With heightened sensitivity towards limiting the transmission of germs and disease and taking the necessary steps to ensure the protection of both clients and artists, one area to consider is actively avoiding situations where cross-contamination can occur.

Let’s start off by defining exactly what cross-contamination is. Bacterial cross- contamination is the transfer of bacteria or other microorganisms from one substance to another substance or surface. For example, removing your gloves and placing them down after working with a client and then tossing a bloody towel or wipe and picking up a bottle would be a cross-contamination.

Touching contaminated gloves to clean surfaces not only contaminates that object, its also potential contaminates its entire contents. Blood, pigments/inks, towels, wipes, caps tray liners, etc. are all considered contaminated once a procedure has begun. This means that the touching of any of these contaminated objects to any object that is new or unused, would make that object, tool or pigment/ink unsafe for use on anyone else. Simply washing cross-contaminated items is insufficient.

Wiping Surfaces

Regardless of just wiping surfaces you will remove only the contracted areas; you may not remove all biological contaminants from the area if you do touch it. We suggest that every area is covered, draped, bagged, protected or concealed not to provide further contamination.

Removing Gloves

Make sure even when cleaning, that you remove your gloves, do not use the same gloves you used during a procedure to break down your setup. We recommend using new gloves after properly disposing them. When removing gloves make sure you turn them to the inside, and leave the contaminated area of the glove on the very most inside of the glove. We recommend achieving this by grabbing the center of the glove, removing that glove and sliding down the backside of gloves on the upper section of the wrist.

If You Spill Something

Immediately stop, and remove whatever that has spilled on the contaminated item. In this case a spilled ink wash cup will require you to break down all the way to a fresh setup. Meaning stopping the procedure to fix the station.

Articles of Clothing

When you have notices contamination on your clothes it is encouraged that you remove your clothing immediately, and trade out for new clothes. It is not uncommon for people to wear scrubs for procedures, or a uniform.

Side Effects

Side effects to haphazard cross contamination can be minimal to deadly. Some bacterias, or infectious diseases can live on hard surfaces for up to 30 days, and in some cases up to 2 months.

Cleaning In Your Downtime

Ever heard of the saying got time to lean, you got time to clean? The reality is while out of work or transitioning back in to work, work spaces need to clean. Spend time cleaning uncommon areas you may not have thought about. Here are a few suggestions to start.

1. Door knobs on closets.

2. Light switches.

3. Chair height adjustment.

4. TVs, Radios, Speakers, Music & Video Players

5. iPads, credit card machine, registers.

We suggest you follow the best, most safe practices when working with your clients, in pre-procedure, during and post procedure.