises of the sterilization of manicure tools at home. How safe is it to use after other people? Do I need to handle tools that only one person uses?
It is known that on the skin of any person (even absolutely healthy) there are thousands of microbes. There are many of them in the air and on the surfaces of the room. Usually immunity successfully copes with them. But with a manicure, you can accidentally injure your skin. In this case, pathogenic microorganisms rush into the wound, which can provoke inflammation. Often, if untreated, a fungus joins.
If with hands the situation is somewhat better, then you can get a fungus with a pedicure easily, depending on the specifics of the disease. To prevent diseases from being transmitted through the instruments, manicure instruments are decontaminated at home.
Where to start processing tools
The process of processing nails is currently fraught with dangerous situations, during which infection with various bacteria, fungi and viruses is possible. This is especially true for nail extensions. This operation requires exceptional sterility. Now created a lot of special tools that are able to successfully deal with pathogenic flora.
For beauty salons and medical facilities, there are Sanitary Inspection standards that carefully prescribe the actions of employees. When it comes to sterilizing manicure tools at home, these instructions are not fully applied, but it makes sense to adhere to some rules. One of them is that sterilization begins with disinfection.
Professional disinfectants
In stores selling professional equipment for beauty salons, universal disinfectants are always available. It can be tablets, soluble in water, or a ready-made gel, which is diluted to a working solution. It soaked metal objects before placing them in the sterilizer. Also, with the help of these tools, the premises are cleaned, the surfaces are wiped and the floor is washed.
Many are interested in how to disinfect manicure tools at home. For this procedure, it is convenient to use a container specifically designed for cleaning tools. First, a professional solution is poured into it, then the tools are placed for the prescribed time specified in the instructions. After the tweezers are taken out, they are transferred to a tray, which is placed in the sink under a small stream of water. Such treatment is necessary so that the infection does not spread throughout the room.
Sterilization of manicure tools
At home, this procedure is usually performed using a glasperlen sterilizer. It is a container that looks like a coffee grinder. Inside it is a bowl that heats up to a high temperature. It is filled with glass balls that transfer heat to the instruments. Scissors, tweezers and pushers just stick into them, like in the sand. For sterilization, it is necessary to withstand a few minutes, after which the instrument is carefully removed, using tacks for hot. If you neglect this requirement, you can get a burn and drop the tool, which is easily deformed in the heated state.
Some purchase an ultraviolet sterilizer. This is a good device, but it is mainly used by hairdressers. The fact is that combs and hairdressing scissors do not usually come in contact with blood. The situation with manicure is different. Therefore, the function of sterilizing manicure instruments at home is carried out to destroy the viruses transmitted through the blood. The UV sterilizer cannot provide this. But you can store clean tools in it.
High temperature treatment
If the glasperlin sterilizer could cope with the job one hundred percent, no one would have thought about buying a dry heat gun for manicure tools. So in a professional language they call a dry heat cabinet for sterilization. This is medical equipment that has been successfully used in beauty salons. Its operating temperature is 160 - 240 degrees and provides complete sterilization. Ball devices only clean cutting surfaces. Partially pathogenic flora dies when the instruments are soaked in a professional solution, but only a dry heat will guarantee sterility.
At home, you can use the oven as such a cabinet, but it is recommended to use kraft packages. They pack metal tools before processing. Periodically thoroughly clean the oven itself.
Boiling
Many bacteria and viruses survive well after boiling. To destroy them requires a much higher temperature than one hundred degrees. For this reason, medical institutions refused to boil syringes and other instruments, preferring treatment with extremely low temperatures or using a dry heat gun. For manicure tools that are cleaned at home, you should resort to similar methods. If the cryotemperature regime cannot provide a home refrigerator, then the oven will completely cope with the task.
What equipment will be needed
If we are talking about self-processing nails, you can limit yourself to buying a ball sterilizer. It is treated with pre-washed, soaked in a disinfector, washed under running water and dried tools. If you store them not in a case, but in a sterile container under a lid, sterility will be ensured.
When the master is receiving at home, sterilization should be taken more seriously. In this case, it is advisable to purchase a UV sterilizer for storing instruments. It is useful to purchase a wall-mounted UV sterilizer, which is periodically turned on for room treatment.
Other equipment for sterilizing manicure tools at home is a dry heat gun or a glasperlen sterilizer. For the first time, you can not take an expensive dry heat cabinet, since for these purposes you can use a ball sterilizer. However, the cabinet guarantees the sterility of not only the cutting edges, but also the handles. The ball device is not able to provide this. Therefore, to preserve the health of the master and his family, it is better to try to get a dry heat.
Sterilization procedure
In this process, there is a certain sequence of actions. Here's how to sterilize manicure tools at home:
- Thorough cleansing of organic particles (skin, nails) and special products that remain on the surface of the instrument (oil, cream, skin disinfector, cuticle remover, and the like). This is done with gloves under running water using a brush.
- Drying the tool in a special place where dust does not get. It can be a container with a towel that is laid on the bottom. Do not close the container.
- Place instruments in a sterilizer (glasperlen or dry heat). Before using a dry gun, tools are placed in a paper craft bag. It is recommended to sign the calculation time.
- Removing tools and sending them to storage: in a UV sterilizer or on a shelf, without unpacking the bag. The package should change color. This means that the tool has passed processing.
Expert Advice
If you ask the masters, long working in the field of nail business, about home sterilization, they will tell a lot of interesting things. These will be stories about infection with hepatitis, fungus and other skin ailments through poorly cleaned instruments. But the most serious will be the story of the acquisition of allergies. The fact is that when using inexpensive disinfectant solutions in everyday life it is very difficult not to exceed their concentration. Basically, these are chlorine-containing drugs that can cause poisoning if they are used in large doses.
In order for the master’s work at home to be truly safe, a separate room should be allocated. It is dangerous to sterilize tools in the kitchen - the Sanitary Inspection rules prohibit this in the room where they eat food. Even in salons it is required to allocate a separate table for disinfection or a special cabinet. An allergy does not appear immediately. Substances accumulate in the body, and when a certain concentration is exceeded, they begin to manifest themselves. Experienced craftsmen prefer to rent an office, since treatment is too expensive and makes it impossible to do your favorite job.
Conclusion
We talked about how to handle manicure tools at home. The proverb says: "Forewarned - means armed." Of course, it is better to protect yourself than to be treated. Good luck in your new endeavor!