Sanitizing - Fleece, Foam, Table Warmers

by Ivy Hultquist

Aug 8, 2010

Here is a question I have been meaning to ask forever.  Maybe it has been discussed, but I missed it if it was.  I have often got massages with table covers such as egg crates, foam, table warmers, or fleece covers.  I admit, they make the table feel great.  I have always wondered about how they are cleaned, or if that is even possible.  I have never owned a fleece pad or table warmer. However, I doubt these are changed or washed between clients.  Is anyone else leery or concerned about about this practice?

I change blankets, towels, and wipe my table down and anything I touched (my chair, lotion bottle, ashiatus bars, and iPod).  Overkill?  Maybe.  I know we have to be reasonable and are not running a sterile doctor's office.  However, I think we need to error on the side of cleanliness, even if that means sacrificing some comfort.  I found one discussion online about this topic (table foam).  It discusses that sheets and towels are not bacterial barriers, the increase of MRSA cases, and whether you only get a massage on your own table. 

I want to know what is the/your protocol?  Do you use a plastic cover or mattress cover?  Do you shy away from using these products too?

Ivy Hultquist


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  • up

    Daniel Cohen

    It is interesting that not being a Doctor's office is mentioned since these as well as clinics and hospitals are among the most common sources of infection (MRSA or otherwise). As a sanitarian for food companies for over 30 years, I would guess your location is not built to be kept to a high degree of sanitation. Start with walls, floors and decorative items. If they are not smooth and impervious you probably can not remove most air borne and contact transferred bacteria.

    If you want a high degree of safety, wash the linens and dry them in a high temp drier. Next when you finish your last massage leave the table without putting sheets and towels back on. If you use fleece pads or other covers under the sheets and towels leave them on the table. Using a commercial fine mister spray the room aiming at the ceiling mist the room heavily with a quaternary sanitizer. Be sure to test the solution for strength with a litmus strip. Close the door and come back in the morning to as sanitized a room as you can hope for.

    Here is interesting information on sanitizers http://www.coastwidelabs.com/Technical%20Articles/Chlorine%20Bleach...

    On my tables I use a sheet covered by a towel It provides a little better barrier than just sheets. If you use a plastic cover, how do you sanitize it and is it a barrier plastic?

    Aug 14, 2010

  • up

    Leon D williams

    How do you clean the heating pad on the massage beds?

     

    Feb 2, 2012

  • up

    Kimberly Campbell

    Depends on the heating pad. Good ones allow you to remove the electrical cord and have information on how to clean them on a tag attached to the pad.  Honestly, I just use a small heated blanket that can be put through the laundry.  I learned from other professionals that they tend to last longer and are easier to clean.

    Leon D williams said:

    How do you clean the heating pad on the massage beds?

     

    Feb 2, 2012