8.5 Pedicure Baths: Safe Use and K.A.R. 28-24-9 Disinfection
Key Takeaways
Pedicure equipment is any apparatus that holds water for a pedicure service, whether a whirlpool, pipeless jet or plain basin (K.A.R. 28-24-9).
Immediately after each pedicure: drain all water, remove all debris and removable parts, dispose of any liner in a covered receptacle, clean the parts, surfaces, walls and inlet with soap or detergent, rinse with warm potable water, and disinfect.
Without a liner: circulating equipment is filled with potable water and a bleach solution or liquid disinfectant is circulated for 10 minutes. Noncirculating basins hold the solution for 10 minutes. Both are then drained, rinsed with potable water and wiped dry.
All pedicure equipment must remain clean and disinfected even when it is not in service or cannot be used (K.A.R. 28-24-9(b)).
The Board's fine schedule sets $500 for a first failure to clean and disinfect pedicure equipment and $1,000 for consecutive later offenses.
Quick Answer: Kansas defines pedicure equipment as any apparatus that holds water for a pedicure. Immediately after each pedicure (K.A.R. 28-24-9): (1) drain all water, remove debris and remove all removable parts; (2) discard any liner in a covered receptacle; (3) clean the removable parts, the surfaces and walls, the inlet and debris trapped behind parts with soap or detergent, rinse with warm potable water, and disinfect with a liquid disinfectant per the label; (4) replace the clean parts. (5) If no liner was used, run a bleach solution or liquid disinfectant for 10 minutes (circulating) or let it stand 10 minutes (noncirculating), then drain and rinse with potable water. (6) Wipe dry with a clean towel.
Why Kansas Is So Specific About Foot Spas
Whirlpool and jetted foot spas pull water through pipes, jets and screens. Hair, dead skin, callus debris and product collect behind the removable parts and form a biofilm, a slimy layer that shields microorganisms from disinfectant. In 2000, more than 100 clients of one California salon developed serious skin infections from Mycobacterium fortuitum growing in debris behind the foot-bath inlet screens. The Kansas rule answers that risk. You physically remove the parts and scrub before disinfecting, and when no liner is used, disinfectant is run through the system for 10 minutes.
The Text of K.A.R. 28-24-9
Definition: "pedicure equipment" means any apparatus that holds water for the purpose of pedicure service. This includes whirlpool chairs, pipeless (magnetic-jet or footplate) chairs, portable foot spas and plain bowls.
(a) Immediately after each pedicure service, each practitioner shall:
- Drain the pedicure equipment of all water, remove all debris, and remove all removable parts;
- if a pedicure liner was used, dispose of the liner in a covered waste receptacle;
- clean all removable parts and the surfaces and walls of the equipment, including the inlet and all debris trapped behind any removable parts, with soap or detergent, rinse with warm potable water, and disinfect with a liquid disinfectant used according to the manufacturer's instructions;
- replace all clean removable parts;
- if a pedicure liner was not used, perform one of the following:
- (A) circulating equipment: fill with potable water and circulate a bleach solution or a liquid disinfectant per the manufacturer's instructions for 10 minutes, then drain and rinse with potable water; or
- (B) noncirculating equipment: allow the bleach solution or liquid disinfectant to stand for 10 minutes, then drain and rinse with potable water; and
- wipe the pedicure equipment dry with a clean towel.
(b) Each practitioner shall ensure that all pedicure equipment remains in a clean and disinfected condition, even if it is not in service or not able to be used.
Liner or No Liner: What Changes?
| Step | With a liner | Without a liner |
|---|---|---|
| Drain, remove debris, remove parts | Yes | Yes |
| Dispose of liner in a covered receptacle | Yes | — |
| Clean parts, surfaces, walls and inlet with soap or detergent, rinse, disinfect | Yes | Yes |
| Replace parts | Yes | Yes |
| 10-minute circulation (circulating) or 10-minute standing (noncirculating), then drain and rinse | Not required | Required |
| Wipe dry with a clean towel | Yes | Yes |
A liner doesn't eliminate the cleaning of parts and surfaces. It only removes the 10-minute run.
Removable Parts by Chair Type
The Board's training slides ("Cleaning and Disinfecting Pedicure Chairs and the Removable Parts") show where debris hides:
- Whirlpool spas: the intake (suction) screen draws water into the pipes, and the jets push it back out. The recirculating pipes let water, dead skin and product build up if they are not cleaned and then disinfected.
- Pipeless chairs: the jet cover and impeller come off the motor. Magnetic-jet styles attach the jet casing with a magnet.
- Footplate-style pipeless chairs: the impeller cover twists off and the impeller can be removed. It forces water through the front, back and bottom of the footplate.
Remove every part that is designed to come off, clean the debris behind it, and disinfect the parts. The Board's consumer guide notes that a grating sound when a jet is opened (from foot scrub residue), or visible hair, product or debris in the jet assembly, are signs the chair was not cleaned. Clients are told they may ask to see the jet taken apart.
Safe Use of the Pedicure Bath During the Service
- Fill with clean, potable warm water and test the temperature yourself before the client's feet go in.
- Use only the soak products the manufacturer of the equipment allows. Some scrubs and salts clog jets.
- Never leave a client unattended with the jets running. Keep electrical controls dry, and keep the client's hands away from the jet openings.
- Don't let a client with fungus, open sores or inflamed skin use the bath (K.A.R. 28-24-3).
- Make sure the bath was properly disinfected before seating the client. It must be kept clean and disinfected even between clients and when not in use.
Disinfectant and Enforcement Details
- Use an EPA-registered liquid disinfectant (bactericidal, virucidal and fungicidal) or a bleach solution mixed per the manufacturer's instructions. Measure the concentrate, since the label ratio makes it work.
- Spraying the basin with a cleaner and wiping it out is not the Kansas procedure (Board consumer guide).
- The fine schedule charges $500 for a first failure to clean and disinfect pedicure equipment and $1,000 for consecutive later offenses. Missing disinfectant altogether is a separate $250 violation.
- K.A.R. 28-24-9 does not call for a written cleaning log. The requirement is to perform the steps immediately after every pedicure and keep the equipment clean and disinfected at all times.
A whirlpool pedicure chair was used without a liner. After draining it, removing and scrubbing the parts, rinsing, disinfecting and replacing the parts, what else does K.A.R. 28-24-9 require before wiping it dry?
Nothing more; a quick spray of disinfectant on the basin walls completes the process
Fill it with potable water, circulate a bleach solution or liquid disinfectant for 10 minutes, then drain and rinse with potable water
Circulate plain hot water for 2 minutes to flush the jets
Leave the basin full of disinfectant overnight and record the time in a cleaning log
A technician uses a disposable liner in a pipeless pedicure chair. Which step does the liner remove from the K.A.R. 28-24-9 procedure?
Removing and cleaning the jet cover and impeller
Cleaning the basin surfaces and walls with soap or detergent
Wiping the equipment dry with a clean towel
The 10-minute circulation or standing of bleach solution or disinfectant
A pedicure chair has been out of service for a week while the salon waits for a repair part. What does Kansas regulation require?
It must still remain in a clean and disinfected condition, even though it cannot be used
It is exempt from cleaning until it is repaired
It must be covered with a towel, and no other requirement applies
It must be reported to the Board and inspected before use
What is the first-offense fine on the Board's fine schedule for failure to clean and disinfect pedicure equipment?
A warning letter
$100
$500
$1,500
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.