Salon Sanitation Checklist

The cleanliness of your salon is just as important as the services it offers. Viruses, bacteria, and fungi can easily grow and spread on your tools and equipment, which can cause infections and illness in your employees and clients. But even if your salon looks clean, that doesn’t mean it’s germ-free. Follow our salon sanitation checklist to keep your salon safe and clean as you reopen for customers and employees.

Act Like an Inspector and Go Through Your Salon

Walk through your salon as if you were the health inspector and look at everything with a critical eye. First, has every frequently touched surface, such as countertops, door handles, and credit card terminals, been cleaned and disinfected on a daily basis? You can only disinfect clean surfaces so first clean and then disinfect. It’s important that you complete both steps as you clean your salon.

What to Inspect in Your Salon

• Disinfected Tools and Equipment: Tools such as shears, combs, and clippers should be cleaned with soap and water and then submerged in an EPA-registered disinfectant. Equipment such as foot baths and shampoo bowls should also be cleaned and disinfected.
• Clean Workstations: Chairs can’t be disinfected like tools or other equipment because of their surfaces, but you can wipe them down with lukewarm water and a mild detergent. Keep individual areas clean and make sure your mirrors and tools are clean and neatly where they belong.
• Launder All Towels: Make sure all used towels, capes, and smocks are kept away from clean linens. All linens should be laundered in water that’s 160 degrees to kill viruses and bacteria.
• Check the Air Vents: Air vents can accumulate dust and debris, so it’s important to keep them clean. Wipe them down with a dry cloth or sponge.

Think Like a Customer when You Clean Your Salon

Now it’s time to think like a customer. What would you notice? Is there dirt and dust on the windowsills? Is there unswept hair under a workstation or in a corner?

Customer Considerations in Your Salon

• Amenities: Customers love to flip through magazines or grab a free cup of coffee. But because of COVID-19, you’ll need to remove these amenities from the waiting area.
• Remove Samples: Same goes for testers and sample products that you used to keep in the waiting area; not anymore. And don’t forget to wipe down the bottles of product you sell as well as the shelves they’re displayed on.
• Cover the Chairs: Between each customer, you can cover salon chairs with towels or paper sheets. This is an extra layer of cleanliness for clients, and it saves your employees from cleaning chairs all day long.

Remember Your Employees during Salon Sanitation

Don’t forget to clean your back room. Your staff bathroom, break room, and laundry area will need to be cleaned and sanitized too. Most importantly, create a cleanliness plan and communicate it your employees. Use California’s guidelines to create a checklist for employees to follow every day.

A clean salon can attract clients and set you apart from other salons in your area. You can also set yourself apart with hands-on training from industry professionals. At Salon Success Academy, we offer programs in Cosmetology, Barbering, Esthetician, and Manicuring/Nail Technician, and Make-up Designory. Call 877-987-4247 to learn more.