What should you do with a porous item such as a neck strip, sponge or emery board once it has been used on a client?

• A. Wash it
• B. Spray it
• C. Discard it
• D. Disinfect it

Answer: (C)

Porous items that touch a client’s skin can trap moisture, oils, and microscopic organisms. Cleaning methods like washing or spraying may not fully remove contaminants from these materials, and bacteria or fungi can survive inside the fibers. To minimize the risk of cross‑contamination and infection, porous items are treated as single‑use and discarded after each client. Replace them with fresh, clean items for the next client. If an item were non‑porous and could be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected, that would be different, but for porous items, discarding is the safest practice.