Latest Insights in the Evolving Digital World

Ultrasonic Cleaning and the Tattoo Industry

Much to my mother’s dismay, I have always loved tattoos and wanted them since I was little. I got my first tattoo when I was nineteen- the chaos symbol on the back of my neck. I thought it was going to be my one and only; but, as you may have heard, they are addicting. Now I am twenty six and I have five. The biggest one is the Tower of Babel, which is on my right bicep and took a total of nine hours to complete. Another took five and a half hours; so, needless to say, I’ve spent quite a bit of time bored and staring around the shop while I got poked. This is how I first saw an ultrasonic tank and found out about this kind of cleaning.

Having clean tattooing equipment is absolutely crucial and I would not be caught dead in a shop with sub-par cleanliness. Usually, the more it looks like a doctor’s office, the better. And tattoo shops often employ the same cleaning process that hospitals use for their surgical instruments. Tattoo guns often get clogged with blood and ink and require very thorough cleaning. My artist told me how he cleans his equipment. First, he dismantles it, removing the grips and nuts. He washes it with soap and water first and then places it in a small ultrasonic tank with cavicide, a solution that works as a decontaminant and disinfectant. The ultrasonic cleaning system uses high frequency sound waves (40-80 kHz) to penetrate hard to remove debris like blood and ink that can get really stuck in the small groves of tattoo guns. I had never heard of this kind of cleaning before and was fascinated by how it worked.

As fascinating as this was, it is also very important to note that this kind of cleaning does not sterilize the equipment. That must be done after the ultrasonic method removes all visible contaminants. I went from only admiring tattoos to becoming very familiar with the process (sorry, Mom). But at least she can rest assure that I know what to look for when it comes to proper cleaning and sterilization.