A salon gets dirty in ways most offices never do. Hair lands everywhere. Color, product, and water end up on floors and counters. Capes, towels, and chairs carry it all across the room. Clients notice a dirty salon within seconds, and a clean one is part of the service you sell.
This checklist covers the cleaning of the space itself: floors, stations, sinks, restrooms, and reception. It also draws a line between that work and tool disinfection, which has its own rules.
What this post covers:
- Cleaning the space vs disinfecting tools: why they are different jobs
- A daily checklist by area
- Weekly and monthly tasks that keep buildup away
- What a cleaning company can take off your plate
- Questions to ask before hiring one for your salon
Cleaning the Space vs Disinfecting Your Tools
These are two different jobs. Disinfecting combs, brushes, shears, and other implements that touch clients is the stylist's responsibility, and the Florida Board of Cosmetology sets requirements for it. Rule 61G5-20.002 covers salon requirements, including that an article used on one patron must be disinfected before it is used on another (see the rule text). The rule also defines "clean" as removing visible debris, for example with soap and water, which comes before disinfecting.
A cleaning company handles the building: floors, surfaces, restrooms, glass, trash. Your team handles anything that touches a client. Keep the two lists separate so nothing falls through the gap.
Daily Checklist
- Floors at each station: sweep or vacuum hair, then mop. Hair carries product, so wipe around chair bases and mat edges.
- Station counters and mirrors: wipe surfaces and remove dried product. Clean mirrors streak-free.
- Shampoo bowls and sinks: rinse hair out of drains, scrub the basin, and wipe the faucet and surrounding counter.
- Chair and bowl surfaces: wipe vinyl and hard surfaces that clients touch.
- Reception: wipe the desk, payment area, door handles, and waiting seats.
- Restroom: clean and sanitize the toilet, sink, and touch points. Restock soap, paper towels, and toilet paper.
- Trash: empty every bin and replace liners. Hair and product waste fills bins quickly.
- Entry glass: wipe fingerprints so the first thing clients see is clean.
Weekly and Monthly Tasks
- Weekly: dust shelves, display units, and retail products. Wipe the break room, microwave exterior, and refrigerator exterior. Deep clean floor edges and corners where hair collects. Wash trash cans.
- Weekly: clean the washer and dryer exteriors and the lint area if you do towels on site.
- Monthly: dust vents and high ledges. Wipe baseboards, wall splash zones behind stations, and door frames. Clean the tops of cabinets you can reach.
- Quarterly: a full deep clean of hard floors, corners, and grout lines, plus anything that needs separate equipment.
Want your salon floors and restrooms handled after close? Sunshine Clean & Care writes a checklist around your layout and schedule. Request a free walkthrough.
What a Cleaning Company Can Take Off Your Plate
Most salon owners would rather spend the end of a long day with family than with a mop. A cleaning company that works after you close can handle the floors, restrooms, trash, glass, and surfaces, so you open to a ready space. Hair is the hardest part to get right, so ask how they handle drains, floor edges, and under chair bases.
Sunshine Clean & Care offers cleaning for salons after the last client leaves, subject to scheduling availability. The checklist is written around your space, so if your floors need nightly service and your restrooms twice a week, the checklist says exactly that. Read about it on the salon cleaning page.
The Messy Details: Hair, Color, and Product
Salons have three problems most spaces do not. Hair is fine and sticky, so it hides under chairs and along floor edges. Color and chemical products dry onto counters and sinks. And water and conditioner leave slick film on floors near shampoo bowls.
Use the right tool for each. A stiff broom or a vacuum with a hard-floor head pulls hair out of corners. A slightly damp cloth lifts dried product from counters without scratching. A mop with a clean head and fresh water, changed often, stops film from just spreading. Always check what each surface is made of before you pick a cleaner, because laminate, stone, and vinyl react differently.
Finally, keep a small basket of rags just for color stains. Once a rag has color on it, it should not go back to wiping reception or the break room.
Setting Up a Handoff Routine
Walk the space with whoever will clean it, and point out the spots that matter most to you: the shampoo bowls, the color area, the reception desk. Agree on what to leave out, such as tools to be disinfected and items you want left untouched. A five-minute walkthrough on day one prevents most misunderstandings later, and gives the crew a clear picture of your standards.
Questions to Ask Before You Hire
- Can you work after hours, and what is your availability?
- How do you handle hair and product buildup on floors and in drains?
- Who supplies paper products and soap, and who refills them?
- Are you insured and bonded?
- Will you come for a free walkthrough before quoting?
- How is the price set, and what makes it go up or down?
For other types of spaces, see our guides on office cleaning and gym and fitness studio cleaning.
One more tip: write your closing routine down and tape it where staff can see it. If stylists wipe their own stations and bag their own towels each night, the cleaning crew can spend its time on floors, restrooms, and the deeper work. Clear roles keep the checklist short and the price fair.
Ready to open to a clean salon every morning? Call to book a free walkthrough. We look at your floors, stations, and restrooms, then give you the visit list and price in writing.