What the rule covers
One section, 26.270 “Health and Safety Standards - Foot Spas, Foot Basins and Spa Liners”, with twelve numbered parts. Definitions first: 26.271 the whirlpool foot spa (“any basin using circulating water”, pipe-less units included), 26.272 the non-whirlpool foot basin with its own after-client sequence, 26.273 the disposable spa liner, 26.274 the portable whirlpool jet, 26.275 the liner-and-jet sequence. Then the whirlpool foot spa’s three procedures: 26.276 after each client, 26.277 at the end of each day with 26.278’s wash before the screen goes back, 26.279 every other week. Then the record (26.280), removal from service (26.281) and the chairs (26.282: cleaned and disinfected after each client, and made of or covered in a non-porous material). Effective December 11, 2016, and unchanged on the Program’s official PDF as of October 2026. All of the procedures end the same way: a row on the log with the time, the date, the initials and one box.
The disinfectant the rule names, and the bleach
For the after-client clean of a whirlpool foot spa the rule names the product by its label: “An EPA-registered bactericidal, fungicidal, and virucidal disinfectant shall be used to disinfect the spa basin in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions” (26.276). Three label claims; the EPA registration number is on the label too, and “in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions” means the label’s strength and contact time. The basin (26.272) takes an EPA-registered disinfectant “with demonstrated bactericidal, fungicidal and virucidal activity”, the jet (26.275) the same three claims, and the liner’s spa is wiped with EPA-registered disinfectant wipes.
The bleach appears twice, at the same measure: “one-third (1/3) cup of 5.25 percent chlorine bleach to one (1) gallon of water”, as one of two choices for the end-of-day wash of the screen and parts (26.278, the other being total immersion in an EPA-registered disinfectant) and as the fill for the bi-weekly soak (26.279, which also allows an EPA-registered disinfectant for the flush). It is named by strength and measure, so you need the spa’s capacity in gallons and a measuring cup.
After each client
For a whirlpool foot spa, 26.276 sets these steps, “in the following sequential manner after each client service”:
- Water shall be drained, and debris shall be removed from the spa basin.
- The spa basin shall be cleaned with soap or detergent and water.
- An EPA-registered bactericidal, fungicidal, and virucidal disinfectant shall be used to disinfect the spa basin in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions.
- The spa basin shall be wiped dry with a clean towel.
Then log it: the date, the time, your initials and the After Client box. The contact time is the label’s, and it starts when the disinfectant is in the basin at label strength, not when you start cleaning.
At the end of each day
“At the end of each day and after performing a service on a client”, 26.277 sets these steps for each whirlpool foot spa, “in a sequential manner”:
- The screen and any other removable parts shall be removed.
- The debris trapped behind the screen shall be removed.
- The screen and the inlet, and any other removable parts, shall be properly disinfected in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions.
“Before replacing the screen”, 26.278 asks for one of these:
- The screen and any other removable parts shall be washed with a chlorine bleach solution of one-third (1/3) cup of 5.25 percent chlorine bleach to one (1) gallon of water; or
- The screen and any other removable parts shall be totally immersed in an EPA-registered disinfectant with demonstrated bactericidal, fungicidal, and virucidal activity, which shall be used according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Then the screen goes back, and the row is logged: the date, the time, your initials and the End of Day box.
Every other week
“Every other week (bi-weekly), after cleaning and disinfecting as provided in this subsection”, 26.279 sets these steps for each whirlpool foot spa, “in the following sequential manner”:
- The spa basin shall be filled completely with water and one-third (1/3) cup of 5.25 percent bleach for each one (1) gallon of water.
- The spa system shall be flushed for 5 to 10 minutes with the chlorine bleach and water solution, or an EPA-registered disinfectant with demonstrated bactericidal, fungicidal, and virucidal activity, which shall be used according to the manufacturer’s instructions, and allowed to sit for 6 to 10 hours.
- The spa system shall be drained and flushed with water before use upon a client.
- The foot basin shall be rinsed, emptied and wiped dry with a clean towel.
Then log it: the date, the time, your initials and the Bi-Weekly box, with no End of Day row that night, since the form says to check one box only and the bi-weekly procedure comes after the day’s cleaning. Set a fixed night for it, every fourteen days. Our guide to how often to clean a pedicure foot spa in Maine explains how the interval is counted and why the sheet should show it at a regular interval.
Plain basins
“After use upon each client, each non-whirlpool foot basin shall be cleaned and disinfected in the following sequential manner” (26.272):
- Water shall be drained, and debris shall be removed from the foot basin.
- The inside surfaces of the foot basin shall be scrubbed and cleaned of all visible residues with a clean brush, soap or detergent, and water.
- The foot basin shall be disinfected with an EPA-registered disinfectant with demonstrated bactericidal, fungicidal and virucidal activity and applied according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- The foot basin shall be rinsed, emptied and wiped dry with a clean towel.
No end-of-day or bi-weekly procedure. Log After Client every time.
Disposable liners and portable jets
A disposable spa liner is a plastic liner “designed to be placed within a whirlpool foot spa and discarded after a single-use”, with a heat-sealed drain tab (26.273); a portable whirlpool jet is the circulating device that goes in the spa when liners are used (26.274). “When used, the following sequential procedures shall be performed” (26.275):
- After use upon a client, the heat-sealed tab shall be pulled, thereby allowing the water to empty directly into the establishment’s plumbing system.
- The spa liner shall be discarded in a covered trash receptacle.
- An EPA-registered bactericidal, fungicidal, and virucidal disinfectant shall be used to sanitize the portable whirlpool jet in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions.
- The spa shall be rinsed with warm water and drained.
- All surfaces of the spa basin and foot rest shall be wiped with EPA-registered disinfectant wipes.
A new liner for every client. The rule gives the liner and jet no end-of-day or bi-weekly procedure of their own; the spa the liner sits in is a whirlpool foot spa, and ReadyPedi keeps its end-of-day and bi-weekly cleanings on that spa’s schedule. That is our reading, explained in the schedule guide. Log After Client for the liner’s cleaning every time.
Writing it down
Each procedure above ends in the same section of the rule, 26.280:
For whirlpool foot spas or basin, a record shall be made of the time and date of each cleaning and disinfecting that indicates whether the cleaning was a daily or bi-weekly cleaning. This record shall be made at or near the time of cleaning and disinfecting and shall indicate if a spa was not used during any individual work day. The record shall be maintained for a period of one (1) year from the date of the last entry and shall be presented to the Director upon request.
One sheet per unit; one row per cleaning; the time written when the cleaning is finished; initials, not a signature; one box, which answers the daily-or-bi-weekly question. A unit with no pedicures that day is logged “no services performed” with the date and initials; a unit taken out of service has the date written on its record (26.281), and a unit whose record is not maintained is out of service until it is. Our guide to the Maine pedicure cleaning log covers the Program’s log box by box, and the Maine page has the rule next to the app.
What to keep at the chair
Soap or detergent and a clean brush; the EPA-registered disinfectant mixed at label strength, with its label (the three claims and the registration number) where it can be read; a bottle of 5.25 percent bleach and a measuring cup for the one-third-cup-per-gallon solution, with the spa’s capacity in gallons written where you will find it; a timer for the contact time and the five-to-ten-minute flush; clean towels; a covered trash receptacle for liners and a box of EPA-registered disinfectant wipes for the basin and foot rest; the unit’s log or the tablet that holds it. ReadyPedi’s three taps at the chair log each cleaning with the time it was actually finished, and the printed log carries the initials from the roster. A shop can start a free trial today.
Frequently asked questions
How long does the disinfectant have to work?
For the time its label says, after each client and for the end-of-day parts: the rule says to use it “in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions”. The bi-weekly soak is the rule’s own number: six to ten hours, after a five-to-ten-minute flush.
Can I use bleach in a Maine pedicure spa?
The rule names bleach twice, at one-third cup of 5.25 percent chlorine bleach per gallon of water: as one choice for the end-of-day wash of the screen and parts, and as the fill for the bi-weekly soak. For the after-client disinfection of the basin it names an EPA-registered bactericidal, fungicidal and virucidal disinfectant used per its label. Read the label; it is what the inspector reads.
Do I disinfect the spa after a disposable liner?
The rule’s liner sequence is: pull the tab, discard the liner in a covered trash receptacle, sanitize the jet with an EPA-registered disinfectant, rinse the spa with warm water and drain it, and wipe the basin and foot rest with EPA-registered disinfectant wipes; then log it. Use a new liner for every client.
Does the end-of-day cleaning count as the after-client cleaning for the last customer?
No. The last client’s after-client cleaning is done and logged first; the end-of-day procedure is a separate cleaning of the screen and parts, and its own row.
What if I forget a step?
The log is a record of what was done, not of what should have been. If a cleaning was missed, do it now and log the real time, and remember 26.281: a unit whose record is not maintained is out of service until the record is brought up to date.
This guide explains Maine’s foot spa cleaning procedure in plain language and is not legal advice. The rules of Maine’s Barbering and Cosmetology Licensing Program, in the Office of Professional and Occupational Regulation, are the authority on Maine foot spa cleaning and recordkeeping requirements.