One of the worst things you can do after setting up your salon equipment is to leave it alone and pretend it can take care of itself. Whether it’s styling chairs, shampoo chairs, or manicure tables, your equipment needs regular cleaning and maintenance. Most of it really doesn’t take that much effort, and with a little care and attention, even cheap salon equipment can give you years of reliable use.
Exposing It to Direct Sunlight
Natural lighting is great for decoration and your Instagram before-and-afters, however sunlight wreaks havoc on most kinds of upholstery by drying it out and fading the color. When you’re designing the layout of your salon make sure the sun won’t be beating down on any chairs in the afternoon (it isn’t quite so damaging in the morning). If you have to put some chairs in sunlight make sure you cover them with something. Even clear plastic chair covers are better than nothing because they still disperse some light.
Ignoring the Screws
Most of your equipment includes moving parts and pieces screwed into other pieces. Over time all those things are going to loosen up and wear down. Every week or so make sure you give your chairs and tables a once over and make sure all the screws are tight and nothing is wiggling more than it’s supposed to. This will prevent pieces from wearing out or even breaking off over time.
Leaving it Uncovered when Using Hair Chemicals
Hair color cream and bleach don’t play well with pretty much any surface. It should always be standard practice to at least protect the back of a styling or shampoo chair with a chair cover when you’re going to be working with any chemical more caustic than water. Otherwise you’ll end up covering the chair in stains and eventually ruining the upholstery.
Irregular Cleaning
Dust is the enemy of any machine, no matter how simple. Wiping down a chair completely at the end of the day goes a way toward keeping its color intact and all its parts working properly. And always wipe the equipment down with disinfectant regularly to avoid any grime build up. A lot of people are sitting in those chairs and lying on those tables, and the cumulative body oil from all of them won’t look or smell great if left uncleaned for too long.
Repair vs. Replace
It’s important to make sure all the parts on your equipment are repaired or replaced quickly because generally when one part is breaking down, it will start bringing all the parts nearby down with it. Every stylist and salon owner should know how to repair things for his or herself, but if you’re going to fix something on your own, learn to do it properly, and most of all, learn when a part just needs to be replaced. There are far too many flustered stylists out there assaulting their styling chairs with duct tape and glue to avoid dropping a few bucks on replacement arms, when it would be simpler and safer for both the chair and the clients to put on a new part.