The short answer
| Schedule | When | Which units | What it involves |
|---|---|---|---|
| After each client | Between every client | Every unit: whirlpool, pipe-less, basin, tub, liner | Drain, scrub with soap, rinse, disinfect for at least 10 minutes (whirlpool and pipe-less: circulated; basin: soaked), drain, rinse, dry. A liner is discarded and the basin scrubbed, rinsed and dried |
| End of day | Closing, on any unit that saw clients | Whirlpool and pipe-less only | Remove the screen or footplate and other removable parts, scrub, circulate detergent 10 minutes, then disinfectant 10 minutes, air dry |
| Weekly | Once a week, after that day’s end-of-day steps | Whirlpool and pipe-less only | Leave the disinfectant in the unit at least six hours (overnight), then flush |
Each is its own row on the Board’s BBC 14 log, with its own box: After Client, End of Day, Weekly.
After each client
The one that happens all day. For a whirlpool or pipe-less unit (§980.1(c), §980.2) the water is drained, the surfaces scrubbed with liquid soap and a brush, rinsed, the unit refilled and an EPA-registered hospital-grade disinfectant labeled bactericidal, fungicidal and virucidal circulated for at least ten minutes, then drained, rinsed and dried with a clean paper towel. For a plain basin or tub (§980.3) the disinfectant soaks for ten minutes instead of circulating. For a liner (§980.4) the liner is thrown away and the basin scrubbed, rinsed and dried, with no disinfectant step. Every one of those is logged, with the After Client box. The exact steps the rule lists are in our guide to how to clean a pedicure foot spa in California.
End of day
At closing, every whirlpool or pipe-less unit that had a client that day gets the deeper clean (§980.1(d)): the screen, footplate and other removable parts come out and get scrubbed, the unit runs a detergent through its system for ten minutes, then a disinfectant for ten minutes, and it air dries. It is in addition to the after-client cleanings, not instead of them, and it is its own row with the End of Day box. Basins and tubs do not take it; the form’s instructions say so in as many words.
Once a week
The weekly cleaning (§980.1(e)) is the end-of-day procedure with one change: instead of draining the disinfectant after ten minutes, you leave it in the unit for at least six hours, then drain and flush before the next client. In practice that is overnight. On the night you do it, log a Weekly row and no End of Day row: the form says Check One, and the weekly procedure contains the end-of-day steps.
“Once a week” means every seven days, not “once in any calendar week”. A shop that ran its weekly clean on Monday the 2nd and then on Sunday the 15th stayed inside two calendar weeks and still went thirteen days. Pick a fixed night, usually the slowest, and keep to it; a BBC 14 with Weekly rows at regular seven-day intervals is what an inspector is looking for.
Basins, tubs and liners: after each client only
A non-whirlpool basin, tub, footbath, sink or bowl (§980.3) has no pipes or jets, so there is nothing for an end-of-day flush to run through; the rule asks for the after-client cleaning only. A disposable liner (§980.4) is single use: the rule asks for a new liner per client, the basin scrubbed, rinsed and dried after the liner is discarded, and at least five liners per basin kept on hand. Neither takes End of Day or Weekly. Both are still logged after every client.
Days a unit is not used, and chairs out of service
A day with no pedicures on a unit is logged as “no services performed”, which is what the form’s instructions call for. A whirlpool or pipe-less chair taken out of use entirely is noted on its log as not in service and gets a Not in Service sign (§980.1(g), §980.2(f)); when it comes back, note the date. Neither is a cleaning, but both are rows, because an unexplained gap on the log reads as a missed cleaning.
If you ran a shop in Texas
Texas asks for a deep clean every two weeks; California asks for it every week, and Texas’s “Not Used” day becomes California’s “no services performed”. Everything else maps one to one.
Where it is logged
All three schedules go on the Board’s BBC 14, one sheet per unit per month, one row per cleaning, the person’s initials on each. Our guide to the California BBC 14 log walks through the form box by box. ReadyPedi logs each cleaning at the chair in three taps and prints the BBC 14 for any unit and month; a basin set up as a basin offers After Client alone. The rule next to the app is on the California page.
Frequently asked questions
Does the weekly cleaning replace that day’s end-of-day cleaning?
Yes, on that night only. The weekly procedure is the end-of-day steps with the disinfectant left in for at least six hours, so the night you run it has one Weekly row and no End of Day row. Every other night has an End of Day row.
Do I have to do the end-of-day or weekly clean on a plain pedicure bowl?
No. Non-whirlpool basins and tubs (§980.3) and liners (§980.4) take the after-client cleaning only. You still log every after-client cleaning for them.
What if a chair had no clients today?
Log the day as “no services performed” on that chair’s sheet. There is nothing to clean, but the log should say why the day is empty.
Is a pipe-less foot spa cleaned on the same schedule as a whirlpool?
Yes. Pipe-less units have their own section (§980.2) with the same three schedules: after each client, end of day, weekly.
How long does the weekly disinfectant soak have to be?
At least six hours. Most shops run it overnight after closing and flush before opening.
This guide explains California’s foot-spa cleaning schedules in plain language and is not legal advice. The California Board of Barbering and Cosmetology’s rules are the authority on California foot-spa cleaning and recordkeeping requirements.