Cosmetology · Nail and Skin Service Safety

Single-use items in nail services (such as wooden sticks and emery boards) should be:

Correct answer

Discarded after one client because they cannot be disinfected

  1. A Shared
  2. B Disinfected and reused
  3. C Discarded after one client because they cannot be disinfected
  4. D Reused on the next client

Why this is the answer

Single-use (porous) nail items such as wooden/orangewood sticks, emery boards, and buffers cannot be properly cleaned and disinfected, so they must be discarded after one client (or given to that client for personal use). Reusing them risks transferring pathogens. Only nonporous, cleanable implements (metal tools) may be disinfected and reused. Correctly classifying nail items as single-use versus reusable, and discarding the porous ones, is a fundamental nail-service infection-control rule consistently tested on the exam.
Source: Skin & Nails — Single-Use Nail Items

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About this topic: Nail and Skin Service Safety

Nail and skin service safety covers disinfection of implements and foot spas, product safety and SDS, blood exposure procedures, and the conditions that make a service unsafe to perform. This is one of 6 Skin & Nails questions on nail and skin service safety, each with a full explanation on a single study page.

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