What the rule covers
The rule, 16 TAC §83.108, defines a whirlpool foot spa as any basin that circulates water, whether it is a self-contained unit or plumbed into the salon. That is the pedicure chair with jets. A foot basin is anything that holds still water: a tub, a bowl, a sink. Disposable liners with a portable jet get their own treatment. Each has its own sequence, and the sequences are in order on purpose: the rule says “sequential” every time.
When you need it is a different question from what to do. This guide is the what. For the three cadences and how they fit a working day, see how often you have to clean a pedicure foot spa in Texas.
After each client: four steps
Every whirlpool spa, after every client, in this order:
- Drain all the water and remove all debris from the basin. Skin, product, hair: out, not swirled to the drain.
- Clean the basin with soap or detergent and water. Cleaning is its own step; disinfectant does not work through a film of lotion. TDLR’s own advice is a clean sponge, brush or cloth.
- Disinfect the basin with an EPA-registered disinfectant that has demonstrated bactericidal, fungicidal and virucidal activity, used according to the manufacturer’s instructions. That last phrase is doing work: the dilution and the time the surface stays wet come from the label, not from the rule. What that means in practice is in our guide to which disinfectant to use.
- Wipe the basin dry with a clean towel.
On the record: one row, dated and timed, with the technician’s name, and the boxes Portable Jet Used & Cleaned and After Each Client checked. In ReadyPedi that is the Regular Cleaning entry.
At the end of each day: three steps
On any day the spa was used, at closing:
- Remove the screen and every other removable part. Clear the debris trapped behind the screen, and wash the screen, the inlet and the parts with soap or detergent and water.
- Before the screen goes back, disinfect the parts one of two ways: wash them in a high-level-disinfection chlorine bleach solution, or immerse them completely in the EPA-registered disinfectant, used as its label says. Either satisfies the rule; pick one and keep to it so the staff do it the same way.
- Flush the system with soap and warm water for at least ten minutes, then rinse and drain. Ten minutes is a clock time, not a feel; a timer at the chair is the cheapest compliance tool in the salon.
On the record: its own row with the End of Day box and nothing else. It never shares a row with the last client’s cleaning, because it is a different procedure at a different time. This is the entry salons forget most, and a day of clients with no End of Day row reads to an inspector as a flush that never happened.
Every other week: three steps
Every second week, each whirlpool spa gets a deep disinfection. The rule places it after the spa has been cleaned and disinfected, so the basin you start with is already clean:
- Fill the basin completely with a high-level-disinfection chlorine bleach solution.
- Flush the system for 5 to 10 minutes with that bleach solution, or with the EPA-registered disinfectant used as its label says, and then let it sit for 6 to 10 hours.
- Drain, and flush the system with water before the next client.
The 6 to 10 hours is why this runs at closing and finishes in the morning. Write the drain-and-flush into the opening routine, because a basin full of bleach solution at 9 a.m. is exactly what step three exists to prevent.
On the record: the Bi-Weekly box, on the day’s row: with Portable Jet Used & Cleaned and After Each Client if the chair had clients, or with Not Used if it sat empty. The End of Day box is not checked on that row; the two boxes never share one. The full set of valid and forbidden combinations is in our guide to filling out the BAC-FI-004-E.
Plain basins, liners and portable jets
A non-whirlpool foot basin, after each client: drain the water and remove debris; scrub the inside surfaces clean of all visible residue with a clean brush, soap or detergent, and water; disinfect with the EPA-registered disinfectant per its label; then rinse, empty and wipe dry with a clean towel. Four steps, no screen, no flush.
A disposable liner with a portable jet, after each client: pull the liner’s heat-sealed drain tab so the water empties into the salon’s plumbing; discard the liner in a covered trash receptacle; immerse the jet completely for 5 to 10 minutes in the EPA-registered disinfectant per its label; rinse the jet with warm water and drain it; and wipe every surface of the basin and the footrest with EPA-registered disinfectant wipes.
Both keep a record too. Basins log the date and time of each cleaning and the days they were not used. Liners and jets log when the liner was used and discarded, when the jet was used and disinfected, and the days the jet was not used.
Writing it down
For a whirlpool spa the rule wants a record, on the department-approved form, of the date and time of each cleaning and disinfecting, showing whether it was a daily or a bi-weekly cleaning, made at or near the time it happened, and showing any working day the spa was not used. That form is the Whirlpool Foot Spa Cleaning Record, BAC-FI-004-E, one per spa; you can download and print it here.
What to keep at the chair
| Item | Which step needs it |
|---|---|
| Soap or detergent | After each client (step 2), end of day (steps 1 and 3), basins. |
| The EPA-registered disinfectant, mixed per its label | After each client (step 3), end of day (parts), every other week (flush), jets. |
| Household chlorine bleach for the high-level solution | End of day (parts option), every other week (the fill). |
| A clean brush, sponge or cloth, kept clean | Every cleaning step; TDLR names all three. |
| Clean towels | The wipe-dry step after each client and for basins. |
| A timer | The ten-minute flush, the 5 to 10 minute flush and jet immersion. |
| The record, on a clipboard, with a pen | Every step ends with a row. |
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to use bleach?
Not for the after-client cleaning, which asks for an EPA-registered disinfectant used as its label says. Bleach enters at the end of the day, where the rule gives a choice for the removed parts (a high-level chlorine bleach solution, or full immersion in the EPA-registered disinfectant), and every other week, where the basin is filled with the bleach solution.
How long does the end-of-day cleaning take?
The rule sets one clock time: the system is flushed with soap and warm water for at least ten minutes, then rinsed and drained. Removing, washing and disinfecting the screen and parts comes before that, so plan on the flush plus the time your disinfectant label asks for.
Can the two-week soak run overnight?
Yes. The rule says the solution sits for 6 to 10 hours after a 5 to 10 minute flush, which is why salons run it at closing. Drain and flush the system with water before the first client the next morning, and log it.
What about pipeless spas with liners and a portable jet?
They have their own sequence in the rule: pull the liner’s drain tab, discard the liner in a covered bin, immerse the jet for 5 to 10 minutes in the EPA-registered disinfectant, rinse it with warm water, and wipe the basin and footrest with EPA-registered disinfectant wipes. The record notes when the liner was used and discarded and when the jet was disinfected.
Do the chairs need anything?
Yes. The rule says foot spa and foot basin chairs are cleaned and disinfected after each client, and must be made of or covered in a non-porous material that can be disinfected.
What happens if a spa has no record?
The rule takes it out of service. A spa, basin or jet without the required documentation cannot be used again until it has been cleaned and disinfected per the rule and the record brought up to date, and the record must show the date it was removed from service.
This guide restates 16 TAC §83.108 in plain language and is not legal advice. The rule text and TDLR’s publications are the authority; where a manufacturer’s label and this page differ, the label governs the product.