All articles/equipment offered to a patron must be disinfected with which type of product?

• A. Virucidally effective product
• B. Bleach solution only
• C. Soap and water is enough
• D. Alcohol wipes only

Answer: (A)

Disinfection between clients requires using a product that is virucidal. Virucidal means the product is proven to kill viruses, which is essential for any equipment or articles that will contact a patron. In practice, you should choose an EPA-registered disinfectant with virucidal claims (and usually also bactericidal, fungicidal, and tuberculocidal) and use it exactly as the label directs, including the proper contact time and how to apply on each surface.

Soap and water only cleans and does not disinfect between clients, so it doesn’t meet the requirement. Alcohol wipes alone may not provide broad-spectrum disinfection on all tools and surfaces and may not meet the product’s virucidal claims or contact-time needs. Bleach is a strong option in some cases, but it is not the only acceptable product and isn’t suitable for every tool or surface, so restricting to bleach-only is not correct. The safest and most compliant choice is a virucidal disinfectant product.