Sterilisation Log in a Salon: Template

In short: a sterilisation log is a record showing that the tools in your salon went through sterilisation in a working device and that someone checked the result. In the sources we checked we found no rule that names this document or gives a template for it. The recommendations of the Chief Sanitary Inspector (GIS, May 2026) do, however, speak directly about checking every cycle and about documentation that links tools to the decontamination process. Below you will find a suggested entry template and rules for keeping the log in a salon with one stylist or several.

Key points

• The Act requires you to implement and apply sterilisation procedures (Article 16) but gives no template for a log. You design the template yourself, based on what GIS recommends.
• Sterilisation log, sterilisation book and sterilisation control notebook are different names for the same idea: a record of autoclave cycles. The name has no legal meaning.
• GIS recommends checking every cycle with physical, chemical and biological indicators, and running biological control at least once a week.
• Records of inspections and maintenance of the autoclave should be kept. GIS gives no retention period, so set your own in the procedure.
• The log is evidence of your diligence. It does not guarantee the outcome of an inspection.

Why a salon keeps a sterilisation log

The basis is Article 16 of the Act on preventing and combating infections and infectious diseases in humans. People who perform procedures that break the continuity of tissue (and trimming a cuticle or using brow tweezers counts) must implement and apply procedures protecting against infection. Those procedures must cover, among other things, the rules for using equipment that is sterilised. Failing to implement or apply procedures is a misdemeanour under Article 50(1) of the Act, punishable by a fine.

The Act does not say how to prove that you apply a procedure. The answer comes from practice and from the GIS recommendations. The May 2026 document contains three statements that matter most for a log:

• the effectiveness of every sterilisation cycle (time, temperature, pressure) is assessed using physical, chemical and biological indicators,
• documentation is recommended that lets you link the tools used on a given client with the decontamination processes they went through,
• a client may ask for information about the sterility of a pouch and check the documentation confirming the effectiveness of sterilisation.

So the log has two roles. An internal one: you know what came out of the autoclave and when. And an external one: you can show it to a client or an inspector. These are recommendations, not a rule about the content of a log. How a particular inspector treats them in a particular case, we do not decide. How an inspection itself runs is covered in what Sanepid (the State Sanitary Inspection) checks in a nail salon.

Log, book, notebook: is it the same documentation

Several names circulate online: sterilisation log, sterilisation book, sterilisation control notebook, register of sterilisation processes. We searched the Act and the GIS recommendations. None of these names appears there. The only document named in the recommendations is a "log of receiving and returning tools" for sterilisation done outside the salon.

In practice a salon needs several records. You can keep them in one notebook with sections or on separate sheets:

Record	What it contains	What it is based on
Cycle record	Every cycle: date, number, load, indicator results, person	Recommendation to check every cycle (GIS)
Biological control record	Date, type of indicator, batch number, result	Recommendation of biological control at least once a week (GIS)
Inspection and maintenance record	Date, contractor, report number, date of the next one	Equipment checked at least once a year, records to be kept (GIS)
Log of tools received and returned	What you sent out for external sterilisation and when it came back	Documentation of regular sterilisation outside the premises, e.g. a contract, invoices, a log (GIS)

The last record applies only to salons without their own autoclave. Details of external sterilisation are in who can sterilise in a salon.

What fields a sterilisation log entry should have

GIS does not give an entry template. The fields below are our suggestion, built from what the recommendations say should be checked. Make an entry after every cycle, ideally right after taking out the load.

Field	Why
Date and time of the cycle	Links the cycle to the printout and to the working day
Cycle number (autoclave counter)	An autoclave compliant with PN-EN 13060 has a cycle counter, so the number can be compared with the device
Cycle programme	Shows which cycle you chose for the load
Load: what was sterilised	E.g. manicure sets, lash tweezers. This lets you link tools to the cycle
Physical indicator	Parameters from the printout or display: time, temperature, pressure
Chemical indicator in the pouch	GIS recommends type 5 or 6 in every pouch, or a process challenge device with a suitable indicator
Biological control	Fill in when a biological indicator was in that cycle. Add the result after reading it
Decision: load released yes/no	Shows that someone assessed the result before the pouches went into use
Pouch shelf life	GIS recommends keeping material in paper-film packaging, in closed cabinets or drawers, for no longer than 2 months
Person and signature	GIS indicates that the process is the responsibility of a person authorised to carry out decontamination
Notes	Cycle error, repeat, wet pouch, part replacement

It is also a good idea to write the pouch or cycle number on the client card, for the tools used on that client. That meets the recommendation to link tools with the client without copying out the whole log. How to keep the card is covered in client card: how to fill it in.

How to keep the log day to day and with several stylists

1. One autoclave, one log. Cycle numbering should match the device counter. If you have two autoclaves, keep two logs.
2. Make the entry right after the cycle. A record written at the end of the week from memory has no evidential value. This is our practical advice, not a rule.
3. Name the responsible person. State in the procedure who in the salon decides on releasing a load. Other stylists may load and start the autoclave, but releasing the load belongs to one person.
4. Signature or initials with a key. On the first page note whose initials are whose. When staff change, the key saves questions.
5. Corrections with a single line. Strike through a wrong entry, add the correct one, the date and a signature. Do not blot out entries or tear out pages.
6. Attach or copy printouts. Thermal printer paper fades over time. Take a photo or scan of the printout and link it to the cycle number.

If you work alone in the salon, the log still makes sense. The roles of responsible person and person making entries are then the same, but the document shows that the process is repeatable.

Biological control and inspections in the sterilisation log

Two records are most often skipped, because they do not happen with every cycle.

Biological control. GIS recommends it at least once a week. You put the indicator in the load, read it after the time given by the indicator's manufacturer and enter the result with the date. How to run the test step by step is in the Sporal test in a salon. The recommendations do not describe what to do after a positive result. Describe it in your own procedure: the load is not released, the autoclave is not used until the cause is clarified, the service is notified, and the event is entered in the log.

Equipment inspection. GIS recommends checking decontamination equipment on a schedule and according to the manufacturer's instructions, at least once a year, by an authorised service unless the manufacturer advises otherwise. Instruments used to check the physical parameters of the cycle should be checked at least once a year. File the inspection report in the log or keep it alongside, with its number in the record.

How to store the log and show it during an inspection

The GIS recommendations say that records of inspections and maintenance should be kept. They do not give a number of years. In the sources we checked we also found no rule on how long a salon must keep a sterilisation log. So write a period into your own procedure and stick to it. In our templates we assume at least 3 years. That is an organisational recommendation, not a legal requirement.

• Keep the log at the sterilisation station or in the salon's document binder, in a place known to the whole team.
• Make a backup copy: a scan of the pages every month, or an electronic version. A lost notebook should not mean losing the history.
• Have the report of the last autoclave inspection and the last biological control result to hand.
• When a client asks about the sterility of a pouch, show the pouch and point to the entry. GIS provides for this.

Mistakes that lower the value of a log

• Bulk entries. The same signature and the same parameters down a whole column look like copying.
• No load. An entry such as "cycle 14, OK" does not say which tools went through the process.
• No biological control. Cycle entries are there, but there has been no biological control for months.
• Log inconsistent with the procedure. The procedure mentions type 5 indicators, while the log has a column for a different indicator. The documents should agree.
• No inspections. A cycle log without a service report shows only part of the process.
• Records kept somewhere other than the procedure says. If the procedure points to a paper log and you write in an app, correct the procedure.

Remember technique too. A log will not fix poor packaging or pouches kept too long. Packaging rules are in packaging tools for sterilisation, and the device itself is covered in autoclave: what it is and how it works. An older article on equipment and records is autoclave and sterilisation records.

Frequently asked questions

Is a sterilisation log mandatory in a beauty salon?

What is mandatory is implementing and applying procedures (Article 16(1) of the Act). In the sources we checked we found no rule requiring a document called a "sterilisation log". The GIS recommendations advise checking every cycle and documenting the processes, so a cycle record is in practice evidence that you apply the procedure.

Sterilisation log, book or notebook: which template to choose?

The name does not matter. What counts is the content: cycles, biological control, inspections. You can use a notebook, sheets in a binder or a file. What matters is that the record is legible, complete and consistent with your procedure.

How often should biological control be recorded?

The GIS recommendations say biological control is carried out at least once a week. It is a recommendation, not a rule. Write the frequency into the procedure and stick to it. Earlier blog posts may give a different frequency, so always check the date and basis of any guidance.

How long should a sterilisation log be kept?

We found no set number of years in the sources checked. GIS recommends keeping records of inspections and maintenance. Choose a period you can sustain, write it into the procedure and apply it consistently. If in doubt, you can ask the county sanitary inspector to review your procedures (Article 16(3) of the Act).

Is a log kept when sterilisation is done outside the salon?

Yes, in a different form. GIS then recommends documentation confirming regular sterilisation, e.g. a contract, invoices and a log of tools received and returned. Tools are handed over in protected packaging, in tightly closed transport containers.

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Legal status as of: 2 November 2026
Legal basis: Articles 16 and 50(1) of the Act of 5 December 2008 on preventing and combating infections and infectious diseases in humans (consolidated text: Journal of Laws 2025, item 1675; we checked the amending acts published after this text: Journal of Laws 2026, items 26 and 791, neither changes Article 16 or Article 50); "Hygiene and sanitary recommendations and requirements of the Chief Sanitary Inspector for beauty services" (GIS, May 2026, chapters III-V, version from gov.pl). Not checked: the text of standard PN-EN 13060 (paid standard), rules for medical entities, the Official Gazette (Monitor Polski), draft regulations or earlier versions of the GIS recommendations. The set of log fields is the authors' suggestion, not an official template.
Last reviewed: 2 November 2026