Disinfecting face paints?

I can parallel park... that's the one when you close your eyes, right?

All I need him for is his photographic skills and upper body strength.

Tim is a damned fine photographer.

I do not know how much he bench presses.

Lisa, on your process, are you using one surgical scrub brush per cleaning method or is it one scruber for the whole process? Also, how often do you change out scrubbers?
I plan on talking to my hospital's Child Life program soon, and want to have a good setup.

One surgical scrubber in my basin.  

Sigh.
Here is how I do it.

Wash hands b/4 entering room.

Paint, never double dipping.
Rinse each brush scrubbing with surgical scrub brush.
Rinse in bin with second surgical scrub brush. Rinse in third tank with water.
Shape with fingers. Dip in 70% isopropyl alcohol. Leave to dry.
Wash hands.

Sigh.... Lisa-you are awesome with your talents.... I read your method post the 1st you posted it. My question was about that method you posted....
My questions where- How many scrub brushes used total? & How often you change scrub brushes?
You answer give 2 differnt answers.......
I wish I knew a easy way to quote but my iPad is fussy, I don't want this to sound rude at all.....
First said only one scrub brush and then listed in the process that there was a second scrub brush....

I will be meeting with my son's Doctor team next week and would love to show them your method that has been passed by SickKid's. Please understand I'm trying to help and give back to my son's cancer community and these questions are all cost I will be eating... This is for 100% volunteer community service to help out my son's hospital.
Thank you for your time

This is a wonderful thread. Thank you everyone so much!!!

Dear Pogueskiss:
You are absolutely right.
I will try to explain better.

My water basin is divided into three compartments.
Two of the three compartments have a surgical scrub brush wedged into the bottom.  (I cut up one surgical scrub brush to create two pieces.)  Technically, it IS one scrub brush.  
I had originally glued in the surgical scrub brushes with aquarium glue.  Aquarium glue is non-toxic.  Fish are quite sensitive to chemicals and off-gasses, so I felt that the aquarium glue was the right way to glue.  Having said that.... the face paint stained UNDERNEATH the scrub brushes.  Eeeeewwwww, icky looking.  I bought a new water basin.

I use the same surgical scrub brush.  It is a physical paint removal system.  It is not part of the sanitizing, unless you count removing as much paint as possible to allow the rubbing alcohol to saturate the whole brush.

I probably replace my scrub brushes every 6-9 months, because they get stained looking.

When I go from room to room, the water gets changed in every room.
When I do an event, the water may appear dirty, because of the paint.
I am going from the paint to;
the face to;
the 1st scrub (to remove as much paint as possible) to;
the 2nd scrub for a rinse to;
3rd tank is final rinse to;
the 70% rubbing alcohol to
the pop-up container that holds the brushes to air dry completely before I can use them again.

This is how Infectious Disease Control taught us to paint as hygienically as possible.  There are rooms that I go into where there is an airborne component to their illness.  In that case, I sanitize my hands, load Q-Tips with colors and glitter and leave my kit outside the room.  Gloves, gown, N-95 mask.  I take nothing out of the room, leaving all the paint and glitter behind.  I have also preloaded sponges with paint and then thrown them away, whether I used them or not.  I use sponges from the dollar store (car wash sponges) that I cut up, so they are inexpensive.

Also, Pogueskiss:
You can approach the hospital foundation to see about having them reimburse you for some supplies.  We have had a company called MAC donate their face and body paint to our program.  Swarovsky has donated actual crystals to use for face painting at the hospital.  I submit receipts for about $100 every year and I buy things for all the face painters to help make their kits extra special.  I bought enough TAG paints to create five one stroke rose cakes and five one stroke leaf cakes and I taught the other face painters how to do the one-strokes.  Shopper's Drug Mart (our local drug store) donates Q-Tips and unscented baby wipes.  I write letters to different corporations and then, like magic, companies generously send packages to our Child Life Program.
We are all in charge of keeping and maintaining our own kits.  I do know how expensive the paints are, so I just try to make it a little more affordable for others to donate their time.  By getting the hospital foundation to pay a little, I feel that we give a lot.

John Sheehy and I started the program on 5A/B in 2004.  If you have any questions, please feel free to PM me and I can tell you about how to begin a program in your local hospital.

Happy Painting!
xoxo

Shannon, tried to pm you but sitting in outbox Could you please show or tell me about your alcohol container and where to possibly purchase? Thank you and Lisa for such wonderful information!

Dollar store baby food container... I will try to post a photo.

Thanks so much

Dear BeyondFrazzled,

You don't have to be as stringent as Fessy and Shannon are... they live in Canada and Canada has very strict guidelines they must follow.

We here in the lower 48 are not as uptight about the guidelines. In fact, there are none. Just common sense. I use a clean sponge for every child and then drop it into a lidded bucket. I, too have a surgical brush siliconed to the bottom of the largest compartment of my 3 compartment water bin. I scrape the bristles of my brushes along the surgical brush and that water is always where the majority of the paint goes. Then, I gently swish it back and forth in the 2nd compartment to remove remaining paint (you may have to repeat the first two steps) and then a final rinse in the 3rd clean water compartment. I also take great care in using hand sanitizer before starting each child or if I ever touch my own face or mouth.

As long as I've been doing this I have never heard about a child getting sick from my utensils. Usually the real danger of germs comes when the kids sneeze on ME! I'm sporting a minor cold right now from being sneezed on last week.

And we must only feel empathetic toward our neighbors to the north, for I would be uptight, too, if I had to worry about moose and wolves and getting hit with a hockey puck all the time...

Many many moons ago when I first started face painting I instituted a 3 cup system of sanitizing brushes. Cup 1 water to wash away the paint from the brush. Cup 2 water with barbiced for those that don't know what that is it's the blue stuff hair dressers and barbers sanitize combs with. Cup 3 with water to rinse the barbiced from the brush.Of coarse this was before I worked for myself and can have lots of brushes not just 12 brushes.

Miss Ronnie wrote:Dear BeyondFrazzled,

You don't have to be as stringent as Fessy and Shannon are... they live in Canada and Canada has very strict guidelines they must follow.

And we must only feel empathetic toward our neighbors to the north, for I would be uptight, too, if I had to worry about moose and wolves and getting hit with a hockey puck all the time...

And, that is why I always type on the computer with a hockey helmet on.
Doesn't explain why I am wearing ice skates.

Why, to practice your swirls and curls, naturally!

I use the boards to stop.

Thanks Miss Ronnie its just that I feel that being new and adapting stringent procedures now and forming those as habits, then I will be much more at ease. And should I be asked by a parent or a client then I will have the answers and procedures properly in place for their and my peace of mind. And should I get lucky enough to branch out further than birthdays...say corporate events, and a client trying to chose from a list of possible face painters, then having said practices in place will just put me a step ahead. (do you see what I am saying or where I am coming from?) And was thinking volunteering at a children's hospital would be fun for me and for the kids, nothing would be more enjoyable then bringing the smile of wonder to a child who spends most of if not all of their time in a hospital

Shannon, I was shopping for supplies yesterday and was at Hobby Lobby and found a package of four spill proof paint containers with a lid and small hole at the top for $5 which I believe or hope will work out perfectly! About the size of a 12 ounce cup, clear with a fill line about third of the way up, and a flip up lid like on a drink pitcher. And the lids were colored, which is awesome because I have spray bottles yellow for reg water, used to be clear, and blue for alcohol. So I am able to use the blue lidded cup for my alcohol and will already be easily recognizable! Now if I could just quell my shopping habit

Sounds perfect.

I just kinda want to sum it up to see if I understand the cleaning process correctly:
1)Use clean water with each child
2)Use Alcohol to clean the brushes in between faces (Can I use Mehron Liquid Brush Cleaner?)
3) Spray paint with alcohol and wait to dry completely
4) Wipe down child's face with unscented baby wipes prior to painting on face
Is that correct? I am new to the face paint world and I want to be as clean and professional as possible

I would never, ever spray alcohol onto my paints.

I don't think many, if any painters empty their water bucket between each person. I change out my water about every 2 hours. My water bucket has 2 compartments. The first compartment is where I rinse out the paint and the second is where do a second rinse and where I dip my brushes to wet them.

Those who use alcohol on the brushes after each person set those brushes aside for 10-15 minutes or however long it takes for those brushes to dry completely before using that brush again.

I only wipe off kids who have stuff on their face (or better yet have the adult with them wipe the face). I use damp paper towels for face wiping rather than baby wipes.

Where are you located? There may be different regulations where you are. Adding your location information into your profile will help the answers be more appropriate for you.

did you mean spray alcohol on the paint BRUSH?

that step is more like dip swirl the brush in alcohol so all bristles are disinfected, then allow bristles to dry.

I'm  new to facepainting and have been looking into the cleaning methods before I get started. I have found some recommemded guidelines here in Aust ( recommended only) and thought others may benefit from this list.

facepaintingschool.com.au/guidelines/

The main thing that concerns me is not "double dipping" the current brush back into the paint to reload. Its going to cost a fortune to get enough brushes to reload a few times per child!

This has been a great thread for me, thank you all for sharing your methods!

if you don't use the face paint on kids who are sick, or have scrapes, cuts, eye infections, etc., it is unlikely the paint will get contaminated with anything contagious when you reload the brush.

if some kid sneezed on your face paint or brushes, you could sterilize the surface of your face paints by spraying 70% or 91% rubbing alcohol on them until they are wet, if you like, then letting them dry out (the alcohol will evaporate). brushes can be rinsed, blotted well, then swirled in rubbing alcohol.

if you use rubbing alcohol as you go, take care it doesn't evaporate or get diluted - keep a lid on the container between uses. blot water from brushes before swirling in alcohol.

use 91% alcohol, as the remaining moisture in the brushes will dilute the concentration after a number of rinses. if you are at a long gig, dump out the diluted alcohol rinse occasionally and refill with fresh 91%.

when i go home, i rinse my face paint cakes under running water to rinse off a thin layer of the paint, to clean the surface. i figure this removes most or all sweat, body oil, dirt, etc that might have been transferred by the brush.

if you are face painting at a hospital, like fesspenter, do the scorched earth technique she described

Bwahahahha!
"Scorched Earth Technique"!!!!

A long time ago, a child expectorated a sneeze in my face, hitting my face paints. I sent my MAC paints in to Infectious Disease Control to see if they would analyze what happens to face paints when contaminated.
It took over six months to get the results.
The results were...
There was live virus in the top layer of four face paint cakes. At 48 hours, there were no viruses in the face paint cakes. There are anti-mould and anti-bacterial agents in our face paint cakes. It just takes time, and dryness for the agents to work in our face paints.
The world has changed a lot since I began face painting. What jlirie says is true... just rinse the top of your face paints with water to clean off the smenge.
Pat dry with a paper towel to get off the excess water.
Let the face paint dry out.
I am lucky that I have a food dehydrator dedicated to face paints and prosthetics. I use it in the summer to dry out our face paints on the job. When our white face paint turns all blurpy, goopy, blurbly, we swap out the icky Marshmallow Fluff-style paint for one of the pots that has been in the dehydrator overnight.
Happy Painting!

thanks for sharing about the lab analysis of your contaminated paints, good to know they cleared up that quickly.

Just finished re-reading this thread for the I don't know how many times, haha... Just wanted to say, Lisa, you are amazing