The standard in the rule
Every disinfecting step in 16 TAC §83.108 uses the same phrase: an EPA-registered disinfectant with demonstrated bactericidal, fungicidal and virucidal activity, used according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Four things are packed into that sentence:
- EPA-registered. The product has an EPA registration number on its label. No number, no compliance, however strong the smell.
- Bactericidal, fungicidal, virucidal. The label claims to kill bacteria, fungi and viruses. A product with two of the three does not meet the rule.
- Demonstrated. The claims are the ones on the registered label, tested for that registration, not a marketing line on the front of the jug.
- According to the manufacturer’s instructions. The dilution, the water temperature, the time the surface must stay wet, and how long a mixed solution lasts all come from the label. The rule does not set them; it adopts them.
Nowhere does the rule say “hospital-grade”. Many qualifying products carry “hospital disinfectant” on the label, which is where the shorthand comes from, but the three claims and the registration are the test.
Reading a label against it
Take the jug you use for implements and check five things on its label:
| On the label | What you are confirming |
|---|---|
| EPA Reg. No. | The product is registered. Write the number down; an inspector may ask. |
| Kills claims | Bacteria (bactericidal), fungi such as the athlete’s-foot fungus (fungicidal), and viruses (virucidal). All three, in the registered claims list. |
| Use sites | Whirlpool foot spas, foot baths, or hard non-porous surfaces. A product registered only for instruments or laundry is the wrong product. |
| Dilution | Ounces per gallon, or ready to use. Measure with a marked cup; eyeballing changes the concentration the claims were tested at. |
| Contact time | How long the surface stays visibly wet, often ten minutes. This is the time you wait before wiping dry after each client. |
Two more lines matter and are easy to miss: how long a mixed solution stays good (many labels say to make it fresh daily, some longer), and the water temperature it is mixed at. EPA keeps a list of registered disinfectants by claim if you want to check a registration number against the source.
Where bleach fits
Bleach appears in the rule under its own name, as a high-level-disinfection chlorine bleach solution, in two places:
- At the end of the day, as one of two options for the screen and the other removed parts: wash them in the bleach solution, or immerse them completely in the EPA-registered disinfectant per its label.
- Every other week, to fill the basin completely before the 5 to 10 minute flush and the 6 to 10 hour soak. The flush itself may use the bleach solution or the EPA-registered disinfectant.
The rule prints no ratio for the solution, and this page will not invent one. TDLR’s sanitation sheet says to use the minimum or greater concentration and the minimum or greater exposure time. Read the disinfecting directions on the bleach you buy, measure, and mix fresh; chlorine loses strength in an open bucket. Never mix bleach with the quaternary disinfectant or with anything else.
The times the rule sets
The rule defers to the label for the after-client contact time and sets its own clock everywhere else:
| Procedure | Time | Set by |
|---|---|---|
| Basin disinfection after each client | The label’s contact time | The manufacturer |
| Removed parts, end of day | The bleach directions, or the label if immersed | The manufacturer |
| Soap-and-warm-water system flush, end of day | At least 10 minutes | The rule |
| Flush, every other week | 5 to 10 minutes | The rule |
| Soak, every other week | 6 to 10 hours | The rule |
| Portable jet immersion | 5 to 10 minutes | The rule |
Where each of those times lands in the sequence is in our guide to how to clean a pedicure foot spa in Texas.
The shortcuts that fail the standard
- Spray and wipe. The claims were tested at a contact time. A surface wiped dry in ten seconds got a rinse, not a disinfection.
- Pouring by eye. Half the label’s concentration is a different product from the one that was registered.
- Yesterday’s bucket. A mixed solution has a life on the label. Past it, the number on the jug no longer describes what is in the bucket.
- Soap as the disinfectant. Cleaning and disinfecting are two steps in the rule. Soap does the first; only the registered product does the second.
- A two-claim product. Bactericidal and virucidal without fungicidal is common on general-purpose cleaners. Foot spas are where the fungal claim earns its place.
What goes on the record
The Texas form has no column for the product. The record is the date, the time, who cleaned, and which cleaning it was, on the Whirlpool Foot Spa Cleaning Record, BAC-FI-004-E. Keep the disinfectant’s label and its safety data sheet at the station, so the product can be shown to meet the standard, and log the cleaning on the form.
Frequently asked questions
Does Texas require a hospital-grade disinfectant?
The rule does not use those words. It requires an EPA-registered disinfectant with demonstrated bactericidal, fungicidal and virucidal activity, used according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Many products that meet that carry “hospital disinfectant” on the label, which is why the phrase is common, but the label claims are what to check.
Is bleach enough on its own?
Bleach is the rule’s named option in two places: a high-level chlorine bleach solution for the removed parts at the end of the day, and for filling the basin every other week. The after-client step asks for an EPA-registered disinfectant with the three claims, used as its label says, so read your product’s label before treating bleach as the everything answer.
Can I use disinfectant wipes?
The rule names EPA-registered disinfectant wipes for one job: wiping the basin surfaces and footrest after a liner and portable jet are used. A wipe still has to carry the three claims and keep the surface wet for its label’s contact time; a quick pass that dries in seconds is not the label’s instruction.
How long does the disinfectant have to stay on?
For the basin after each client, as long as the label says; the rule defers to the manufacturer. The rule sets its own times elsewhere: at least ten minutes for the end-of-day soap-and-warm-water flush, 5 to 10 minutes for the bi-weekly flush and for immersing a portable jet, and 6 to 10 hours for the bi-weekly soak.
Do I have to write down which product I used?
No. The Texas record is the date, the time, who cleaned, and which cleaning it was. Keep the product’s label and safety data sheet at the station so an inspector can see that it meets the standard, and log the cleaning on the form.
What ratio of bleach does the rule want?
It does not print one. The rule says a high-level-disinfection chlorine bleach solution, and TDLR’s sanitation sheet asks for the minimum or greater concentration and exposure time. Follow the disinfecting directions on the bleach you buy, measure rather than pour, and mix it fresh for the day.
This guide explains the disinfectant standard in 16 TAC §83.108 in plain language and is not legal or product advice. The rule text, TDLR’s publications and the product’s registered label are the authority; where the label and this page differ, the label governs the product.