What are the three steps to decontamination?

What are the three steps to decontamination?

• A. Cleaning, sanitizing, and deodorizing
• B. Sanitation, disinfection, and sterilization
• C. Washing, rinsing, and drying
• D. Purification, sterilization, and depollution

Answer: (B)

Decontamination in salons is a stepwise process to reduce and destroy microbes on tools and surfaces. The three steps are sanitation, disinfection, and sterilization. Sanitation means cleaning to remove dirt, oils, and many microbes so surfaces are safe to handle. Disinfection uses a chemical agent to kill a broad range of pathogens on nonporous surfaces. Sterilization is the highest level, destroying all microorganisms including spores, and is needed for instruments that penetrate the skin or contact sterile tissue. In practice, you sanitize first, disinfect for general surfaces and tools, and sterilize for critical implements when possible. The other options don’t fit because deodorizing targets odor, washing/rinsing/drying stops short of killing microbes, and terms like purification or depollution aren’t standard in salon decontamination.

Decontamination in salons is a stepwise process to reduce and destroy microbes on tools and surfaces. The three steps are sanitation, disinfection, and sterilization. Sanitation means cleaning to remove dirt, oils, and many microbes so surfaces are safe to handle. Disinfection uses a chemical agent to kill a broad range of pathogens on nonporous surfaces. Sterilization is the highest level, destroying all microorganisms including spores, and is needed for instruments that penetrate the skin or contact sterile tissue. In practice, you sanitize first, disinfect for general surfaces and tools, and sterilize for critical implements when possible. The other options don’t fit because deodorizing targets odor, washing/rinsing/drying stops short of killing microbes, and terms like purification or depollution aren’t standard in salon decontamination.