2.6 Workstation Setup, Product Dispensing & Station Breakdown (Written Practical)
Key Takeaways
Setup order: wash hands, clean and then disinfect the bed, cart and equipment for the label contact time, then lay out clean tools on a clean towel covered by another clean towel.
Dispense creams, masks and waxes with a clean or disposable spatula onto a palette or cup; never use fingers, never store the spatula in the jar, and never return product to the container.
After the service, used tools and linens go into closed containers labeled "used," single-use items go in the trash, and the bed and cart surfaces are cleaned and disinfected.
Tools are reprocessed by cleaning with soap and water, rinsing, drying, fully submerging in a covered EPA-registered hospital disinfectant, rinsing, drying and storing in a clean closed container.
Written Practical items reward the Minnesota rule sequence, such as cleaning before disinfecting, washing hands before gloving, and label contact time, over brand-name habits.
1. How the Written Practical Tests Setup and Breakdown
The Written Practical is 55 items (50 scored) in 90 minutes. Its first domain, Safety and Infection Control (24%), covers (A) disinfection and infection-control procedures, (B) storage of tools and implements, and (C) first aid and exposure incident procedures. Items are usually scenarios that ask "what should the esthetician do next?" or "which step is missing?" Know the order, not just the list.
2. Before the Client Arrives
- Wash your hands with soap and water, or use a 60 percent alcohol rub if your hands are free of product and visible soil (Minn. R. 2105.0375, subp. 2).
- Clean, then disinfect work surfaces: the facial bed, stool, cart top, magnifying lamp arm and handles, steamer housing and bowls. Wipe debris away first, then apply an EPA-registered, hospital-level disinfectant spray or wipe and leave the surface wet for the full contact time on the label before it dries (subp. 15). Minnesota requires facial and waxing beds to be disinfected daily and immediately after any client's bare skin touches them.
- Protect the bed with a clean sheet plus a clean cloth or paper barrier where the client's skin will rest (subp. 15, item B).
- Check that the disinfectant container is ready: covered, labeled with the product name and dilution, mixed fresh that day unless the label says otherwise, and free of visible debris (subp. 4, item D).
- Lay out tools and supplies. Take cleaned and disinfected tools (extractors, tweezers, bowls, fan brushes, spatulas) from clean closed storage. Tools set out before the client arrives go on a clean cloth or paper towel and are covered with one, and that towel is discarded at the end of the service (subp. 6, item E). Add single-use items from their covered containers: cotton, gauze, sponges, wooden spatulas, neck strips and eye pads.
- Prepare hot towels from a disinfected warmer. Steamed towels must have been washed with detergent and bleach, dried hot and prepared fresh that day, and loaded by someone with washed hands or gloves (subp. 15, item G).
- Check equipment: fill the steamer with distilled water, check cords and plug placement (no more than two items per outlet without a compliant power strip), and turn the wax heater on early enough to reach its working temperature.
3. Receiving and Preparing the Client
- Review the intake form and ask about changes in medications, allergies and recent procedures (see section 6.1).
- Wash hands again in front of the client, if possible, before touching them.
- Drape the client: gown or wrap, chest towel, clean head wrap or disposable cap.
- Put on gloves before extractions, waxing, or any contact with non-intact skin.
4. During the Service: Hygienic Dispensing
Minnesota's dispensing rule (subp. 7, item C) is strict:
- Keep fluids, creams, waxes and powders in clean, covered containers.
- Remove product with a disposable or disinfected spatula or applicator. Fingers must never be used. Do not store the spatula in the container.
- Put the portion on a disinfected palette, bowl or single-use cup. Product removed from a container is never returned to it.
- If you need more product, use a new clean or disposable spatula.
- Pumps and squeeze bottles dispense onto cotton, a palette or a gloved palm without the tip touching the skin.
- Wipe product containers clean and disinfect their exteriors with a disinfectant wipe at the end of the day.
Dropped or contaminated tools are removed from the station and placed in the "used" container, or cleaned and disinfected, before they are used again (subp. 7, item M). Tools never go in pockets or on aprons (item L).
5. After the Service: Breakdown
- Remove gloves and discard them. Wash your hands.
- Single-use items (cotton, gauze, sponges, wooden spatulas, wax strips, neck strips, eye pads, paper barriers) go in the trash immediately. Anything contaminated with blood is sealed in a plastic bag first (subp. 5, item E). Leaving used single-use items in the work area invites a $500 penalty, because their presence counts as evidence of reuse.
- Multi-use tools (extractors, tweezers, bowls, brushes, fan brushes) go into a covered, closed container labeled "used," or are cleaned and disinfected right away (subp. 6, item F).
- Linens (sheets, towels, head wraps, robes) go into a closed container labeled "used" (subp. 8, item B). Do not shake linens out; roll them inward.
- Electrical equipment: unplug devices, then clean and disinfect the steamer, lamp and other device surfaces, including handles and cords, after each use (subp. 11).
- Wax station: clean and disinfect any surface a used wax stick touched, right after the service. Keep the wax pot covered. If the wax was contaminated, empty the pot, discard the wax and disinfect the pot (subp. 14).
- Surfaces: if the client's skin touched the bed surface, clean and disinfect it now. Replace barriers for the next client.
6. Reprocessing Multi-Use Tools
| Step | Action | Rule reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Remove visible debris and disposable parts | subp. 3 |
| 2 | Wash with soap and water or a cleaning agent, rinse thoroughly and dry | subp. 3 |
| 3 | Fully submerge in a covered container of EPA-registered, hospital-level bactericidal, virucidal and fungicidal disinfectant for the label contact time, with gloves or tongs | subp. 4, items A, E and G |
| 4 | Rinse to remove disinfectant residue and dry | subp. 4, item E |
| 5 | Store in a clean, closed container, cupboard or drawer (never in a plastic or paper bag unless sterilized) | subp. 6 |
| 6 | Clean and disinfect storage containers weekly and when soiled | subp. 6, item B |
Brushes (fan, mask and makeup) follow the same clean-then-immerse process (subp. 10). A quick-dry brush spray is not a substitute. Tools that cannot be submerged, such as an electrical device body, are cleaned and then disinfected with a spray or wipe that stays wet for the contact time, as the rule allows for that item.
7. Written Practical Ordering Traps
| If an answer choice says... | It is wrong because... |
|---|---|
| "Disinfect the extractor, then wash off the debris" | Cleaning must come before disinfection |
| "Put gloves on instead of washing hands" | Gloves never replace handwashing |
| "Wipe the tweezers with alcohol" | Alcohol is not an acceptable disinfectant in Minnesota |
| "Store disinfected tools in a zip-top bag" | Bags are allowed only for sterilized items |
| "Keep the spatula in the mask jar for the next client" | Spatulas may not be stored in product containers |
| "Store clean tools in the UV cabinet" | UV sterilizers must not be present in a Minnesota salon |
| "Towel-dry the bed right after spraying" | The surface must stay wet for the label contact time |
An esthetician sprays the facial bed with an EPA-registered hospital disinfectant whose label lists a 3-minute contact time. What should she do next?
Wipe it dry right away so the client does not touch wet chemical
Cover it immediately with the paper barrier to hold in the disinfectant
Start laying out tools on the damp bed
Leave the surface wet for the full 3 minutes before it dries, then place the clean barrier
Midway through a facial, the esthetician needs more clay mask from the bulk jar. What is the correct action?
Use a new clean or disposable spatula to remove more mask onto the palette
Scoop more with the fan brush already used on the client
Use a gloved finger that has touched only the forehead
Return the leftover mask on the palette to the jar and take a fresh scoop
Where do used stainless steel extractors go immediately after the service, if they are not being cleaned and disinfected right away?
Back in the clean drawer until the end of the day
In a covered, closed container labeled 'used'
In the esthetician's apron pocket
In a sealed plastic bag in the clean cabinet
Which reprocessing sequence meets Minnesota's rule for a pair of tweezers?
Submerge in disinfectant, then wash off debris, then store
Wipe with alcohol, dry, then store in a plastic bag
Remove debris, wash with soap and water, rinse, dry, fully submerge in a covered EPA-registered hospital disinfectant for the contact time, rinse, dry, and store in a clean closed container
Rinse under water and store in a UV cabinet
Sections you finish are checked off in the contents.