How Clean Are Nail Salons?

Everyone is concerned about cleanliness these days because of the Coronavirus. One area that you might not have considered before is the cleanliness of nail salons. Now that nail salons are reopening, it’s more important than ever to be extremely cautious and vigilant about the cleanliness of your nail salon. Even in the best circumstances, nail salons can easily spread infections and diseases, so the Coronavirus pandemic might be a necessary wake-up call for many people who just assumed that every nail salon is automatically clean and safe. That being said, not all nail salons are hotbeds for germs and bacteria — it all totally depends on the specific sanitation requirements and the salon’s implementation of these requirements.

State Sanitation Requirements

The good news is that states have strict sanitation requirements for nail salons to ensure the health and safety of customers and employees. However, inspections aren’t a foolproof way to enforce these standards. Nonetheless, you should always look for inspection stickers and posted licenses for your nail technician to ensure that they are a trained professional. Also, make sure to check online reviews for salons either on Google or even the Better Business Bureau.

What Are The Risks?

While you may have never thought that getting your glossy nails done could come with risks, there are quite a few of them that you need to be aware of before your next appointment:

• Warts are extremely contagious and can easily spread in a nail salon thanks to the HPV virus. Plantar warts and common warts can both occur as a result.
• Athlete’s foot is a fungus that can be easily spread through the footbaths at nail salons if they aren’t properly cleaned after each use.
• MRSA is an infection that is serious although relatively rare. It can cause severe complications and can be hard to treat, so it’s best to practice vigilance to avoid getting it in the first place!
• COVID-19 is a new risk that we are seeing at nail salons. Obviously, this isn’t specific to nail salons but is really a risk whenever you’re in close proximity to people — which inevitably occurs at nail salons.

How To Tell If Your Nail Salon Is Clean

Perhaps the most important thing to know about are red flags that your nail salon might not be vigilant enough about their cleaning and sanitation practices. Most of these things you can notice right off the bat, while others might take some serious observation skills. Nonetheless, here’s what to look out for when visiting your nail salon:

• The foot baths in those amazing massage chairs can be a hotbed for trapping germs. While salons should be cleaning these out after every customer AND deep cleaning them every night, the safest course of action is to find a salon that uses disposable plastic liners for their footbaths to eliminate these risks.
• They don’t reuse non-metal tools like nail files, nail buffers, and sticks. This is a common requirement because these tools cannot be properly sterilized. Don’t be afraid to ask your nail technician to open a new package in front of you to ensure that it’s safe and sterile.
• They sterilize metal tools. The best course of action here is to use a UV light sterilizer combined with a hospital-grade disinfectant to ensure that 100% of germs, bacteria, and fungus are killed off prior to the next use. One way to mitigate this risk is to bring in a set of your own tools to the salon so that you know that they are safe and clean.

At the end of the day, you are the best advocate for your own health and safety. So when going to a nail salon, make sure that it is clean, following rules and regulations, passing inspections, and satisfying its customers before you set foot in that footbath!