The short answer
| Schedule | When | Which units | What the rule says |
|---|---|---|---|
| After each use | Between every client | Every unit: circulating, whirlpool or vacuum equipment (7)(a), and foot bath basins (12) | “cleaned and disinfected after each use”; basins “sanitized and disinfected after each use”. The rule writes no steps; its (4) and (5) name the agents |
| End of each business day | Closing | Units with screens and tubing | “All screens, tubing, other removable parts, and the areas behind each must be done at the end of each business day” (12)(a) |
| On a regular basis | Whenever the shop does it; the rule names no interval | Circulating, whirlpool or vacuum equipment | “flushed, cleaned, and disinfected on a regular basis” (7)(b) |
Each is its own row in the documentation. There is no interval for the flush and no not-used row.
Which equipment the schedules cover
Two subsections. (7) covers “Electrical equipment, whether professional or consumer designed, providing circulating, whirlpool, or vacuum effects”: a whirlpool spa, a pipe-less spa, a portable jet. (12) covers “Foot bath basins”, and its (a) names “All screens, tubing, other removable parts, and the areas behind each”, which are parts of a circulating unit. The rule does not mention liners. ReadyPedi sets each Montana unit as Whirlpool, Pipe-less or Basin: a Whirlpool or Pipe-less takes all three rows, and a Basin offers After Each Client alone, because a plain basin has no screens or tubing for the end-of-day step and nothing for a flush to run through. The screen refuses the rest in the rule’s words: “A basin without circulation takes the After Each Client cleaning only; the End of Day and Regular Flush cleanings (ARM 24.121.1511(7), (12)(a)) are for circulating units.” That is the app’s reading of (12)(a); the rule itself does not say in so many words that a plain basin owes no end-of-day step, and the Board has published no statement on basins without parts.
After each use
The one that happens all day, on every unit. (7)(a) says “cleaned and disinfected after each use”; (12) says basins “must be sanitized and disinfected after each use”. The rule writes no steps for either. Its (4) and (5) name the agents: an EPA-registered, bactericidal, virucidal and fungicidal disinfectant “mixed and used according to the manufacturer’s directions” for what can be immersed, and a short list of sanitizers for “nonimmersible equipment”. Every one of these is a row, After Each Client, with its own time. What the rule does and does not say about the procedure is in our guide to how to clean a pedicure foot spa in Montana.
At the end of each business day
(12)(a): “All screens, tubing, other removable parts, and the areas behind each must be done at the end of each business day.” Two things in that sentence. “Business day”: this is in addition to the after-use cleanings, not instead of the last one; the last client’s row is written, and then the End of Day row. “Screens, tubing, other removable parts, and the areas behind each”: it is a cleaning of the parts and the spaces behind them, which is what a circulating unit has and a plain basin does not. A unit that had no client that day has nothing to document at the end of it, and the rule asks for no note saying it sat idle; ReadyPedi’s Montana record has no not-used row.
On a regular basis
(7)(b): “flushed, cleaned, and disinfected on a regular basis.” That is the whole schedule for the flush, and no other state’s record rule, or the District’s, leaves a cleaning with no interval at all. Texas says every two weeks; Florida says once each week; Montana says regular. The rule does not define it, the Board has published no guidance on it, and this guide does not pick a number for it. What the guide can say: regular means at an interval, kept; the documentation is where that interval is shown; and a record with a Regular Flush row every so many days at a rhythm the shop can explain reads as regular, while a record with no flush rows for a season does not. Pick a night, keep to it, and let the record show it.
ReadyPedi offers a Regular Flush row for whenever you do it and never shows one as overdue, because there is no clock in the rule to run. A flush does not close the chair’s day either: only an End of Day row does, so on a flush night the record shows the End of Day row and the Regular Flush row, each with its time.
If you ran a shop in Texas
Four differences. Texas asks for its deep clean every two weeks; Montana asks for a flush on a regular basis and names no interval. In Texas the two-week soak stands in for that night’s End of Day row; a Montana flush stands in for nothing, so a flush night shows both rows. Texas’s record is a mandated form with a box for each cleaning; Montana’s rule says “detailed cleaning documentation” and nothing more, so the record is whatever sheet is detailed enough (our guide to the printable Montana pedicure cleaning log). Texas has a Not Used row for an idle day; Montana’s rule asks for nothing on an idle day.
Where it is documented
All three go in the same documentation: the licensee’s, detailed, for every unit. There is no state form; the printable-log guide linked above covers what a detailed record holds and offers a blank. ReadyPedi logs each cleaning at the chair in three taps, with the time stamped and the tech’s name beside it, and prints the record for any unit and any month. The rule next to the app is on the Montana page.
Frequently asked questions
How often is the flush?
The rule says “on a regular basis” and names no interval. Pick one the shop can keep and let the record show it; ReadyPedi offers a Regular Flush row whenever you do it and never shows one as overdue.
Do I have to do the end-of-day cleaning on a plain pedicure bowl with no jets?
The end-of-day step is for “screens, tubing, other removable parts, and the areas behind each”, which a plain basin does not have, so a Basin in ReadyPedi offers After Each Client alone. The basin’s after-use sanitizing and disinfecting is required and recorded every time.
What if a chair had no clients today?
There was no use, so there is no after-use cleaning to document and no end-of-business-day parts to do. The rule asks for no note. Write “no clients” in the margin if you like.
Does the flush replace that day’s end-of-day cleaning?
The rule names them separately, the parts at the end of each business day and the flush on a regular basis, and does not say one stands in for the other. ReadyPedi records both on a flush night: an End of Day row and a Regular Flush row.
Is a pipe-less foot spa covered?
Yes. (7) covers electrical equipment “providing circulating, whirlpool, or vacuum effects”, professional or consumer designed, which includes a pipe-less unit and a portable jet. Set the chair as Pipe-less and it takes all three rows.
This guide explains Montana’s foot spa cleaning schedule in plain language and is not legal advice. The Montana Board of Barbers and Cosmetologists’ rules are the authority on Montana foot spa cleaning and recordkeeping requirements.