Unfortunately, some of the most important elements of any treatment can be the most boring. Cleaning is one of them, but essential in any professional treatment. This article is intended to provide an overview of the best way to keep your wax container, tools, and treatment area clean and ready for action. The article is divided into sections, each of which deals with a specific topic.
A good practice to start with is to use a hand sanitizing gel/spray at the beginning of each treatment in front of your client. This helps demonstrate your commitment to hygiene without having to yell about it. Your actions speak louder than your words.
wax warmers
Throughout the day, you should clean up and clean any wax spills or drips from your warmer. Whenever you clean your heater, be sure to use a Wax Equipment Cleaner product. If you use surgical spirit or acetone, you will find that this will dry out the plastic and make it brittle, leading to cracks and damage to the heater.
I have a little clearly labeled spray bottle that I pour some equipment cleaner into, and then at the end of a treatment, I spray some onto a wax strip and wipe down my heater. This gets the job done quickly and easily, and if done regularly, it doesn’t become a huge chore. Whenever you use any cleaning product, it is always recommended to wear suitable gloves to protect your skin.
If you pour your wax into a refillable internal container bucket, you may want to change the wax you use a few times. And for this you will need to thoroughly clean the tray to remove all traces of the previous wax. It’s also good practice to do this once in a while, even if you don’t change the waxes, just to make sure the bucket and product inside are clean and free of contaminants.
The way you would normally do this is pretty simple; First of all, heat the cube, maybe a little hotter than normal so that the wax is very thin. Then carefully, using proper hand protection (you don’t want to burn yourself), remove the bucket and pour the bottom wax into a suitable container for disposal – don’t pour it down the drain!
Now leave the bucket in a safe place to cool completely. Once it has cooled, place a bit of equipment cleaner in the bucket, about 0.5 – 1cm deep. Leave this on for a few minutes and then swirl it around to dissolve as much of the wax as possible. You may find that using a putty knife helps to dislodge stubborn bits. Discard again in a suitable container and then repeat the process several times until all the wax has been removed.
Once all the wax has been removed, rinse the bucket well with warm water. Then fill it up with your tool sanitizing solution and be sure to leave it in for the prescribed time minimum. Then rinse well again and allow it to dry completely before using it again.
Tweezers and other small tools
These must be disinfected between each client. The easiest way to do this is to use a suitable tool disinfectant product like Barbicide, or my personal preference Mundo Power Plus Instrument and Tool Disinfectant. You should pay close attention to the manufacturer’s instructions, how long the tools should stay in the solution, it can be ten minutes or more, and how often the solution should be changed.
Mundo makes a fantastic little tray that you can use to soak your tools to make sure they are completely clean and ready to use.
Treatment Stretcher / Table and Surfaces
Oils and products can be easily seen through the towels on your treatment table. You should always clean this with a suitable disinfectant cleaner every time you change towels. You can even get disposable wipes that you can use to make this job even faster and easier. Be sure to check that the cleaning product is suitable for use with the material that covers your tables. Some can dry out vinyl and other coverings and eventually make them brittle, leading to cracks and tears that can be expensive to repair.
You should also make sure to clean your surfaces, such as your car or any countertops you may be using, with a suitable disinfectant.
Towels
These must be clean and fresh for each customer. Towels should be washed at a minimum of 60 degrees Celsius. I personally prefer to use a fabric softener with my towels, some people say you shouldn’t because it can affect the absorbency of your towels, which is pretty good, but my towels are for laying on or under.