Manicures, pedicures and nail treatments

Bacterial, fungal and viral infections may result from using contaminated manicure and pedicure tools and instruments. To prevent this, multi-use tools and instruments must be adequately cleaned and disinfected between clients as required in the Infection Prevention and Control Best Practices for Personal Services Settings (Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care).

Infection prevention and control procedures must be followed to protect personal service workers and their clients.

* The following information is in addition to general operational requirements for personal service settings.

Infection prevention and control requirements

Hand hygiene and glove use

Hand hygiene must be practiced by the personal services worker (PSW):

before and after each client
before and after wearing gloves
Between breaks in service

Where contact is limited to intact skin, gloves are not required.

Clean, non-sterile gloves should be worn:

for contact with blood, body fluids, secretions and excretions, mucous membranes, or non-intact skin
when handling items visibly soiled with blood, body fluids, secretions and excretions
when the PSW has cuts on his/her hands

If gloves are required they must be changed between procedures on the same clients and between clients.

Gloves should be removed immediately after completing the procedure, at the point of use, and before touching clean surfaces.

Single-use disposable gloves should not be reused or washed.

Clients must wash their hands and thoroughly dry them prior to nail treatments.

Nail assessment

Prior to offering the service, examine the client’s nails for infection.
Do not provide nail services for a client who has signs of nail infection.
PSWs should not provide treatment or apply any fungal ointment to the client’s skin. Fungal ointment should not be on-site.
PSWs should advise their clients to see their doctor for assessment and treatment if they have an infection.

Manicures and pedicures

Avoid breaking the client’s skin, especially when cutting cuticles or filing the nails. Dermatologists recommend leaving cuticles intact to reduce potential exposure to infectious agents.
Prior to the start of the service, gather all tools and instruments and lotions that may be required.
Single-use tools and instruments (emery boards, hind stones, orange sticks, buffers, pumice stones, toe separators) can only be used once then must be discarded or given to the client to take with them.
Multi-use instruments and tools (such as glass or diamond nail files, nippers, clippers) must be cleaned with soap and warm water using a scrub brush and then disinfected with an intermediate or high-level disinfectant after each client. Pay particular attention to the contact time required for each disinfectant used.
Store multi-use tools in a clean, covered container when not in use.
Pedicure blades (credo blades) must only be used once then discarded into an approved sharps container (puncture-resistant, leak-proof container with a tight-fitting lid and properly labelled with a biological hazard sign).
Creams or oils used must be dispensed in a way that does not contaminate the original portion (no double-dipping).
Any styptic product used must be single-use and discarded after each client. Styptic pencils cannot be used to stop bleeding on clients. Powder or liquid forms are acceptable provided that the product is applied using a disposable applicator in the event that direct contact with the skin is required.
See additional information for disinfecting of footbaths or thrones following pedicures.

Blood and body fluid exposures

Instruments that accidentally break or nick the skin during a procedure must be cleaned and disinfected with a high-level disinfectant prior to reuse.
Records of accidental blood or bodily fluid exposures must be completed and kept onsite for one year and off site for 5 years.
Hepatitis B vaccination is strongly recommended for PSWs.

This item was last modified on November 16, 2015