The disposables
Needle cartridges, pigment cups and rings, mixing sticks, gloves, gauze, cotton tips, razors, lip pencils sharpened to a fresh point (or single-use), tissue, table paper, and the pigment decanted for that client — all one-client, one-session, then binned (sharps in a sharps bin).
The barriers
Machine body, cord/clip-cord, power supply, cap of the pigment bottle, work-lamp handle, tablet or phone if used for reference, drawer handles, and the client chair get plastic barrier film or bags, replaced every client. Anything that cannot be wrapped is a hard, non-porous surface that can be disinfected.
Hand hygiene and gloves
Wash in, glove up, and change gloves any time you leave the sterile field — to answer the door, adjust a lamp, touch your phone. Double-gloving and peeling the top layer is a common fast reset. Never re-glove over contaminated hands.
Why it is non-negotiable
Hepatitis B and C and HIV are the headline risks, but staph and strep skin infections are the common ones. Bloodborne-pathogen training (below) is a legal requirement in most places precisely because this is where harm happens.
