Green cleaning services can be a valuable asset to high-end salons that require a cost-effective approach to maintaining the cleanliness of their workspace while addressing their customers demand for healthier, sustainable business practices.
Green Cleaning Services for Hair Salons
Properly cleaning a hair salon isn't just good for business, it's the law.
Title 16, Division 9, Article 12 of the California Code of Regulations - Board of Barbering and Cosmetology Regulations, defines various health and safety precautions barber and hair salons must adhere to, to protect their employees and customers.
This is due to the heightened probability of exposure to, and transfer of, infectious bacteria and disease, as well as skin and fungal infections.
Green cleaning services can help address some of the most common violations, cited during inspections, including;
- Title 16; California Code 7351 – Restroom Requirements, and;
- Title 16; California Code 994 - Cleanliness and Repair.
Both of which carry a fine of $50-$150 per incident, but which will likely cost your salon more in lost business and diminished reputation.
The Dangers Lurking in Dirty Salons
The issue of cleanliness and hygiene in hair salons is prolific.
Unfortunately, the State does not possess the resources to guarantee consumer safety on a significant scale.
According to James Jacobs, a supervising inspector with the California Bureau of Barbering and Cosmetology;
Each of our 18 inspectors is responsible for 3,500 to 4,000 shops, which means most salons get inspected only about once every six years—unless we get a complaint.
About 75% of the salons we inspect have violations.
Sometimes they're minor, like a nail file being re-used when it should have been tossed.
But lots of times they're real health hazards, like filthy foot spas.
Take, for example, an outbreak reported by Fox News.
In an extreme case, more than 100 women who went to the same salon in Watsonville, Calif., for pedicures were horrified when bumps formed on their legs and feet.
The bumps turned into purple pus-filled boils that erupted discharge, seemed to heal, and then formed again and spread to other areas.
This outbreak of Mycobacterium fortuitum infections in September 2000 was recently examined in The New England Journal of Medicine, which reported that all patients had had whirlpool footbaths and 70 percent had shaved their legs before the pedicure, which raises the risk of infection.
Commonly Reported Diseases
Commonly reported diseases discovered in salons during inspections include:
- MRSA
- AIDS
- HPV
- Hepatitis B & C
- Herpes
- Mycobacterium
- Warts
- Toenail fungus
- Athletes foot
- Swine flu
- Staph
- Ringworm
- Lice
- Paronychia
- Folliculitis
- Acne
For More Information:
- Salon Cleaning: Looking Good through the Holidays
- Bacteria and Fungus That You Can Encounter In Your Hair Salon
- 10 infections you can pick up at a beauty salon
- Can Salons Spread Infection?
- How to Eliminate Germs & Contaminants in Your Salon
Green Cleaning Tips
While the danger of infectious bacteria and disease are ever-present in a salon, the chemicals commonly employed to sanitize and disinfect tools and high-contact surfaces can be equally, if not more, dangerous to the health and wellbeing of customers, and could negatively impact the performance of workers, costing the business untold thousands of dollars in lost productivity, per year.
We recommend you use the following tips to keep your salon clean, healthy, and profitable:
- Ensure each employee washes their hands before and after each client visit.
- Do NOT reuse single-use/disposable items, including gloves and nail files.
- Sanitize all multi-use items and tools, UV lamps, and hard surfaces with a Green Seal certified product.
- Rinse and sanitize all pedicure spas, whirlpools, and bowels with a Green Seal certified product after each use, then again at the end of the day.
- Sweep the floor regularly with a microfiber broom, and clean daily with a microfiber mop.
- Replace cotton or cloth cleaning towels with microfiber.
- Clean carpets and walkway mats daily with HEPA filtered vacuum.
- Supply and sanitize bathrooms as needed with Green Seal certified product, and then top to bottom at the end of the day.
- Use Green Seal certified disinfectant wipes daily on phones, computer equipment, cash registers, and customer counters.
- Dust display cases with a microfiber cloth, at least weekly.
Source:
References & Resources
- Board of Barbering and Cosmetology - Laws and Regulations
- Most Common Violations Cited During an Inspection
Salon Cleaning Checklists
- Salon Sanitation Checklist- General Mobile App
- Salon Disinfection Checklist
- A Checklist for Cleaning a Salon
- Salon Self-Inspection Checklist
- Salon Sanitation Checklist-General
Takeaway
Salons are hotbeds for the transfer of communicable disease, skin rashes, and irritation, as well as a host of other commonly transmitted, infectious bacteria.
The most cost-effective, consumer-friendly way to address the need for proper sanitation and disinfection is to partner with a certified green cleaning provider to ensure the products used in the cleaning process do not cause more harm, than good.
If you would like to learn more about the advantages of green cleaning services for your hair, nail, or beauty salon, contact us today for a free quote!
In Bakersfield CA, call (661) 395-3009
In Fresno CA, call (559) 473-1790
