Tattoo Clean Room & Sanitation Guidelines

Inside: What is a Tattoo Clean Room?

Thinking of getting inked pretty soon? While some people make instantaneous decisions when they are getting a tattoo and do it on a spur-of-the-moment, there are others who tend to think this decision through and make sure that they are getting something meaningful tattooed on their bodies.

If you are going to a tattoo studio that looks dirty and unsanitary, it is highly likely that you would turn around and vanish from there!

There are guidelines set for sanitation for the tattoo studios and clean rooms to ensure that everything is in top working condition.

Clean Room

The name may seem like a dream come true for the neat freaks out there, but it is not what it sounds like. The clean room is a facility that is used as a segment of scientific research or also industrial production; this also includes the manufacture of integrated circuits, LCD, OLED, microLED displays, and CRT.

Tattoo Clean Room

So, now that you know what a clean room is, we will further proceed with what the clean tattoo room is. Here, autoclaves are generally used, and this helps in making the non-disposable equipment in the tattoo shops sterile.

This procedure is carried out by keeping the equipment at a temperature that’s high; this sort of temperature would result in the killing of bacteria and spores. If there are no autoclaves, the tattoo studios can also use things like a toaster oven or pressure cookers to carry out this procedure.

Sanitation Requirements for a Tattoo Shop

A tattoo shop needs some sanitation requirements fulfilled so that they can have their operating permit; these clean room sanitation requirements are mentioned below:

1. The operator of the tattoo shop should open the shop in an area that is not much linked with dust contamination.
2. The owner or the operator of the tattoo shop is responsible for the sanitary conditions of the shop.
3. The ceilings and walls have some guidelines, too, the color of the walls and ceilings is supposed to be light, and they should be smooth and easily cleanable. It is also obligatory that the ceilings and walls are kept in good condition and also clean.
4. The floor should be in a clean condition and should be repaired if needed. One more thing about the floor is that it should be made up of a material that is smooth and nonabsorbent so that it can easily be cleaned without much hassle.
5. The room should have sufficient natural sources of light and also should have good ventilation.
6. The tattoo shop should also have a sink that is there for the use of tattoo artists – they can wash their hands and prepare the customers for the procedure. The sink should be equipped with hot and cold running water and should have a combination faucet or a mixing valve. Place a soap near the sink along with fresh towels that are meant for one-time usage.
7. It is necessary that the hand basin that is supposed to be used by the tattoo artist and also the customers is available in good condition. The plumbing should be adequate, and the sink should be in a sanitary condition.
8. A couple of storage cabinets and a work table is to be allotted to each of the tattoo artists. The work tables should have a surface that is made up of metal or from any material that is light in color; smooth, nonabsorbent, can be easily cleaned, and also resistant to corrosion.
9. Ensure that the work tables are at a distance of at least ten feet from the customers or the observers. If maintaining such a distance is not possible, then add a barrier or panel to separate them. You can get the panel made from materials like solid plastic, glass, etc.
10. The presence of closed cabinets is mandatory; these are necessary to store pigments, dyes, stencils, carbon, and other things that are used for tattooing.
11.  There should also be covered receptacles for waste material disposal in the tattoo shop.
12. There should be a hand brush and a fingernail file with the tattoo artist that is supposed to be disinfected and cleaned after every single use.
13. There should be signage that states “no smoking” that should be located in the tattooing area.
14. Nothing else rather than tattooing is supposed to be allowed in the tattoo shop.