Ideally, you’ll clean your nail tools after each and every use, especially things like nail clippers, cuticle pushers, nail scissors, and metal files. Cleaning these straight away can help to prevent nasty build ups of dust, skin, and product residue.
Should You Clean Your Nail Tools After Every Use?
Yes; cleaning your tools every time you use them is the easiest way to stay on top of things.
It’s particularly important for tools that:
- Touch the skin or the cuticles
- Collect nail dust or clippings
- Have been used on both the finger and toe nails (try to avoid this in the first place, but clean your tools if this has already been done)
- Are shared with another person (again, avoid this if possible)
- Have come into contact with damaged or broken skin
Nail professions often follow very strict guidelines, as it’s vital that they don’t spread pathogens between different clients.
Whilst you don’t have to be quite as concerned about this at home, it’s better to keep everything clean so that you are not disappointed when you try to use it again.
How Often Should You Deep Clean Nail Tools?
Provided you already clean your equipment between uses, you don’t need to do a massive deep clean very often. However, it may be a good idea to do a more thorough clean every few weeks, just to be on the safe side.
Check for things like:
- Dried nail varnish or other product residue.
- Nail dust caught inside clippers
- Rust or other discolouration
- Blunt cutting edges
- Cracked handles
- Worn files or buffers
Damaged tools should be thrown away; you can’t ‘clean away’ things like cracks or worn files.
If you wash any tools, make sure that they are completely dry before you turn them to a case, bag, or draw. Your tools are more likely to rust if they are left wet and enclosed.
If you have any electric or battery powered tools, make sure you always follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
Do Nail Files and Buffers Need Cleaning?
This depends on what material they are made from.
Whilst some glass or metal nail files can be cleaned, disposable emery boards or foam buffers are much harder to clean properly.
Professionals may throw these out after every use, but you can keep them for a few uses, provided they are carefully stored and thrown out when they become dusty or dirty. If you know you have had a tool for a while, it may be a good idea to replace it, even if it doesn’t look too bad.
Just like with makeup, invisible pathogens can lurk on nail equipment, even if it doesn’t look outright ‘dirty’.
Can You Share Nail Tools?
When it comes to your manicure equipment, it’s best to be selfish! Try to avoid sharing items with others, particularly things like clippers and scissors.
Items used on toe nails are a particular no-no for sharing. In the UK, the NHS specifically recommends that, in order to prevent fungal nail infections, you don’t share clippers or scissors.
When Should You Clean Nail Tools Immediately?
Clean your tools straight away when:
- Someone else has used them
- You have used them on your toenails
- A tool has touched broken skin
- There is visible skin, dust, or nail residue on it
- You have dropped it onto a dirty surface
- You suspect you may have a nail infection
If you think you may have an infection, stop using tools and consult the advice of a doctor.
How Should You Store Clean Nail Tools?
Make sure that your tools are clean and completely dry before you put them into storage. Keep them in a case or organiser, where they can be kept away from dirt and water.
If they are stored in the same place as nail polish, ensure that you keep everything out of the way of excess heat and light (although they don’t need to be in the pitch black).
A final tip; keep your tools away from clean, disposable items such as cotton pads or buds (just in case they are not 100% clean). Also separate them from items such as used emery boards.
Some Final Thoughts
If you remember one rule, let it be this; clean your reusable equipment after every use, and then check that items are clean before you use them again.
Never share porous equipment that can’t easily be cleaned, such as nail files or buffers. To be on the safe side, don’t let others share your scissors or clippers, either.