How to disinfect manicure instruments at home: simple disinfection methods, expert advice

• July 21, 2018
• Nail care
• Ksenia Stepanishcheva

Well-groomed nails can give you confidence. Therefore, many representatives of the fair sex spend a lot of time doing manicures. It is important to carry out procedures in a neat work area with clean equipment. How to disinfect manicure instruments at home is described in the article.

Nuances

Manicure is a procedure during which small particles of biomaterial remain on the instruments. Even a small drop of blood or an almost invisible scale contains harmful bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms. That is why it is necessary to know how to disinfect manicure instruments at home, as well as sterilize them.

These concepts must be distinguished. Disinfection is the treatment of surfaces and devices using special means to eliminate pathogens. But it will not allow you to get rid of pathogenic microbes. Sterilization eliminates all viruses, fungi, prions, bacteria and spores. High-quality processing of manicure products protects a person from fungi, skin ailments, suppuration, herpes, hepatitis B, and HIV.

What is an antiseptic and how is it used?

Antiseptic, translated from Greek, literally means “against rotting.” Its main task is to disinfect either by stopping the proliferation of bacteria or by completely destroying them. Certain conditions are necessary for the life of pathogenic organisms, and the bactericidal agent prevents the possibility of their creation. An antiseptic should not be confused with a disinfectant: the first is suitable for external and internal use, but the second is for cleaning inanimate objects (disinfection of tools, equipment, premises).

The use of antiseptics is very wide:

• definitely in medicine: cleaning hands, cleansing the skin before surgery, disinfecting mucous membranes and cuts;
• for preservation: vinegar is one of the main antiseptics in the food industry;
• in the construction industry: products against mold, rot, fungus on various surfaces, wood antiseptic protects wood from harmful bacteria;
• in the beauty industry: all tools and surfaces are processed in beauty salons and private offices without fail. Hand sanitizers are used by both the client and the technician for mutual safety;
• in everyday life: brilliant green and hydrogen peroxide are the most common antimicrobial agents in home medicine cabinets.

What instruments are disinfected?

The procedure should be applied to all tools that are used in manicure. Disinfection is performed for:

• scissors;
• wire cutter;
• pusher;
• nail brushes;
• baffy, nail files;
• manicure table, roller, bath;
• LED or UV lamps;
• dots;
• reusable forms.

It is also necessary to disinfect the room, the hands of the master and the client. First you need to determine how disinfection will be carried out - manually or using a device. Typically, the devices are used in salons, and manual processing is carried out at home. But you can also buy equipment for your home, especially if manicures are performed regularly.

Hand treatment

Before starting the manicure procedure, the master must treat his hands and the client with a disinfectant. For this purpose, antiseptics are used, the composition of which contains more than 60% alcohol. The product is applied to dry hands and distributed evenly over the palms, back of the hands, fingers and nails. The antiseptic is rubbed into the skin until completely dry. After this, the technician is recommended to put on disposable gloves and disinfect the client’s hands. Use a disinfectant with additional components that will nourish and moisturize the skin, protecting it from drying out and microcracks.

How often should the treatment be performed?

In nail salons, tools are processed after each client using special devices. Washing with water is not considered disinfection. When taking care of your nails yourself at home, wipe scissors and abrasive files with alcohol.

Every month you need to disinfect your manicure set in distilled boiled water. If the tools are used by more than one person, then boiling must be done before and after use. With the help of clean tools, performing a manicure will not only be safe, but also enjoyable.

Boiling

This is one of the popular methods for disinfecting manicure tools at home. This method was also used by asclepiads - ancient doctors used them for medical devices. Tools must be washed in advance with soapy water to remove any remaining skin, nails, and dirt. They are then placed in boiling distilled water and disinfected for about 20 minutes.

Then you need to remove it with tongs and place it on a prepared towel. The devices should dry naturally without cooling with cold water. A sharp change in temperature can ruin even reliable metal.

Boiling water disinfects tools, but not all metals can withstand this disinfection. Regular procedures affect the quality of tools: scissors become dull and small elements become deformed.

Dry heat treatment

How to sterilize manicure tools in home tools in another way? Dry heat treatment of manicure devices is an affordable method. The procedure is similar to the actions before cooking in the oven:

1. The oven is heated to 200 degrees.
2. During this period, use warm soapy water to wash off the dirt and remnants of manicure work, and rinse with clean running water.
3. Metal devices must be wiped dry and placed on a dry, clean baking sheet so that there is some distance between them.
4. The products are left in the oven for 15 minutes.
5. Then you need to turn off the oven, take out the baking sheet with an oven mitt and let the devices cool on their own.

This completes the procedure for sterilizing manicure instruments at home. The treatment allows you to clean the devices from germs so that the manicure is safe.

How to Properly Disinfect Manicure Tools?

Disinfection of devices at home should be carried out at least once a month. If more than one person uses the devices, they must be boiled after each procedure.

Ways to disinfect manicure tools with your own hands:

• Boiling . Using a soap solution, the devices are washed in advance to remove particles of skin and nails. Next, they are placed in boiling distilled water for 20 minutes. After this time, the instruments are taken out and laid out on a clean towel, allowing them to dry naturally. It is worth considering that not all metals can withstand boiling. If this disinfection procedure is carried out regularly, the scissors may become dull, and some elements may even become deformed.
• Dry heat treatment . To do this, you will need an oven, which is heated to 200 degrees. Manicure tools are pre-rinsed with soapy water and wiped dry. Place the cutlery on a baking sheet at some distance from each other and leave them in the oven for 15 minutes. As soon as the time is up, the baking sheet with the cutlery must be removed and left for some time to cool.
• Alcohol solution . This is an effective way to disinfect your manicure kit at home. To do this, you will need an alcohol solution in which the instruments are immersed for 30 minutes. To get them out, you can use tweezers. The devices are placed in a sealed bag, indicating the date of the procedure.
• Home sterilizer . If possible, you can buy a special device for disinfecting manicure accessories. The lid of such a sterilizer is tightly closed, and bacteria are killed under the influence of ultraviolet radiation. There are also devices that use hot steam.

Medical alcohol

How to treat manicure tools? Before and after use, the device must be wiped with an alcohol solution, which removes dust and dirt. Microbes present on fertile soil will not escape from this procedure.

It is much more effective to disinfect manicure instruments at home by dipping them in an alcohol solution. You need to keep them like this for about 30 minutes. Having taken them out with tongs, you need to place them in a hermetically sealed bag and sign the date of disinfection.

What you need to buy to properly disinfect and sterilize instruments

A master working in a salon or at home needs a set of tools, consumables and equipment for sterilization.

The kit should include:

• disinfectant for primary cleaning and pre-sterilization treatment of instruments in solution;
• sterilization bags, preferably with an indicator that changes color during processing;
• special equipment - a dry heater for disinfection or an ultrasonic cleaner for cleaning and storing files, buffs and other tools that cannot tolerate high temperatures.

DO NOT FORGET

antiseptics for hand disinfection and surface treatment products. For manicures and pedicures to be safe, everything needs to be cleaned.

At the Sterille Store you will find antiseptic and disinfectants, craft bags and sterilization equipment. You can buy everything you need for work from us. We deliver orders throughout Saratov and ship to other regions.

Home sterilizer

Another way to disinfect manicure tools at home? If you have the financial means, you can purchase a special device that disinfects devices. A small container with a hermetically sealed lid affects bacteria with ultraviolet light. There are also devices that perform disinfection with hot steam.

Processing of files and attachments

How to disinfect nail file-shaped manicure tools at home? It is necessary to take into account the material from which they are made. It may be necessary to wipe with a cotton pad soaked in a special solution. The method is suitable for glass and metal files. They are also subjected to heat in the oven.

Paper and wood-based files are cleaned with a brush and antiseptic is sprayed on both sides. The cutters also need to be sterilized depending on the material. Rubber and silicone are subject to processing.

How to sterilize manicure attachments in salons and at home

Disinfection destroys vegetative forms of microorganisms, but it is powerless against their spores. When sterilizing cutters on a manicure apparatus, all known types of pathogenic, conditionally pathogenic and non-pathogenic microbes and spore forms die.

Chemical method

In its pure form, chemical sterilization is the prerogative of industrial enterprises, and sometimes of medicine. It is almost impossible to do this in the nail industry. And that's why:

• the reagents are extremely toxic and require great caution;
• work with them is carried out only in special clothing with respiratory and eye protection;
• the process is completed by neutralizing the surface with distilled water;
• people are required to leave the premises for several hours.

So in salons, manicure cutters are sterilized in special electrical equipment.

Hardware sterilization

The advantage of processing is that the mode and time are set according to the type of nozzle. Therefore, you can sterilize instruments without fear of deformation of the working surface (if you correctly take into account the material used to make the cutters).

1. Dry-heat ovens – sterilization with hot air. The exposure is carried out at a temperature of 180-250 ◦C. Time – 30-120 minutes. The cabinet capacity is equipped with shelves and holders for processing a large number of tools. There is a timer for setting the operating time.
2. Autoclaves – hot steam treatment. Autoclaving combines high temperature (130-140 ◦C), pressure and steam. Only distilled water is used. To completely sterilize an instrument, 15-40 minutes is enough.
3. Glasperlene devices for sterilizing manicure instruments. The new product takes up very little space: it is a medium-sized glass filled with tiny glass beads. It’s just right for a cutter, but it won’t be possible to sterilize many instruments in one session. The temperature regime approaches the oven – 230 ◦C. Treatment lasts from 30 seconds to 2-3 minutes.

Autoclaves are optimal for salon use. But how to sterilize manicure cutters at home , since any of the professional devices are quite expensive?

Ball sterilizer

It is also called quartz. Presented in the form of a compact tabletop device designed for disinfecting instruments using high temperature.

A special feature of the device is that it disinfects not the entire instrument, but the area that comes into contact with the skin during the procedure. The operation of the device is based on heating quartz beads located in the sterilizer tank.

How to sterilize manicure instruments at home? Operating the device is simple:

1. Before using the equipment for the first time, you need to open the lid and fill the tank with quartz balls, which are included in the kit.
2. You need to close the lid and turn on the device with the button on the case.
3. The device heats up to the required temperature - this is done for 10-12 minutes.
4. After the indicator goes out, you need to open the lid and place the accessories into the device.
5. After 15-20 seconds, you need to take them out and you can perform a manicure.

You need to use a sterilizer before using manicure devices. It quickly eliminates pathogenic microorganisms. But manicure products quickly become deformed. Such equipment can be used for devices made of heat-resistant medical alloy.

This equipment is usually used in salons, but it can also be purchased for home use. It is necessary to choose devices from trusted brands, and then the processing will be of high quality.

How to sterilize manicure equipment

A beauty salon is a place where girls are made more beautiful and happier, and in no way harm their health. This is why sterilization of equipment is simply necessary! Without this procedure, it is possible to get an infection, including a very serious one - hepatitis, HIV, herpes or just dirt, as a result of which the client’s fingers can become swollen and inflamed. This question also concerns the reputation of both the master and the salon where he works, not to mention the banal respect for the client.

First of all, you should figure out how to properly sterilize manicure equipment. Let's take a closer look at the sterilization process. It is time-consuming and sometimes difficult, but inevitable, so it is advisable to carefully study the information on this topic so as not to make a mistake anywhere and leave clients satisfied with a beautiful, and, most importantly, harmless manicure.

You can often see terrible posts on Instagram from poor girls who have experienced inflammation after a poor-quality manicure. Sometimes it even came to surgical intervention. To avoid such stories and not spoil the impression of yourself, you need to know the rules for disinfecting instruments by heart.

Effective means

How to treat manicure tools? Devices must undergo several degrees of purification from harmful microorganisms before being used for their intended purpose. Pre-sterilization cleaning involves removing particles of dead skin and biological fluids. It consists of washing tools in running water using regular soap.

Clean accessories must be placed in a sterilizer and treated against bacteria and viruses. Then the products must be packaged in sealed bags. Before the procedure, they undergo the final stage of disinfection. It is also used for the workplace and hands of the master and client. To do this, use the following means:

1. "Neosteril colorless." Used for express disinfection of surfaces and instruments. It contains alcohol, dries quickly and does not need to be rinsed off. The product has a wide spectrum of action. After the procedure, there is no need to ventilate the room. The product is also used when there are people in the room.
2. "Neosteril blue." This is a hand disinfectant, presented in the form of a ready-made solution, which must be used to wipe the skin before the procedure. The liquid has a wound healing effect. It is considered safe and does not lead to allergies or skin irritations.
3. “Dezecon”, “Dezefect”, “Dezecon-OM”. The products are used to disinfect manicure products. They have a similar effect, they are special disinfecting chemicals poured into the bath. Tools are placed in the container. After this, you need to rinse them with running water. “Dezecon” can be used for a month, “Dezefect” and “Dezecon-OM” - for 2 weeks, and then the solutions will be unusable and must be replaced.

These are the most popular products in demand among masters and beginners in manicure. They are suitable for processing various devices. On such products, the instructions indicate how to treat manicure tools at home. You need to follow it, and then you don’t have to worry about the safety of the devices.

Processing tools that are used by several people

Even if you are doing a manicure for your family or friends, the tools need to be carefully treated. This must be done in three stages: cleaning, disinfection and sterilization.

Mechanical cleaning of contaminants

As when processing individual instruments, soap is suitable here, you can also use dishwashing detergent or liquids with antimicrobial additives. Wash the instrument in warm water, then rinse off any remaining product.

Disinfection

This stage allows you to get rid of germs on surfaces and infectious agents. At home, it can be done in different ways: treated with chemicals, cleaned with an antiseptic, or boiled. Let's start with chemical treatment.

Treatment with chemicals

This is a method in which metal objects are kept in a disinfectant solution. The holding time depends on the composition of the solution, and you should remove objects with gloves or tweezers to protect yourself from the harmful effects of chemicals. Let's look at some chemical disinfectants.

• Estilodez An effective and inexpensive remedy. Kills HIV and hepatitis viruses, as well as tuberculosis bacteria and fungi. Also suitable for treating work areas and towels.
• MultiDez Another inexpensive product that contains fewer chemicals, but works great. Kills viruses, fungi and most bacteria. Used in medical institutions, sports complexes and catering establishments.
• Alaminol Effective, but not toxic; if it gets on your skin, you can simply wash it off with water. Fights fungi, viruses, rotaviruses and HIV.
• Neosteril This product copes with fungi, HIV viruses, bacteria, etc., also has a healing effect and is suitable for treating wounds and cuts. Neosteril does not cause allergic reactions and does not require washing the instrument after treatment.
• Desecon Thoroughly removes skin particles, dirt, cream and oil. The higher the water temperature, the more effective Dezecon works.

Antiseptic treatment

Products with an antiseptic effect are medical and cosmetic. As a rule, it is written on the packaging if they are suitable for processing manicure tools. They often have a strong odor, but you can choose a product with fragrances that soften it.

Cleansing lotion with antibacterial effect Sanitizer Green tea ParisNail 950 ml

ATTENTION!

After treating instruments with chemicals or an antiseptic, they must be washed under running water, except for products that do not require this.

Boiling

This is a popular way to process tools at home. There is an opinion that in boiling water all microbes and harmful bacteria die, but this is not so. Boiling disinfects instruments, but does not sterilize them. Sterility is achieved at much higher temperatures than 100 degrees.

Sterilization

Unlike disinfection, sterilization completely destroys all harmful microorganisms, leaving the surface of the instrument perfectly clean and safe. During sterilization, all pathogenic and non-pathogenic microorganisms, including spores, are destroyed. The likelihood of transmitting an infection after such a procedure is completely excluded.

Like the previous processing steps, sterilization can be carried out in different ways depending on your capabilities. First, let's look at how tools are sterilized in manicure studios.

How do they sterilize instruments in manicure salons?

The main equipment used in studios is a dry-heat oven and an autoclave.

A dry-heat oven (also called an “air sterilizer”) is similar in its operating principle to an oven. In it, instruments are treated with dry hot air. The products are sent to dry heat for 1 hour, where under the influence of high temperatures (about 180-190 degrees) all harmful microorganisms dry out and die.

An autoclave sterilizes instruments using steam under pressure. As a result, microorganisms die from high temperature (110-140 degrees) and rupture of the shells by pressure. At the same time, processing time is reduced to 20-30 minutes!

Each device has its own advantages and disadvantages. The dry-heat oven wins in terms of cost. Also, dry air treatment in it is not as harmful to metal instruments as steam treatment in an autoclave, which causes them to corrode. However, non-heat-resistant instruments cannot be sterilized in dry heat, and processing takes a lot of time. The autoclave is suitable for glass and silicone materials; the tools in it are less dull, but it will also cost more.

Dry-heat cabinet GP-10 MO

Drying oven 3859 ruNail

Air sterilizer "Ferroplast-10"

Recommendations

To make the procedure safe, you must follow simple rules:

1. You should wait until the instruments cool down to prevent burns.
2. You cannot cool the devices in cold water; they must cool down on their own, otherwise they may deteriorate.
3. You should purchase antiseptics and sterilizers not based on price, but on quality and functionality. The action of cheap drugs is not aimed at eliminating all causative agents of various ailments.

Even if a manicure set is used at home, it must also be disinfected. The procedure eliminates bacteria and makes the devices suitable for further use.

The article presents all the ways to disinfect manicure tools at home. With their help, manicure will be a high-quality and safe procedure.