1.5 Michigan Establishment Standards & the Disinfection Rules

Michigan Establishment Standards & the Disinfection Rules

Quick Summary: The Michigan sanitation obligations you are accountable for live in the Cosmetology – General Rules, and specifically in three consecutive rules: R 338.2171 (what the premises must have and do), R 338.2171a (how tools, linens, furniture, wax and brushes are decontaminated), and R 338.2171b (what the practitioner personally must do). Two numbers dominate: 10 minutes of immersion for disinfection or sterilisation, and 160 °F for 25 minutes for laundering.

Citation note: R 338.2161 through R 338.2163b are curricula, not sanitation rules, and R 338.2172 through R 338.2179d are rescinded. If a study source cites those for sanitation duties, it is citing rules that either say something else or no longer exist.

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1. What the Premises Must Have — R 338.2171(1)

An establishment or school shall have and maintain:

Operational duties — R 338.2171(2)

• Maintain all areas in a safe and sanitary condition.
• Dispose of vaporous chemical waste per the manufacturer's recommendations.
• Disinfect waste containers at least once every 24 hours, unless lined with a plastic bag disposed of each time the container is emptied.
• Dispose of all single-use tools and supplies after use on a patron.
• Store clean non-electrical tools and supplies in covered containers, separate from used tools.
• Place towels, capes and neck strips used on a patron into a container for used items.
• Dispose of all waste materials in a covered waste container.

Exam Note: The rule does not set square footage, does not mandate a restroom, does not require foot-pedal bins, and does not specify a municipal water source. It requires adequate hot and cold running water and adequate ventilation. Learn the rule as written; inspectors cite the rule as written.

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2. Decontaminating Tools — R 338.2171a(1)–(3)

Michigan writes each protocol as a sequential procedure. Order is part of the requirement.

Non-electrical tools that are not disposed of — after each use on a patron:

1. Remove all visible debris.
2. Disinfect by either
   • full immersion in a wet sanitizer for not less than 10 minutes, or the period recommended by the disinfectant manufacturer; or
   • scrubbing all surfaces with a disinfectant wipe, or a disinfectant spray and a clean towel.
3. Fully dry by air or with a clean towel.

Removable parts of electrical tools — after each use: the same three steps, with one addition at the end — dry fully before storing in a clean place such as a stand, hook, or on a clean towel covered by a clean towel. "Electrical items with a cord must not be stored in a container used for storing other clean items."

Tools and supplies that go beneath the top layer of the skin — after each use:

1. Remove all visible debris.
2. Sterilise by either full immersion in a liquid sterilant for not less than 10 minutes (or the manufacturer's period), or autoclaving per the autoclave manufacturer's instructions.

The definitions matter here. R 338.2101 defines a disinfectant as a substance registered as a disinfectant by the EPA; a sterilant as one registered as a sterilant by the EPA; a wet sanitizer as "a covered container filled with a liquid substance... registered as a disinfectant or sterilant by the EPA"; an autoclave as a device registered and listed as an autoclave or dry-heat sterilizer with the FDA; and "clean" as an item that was disinfected or sterilised under R 338.2171a or a new and unused single-use item.

Exam Note: "Changed daily," "10% bleach," and "250 °F at 15 psi for 30 minutes with monthly spore testing" are common industry practices and reasonable professional habits — but they are not in the Michigan rule. What the rule requires is EPA registration, the manufacturer's label directions, 10 minutes minimum immersion, and, for autoclaves, the manufacturer's instructions.

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3. Linens, Furniture, Semi-Solid Products, Basins and Brushes — R 338.2171a(4)–(11)

Towels, capes and neck strips — R 338.2171a(4). Machine washed with a detergent in water of not less than 160 degrees Fahrenheit for not less than 25 minutes during a wash and rinse cycle. Three qualifications follow:

• A detergent registered as a disinfectant with the EPA is not required.
• Machine washing is not required for plastic or nylon capes that are disinfected after each use by scrubbing all surfaces with a disinfectant wipe or spray and a clean towel.
• Items laundered through commercial laundry services are presumed to satisfy the subrule.

Chairs, headrests, tables and beds — R 338.2171a(5). Anything that comes in direct contact with a patron's skin is decontaminated after use by removing visible debris, then scrubbing all surfaces with a disinfectant wipe or spray and a clean towel. Immersion is obviously impossible; wiping is the prescribed method.

Semi-solid substances — R 338.2171a(6). This is the wax rule, and it is broader than wax:

"All semi-solid substances, including, but not limited to, waxes, creams, lotions, oils, and powders must be stored in a covered container and removed by using a clean spatula or single-use spatula that is disposed after use on a patron, unless it is dispensed from a shaker dispenser that prevents contact with the skin."

That is the legal basis for the no-double-dipping standard, and it applies to your massage cream and mask powder exactly as it applies to your wax pot.

Brushes — R 338.2171a(10) and (11). Neck and nail dusters and other brushes: remove debris, then immerse in a wet sanitizer for not less than 10 minutes. Natural fiber, facial, acrylic, gel, nail-art and makeup brushes: remove debris, then fully immerse in a wet sanitizer for at least 10 minutes. There is no wipe-only alternative for brushes.

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4. What the Practitioner Must Do — R 338.2171b

Patron protection is stated as personal duties on the licensee, student or apprentice:

• Keep attire and hands sanitary.
• Apply antiseptic to the hands before performing any cosmetology service.
• Clean tools, equipment and supplies that are not disposed of, after each use, under R 338.2171a.
• Store clean tools and supplies in covered containers, separate from used tools and supplies.
• Use clean tools, equipment and supplies on patrons.
• Dispose of all single-use tools and supplies after each use on a patron.
• Remove hair clippings from the floor once hair care services are completed.

Exam Note: "Apply antiseptic to your hands before the service" is an affirmative Michigan duty, not a suggestion — and it maps directly onto the PSI practical rating line "adheres to workplace infection control precautions," which is scored in every one of the five topic areas.

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Real-World Scenario: Reconciling a Treatment Room With the Rule Book

Scenario: An esthetician sets up a new treatment suite and wants to be able to point to the rule behind each choice.

Analysis:

1. Treatment bed. She buys a bed with a vinyl, non-porous surface — R 338.2171(1)(i) — and disinfects it between clients by wiping all surfaces, per R 338.2171a(5).
2. Linens. She uses a commercial laundry service, which R 338.2171a(4) presumes compliant, rather than trying to verify 160 °F for 25 minutes on a domestic machine. Soiled linens go straight into a covered container, per R 338.2171(1)(c).
3. Wax and creams. Her wax pot, massage cream and mask powder all live in covered containers and are dispensed with a single-use spatula discarded after each patron — R 338.2171a(6). She adds a shaker dispenser for her enzyme powder, which the same subrule expressly allows.
4. Tools. Tweezers and comedone extractors: debris off, 10 minutes in a covered EPA-registered wet sanitizer, dried fully, then stored in a covered container away from used tools — R 338.2171a(1) and R 338.2171b(d). Her corded high-frequency handpiece is disinfected on its removable electrode and stored on a hook, never in the clean-tool container, per R 338.2171a(2).
5. Room. Adequate hot and cold running water; ventilation sufficient to keep chemical vapours and strong odours from concentrating; a covered waste container big enough for a day's waste, disinfected every 24 hours unless bag-lined; manufacturer-labelled disinfectant; an ANSI/ISEA Z308.1 first aid kit on the wall.

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Key Takeaways

• Three rules, three subjects: R 338.2171 premises, R 338.2171a decontamination, R 338.2171b the practitioner.
• The universal sequence: remove visible debris → disinfect (immerse ≥ 10 min or scrub with wipe/spray) → fully dry.
• Sterilisation is reserved for tools that go beneath the top layer of skin: liquid sterilant ≥ 10 min or autoclave per manufacturer instructions.
• Laundry: detergent, ≥ 160 °F, ≥ 25 minutes; EPA-registered detergent not required; commercial laundering presumed compliant.
• Semi-solids — wax, cream, lotion, oil, powder — covered container plus clean or single-use spatula discarded after each patron, or a shaker dispenser.
• Brushes are immersed for ≥ 10 minutes; wiping is not an option for them.
• Personal duty: sanitary attire and hands, and antiseptic on the hands before every service.