PHS.7.1.300 Cleaning

(a) After each use, tattooing and body-piercing equipment shall be cleaned to remove blood and tissue residue before sterilization. This may be done with an ultrasonic cleaner or with a probe, needles or brush able to enter the smallest opening of the equipment. After cleaning, equipment shall be rinsed under fresh running tap water.

(b) Reusable equipment shall be placed in a covered stainless steel container of cleaning or disinfectant solution until it can be cleaned and sterilized.

(c) All containers holding contaminated needles, tubes, reusable body-piercing equipment and container lids shall be cleaned and disinfected at least daily.

(d) The tattoo machine shall be cleaned and disinfected before each use.

(e) Gloved personnel shall clean needles and tubes prior to sterilization by doing all of the following:

(1) Manually pre-cleaning the items with care taken to ensure removal of residue; thoroughly rinsing the items with warm water and then draining the water; cleaning the items by soaking them in a protein-dissolving detergent-enzyme cleaner used according to manufacturer's instructions; and cleaning the items further in an ultrasonic cleaning unit which operates at forty (40) to sixty (60) hertz and is used according to the manufacturer's instructions.

(2) Rinsing and drying the items.

(f) Prior to autoclaving, all equipment shall be packaged either individually or in quantities appropriate for individual procedures. Packages shall be identifiable and dated.