It's important to keep your tattoo shop stocked with all the tattoo medical supplies needed to prep and modify clients--things like antiseptics, skin cleansers, tattoo bandages, and disinfectants. 

Read through the sections below to compare your options within each product category.  

Autoclaves & Autoclave Supplies 

An autoclave steam steriliser is the single most effective tool for sterilising reusable tattoo supplies like steel grips and tattoo tubes. You'll be able to sterilise larger batches of tools faster and more thoroughly with an autoclave than you could with chemical baths or other sterilisation alternatives. 

There are several types of autoclave accessories in store to keep on hand to get the most out of your steam steriliser. Every tool you sterilise will need to be bagged separately before being autoclaved, so it's a good idea to stock up on sterilisation pouches and nylon tubing in a variety of sizes. A heat sealer is also needed to seal your autoclave bags, steam sterilization integrators that clearly show when your tools have been fully sterilised, a reliable autoclave cleaner you can use to clean your steriliser regularly, and spore testing kits so you can periodically test your machine to make sure it's operating optimally. 

Cleaners 

Tattoo tools have to be thoroughly cleaned before they're autoclaved, and a variety of tools are readily available to simplify the cleaning process.  

An autoclave can be a huge time saver for a busy shop. Without an autoclave, you have to hand-scrub all of your reusable tattoo tools, soak them in disinfectant and lubricate them before you sterilise them. If you're interested in shortening the clean-up process in between clients so you can tattoo more people in a day, you need an ultrasonic cleaner.  

Tattoo Cleaners, Disinfectants & Bio-Hazard Containers 

It's highly critical that you maintain a sterile work environment to keep your clients safe and make them feel secure when they get tattooed in your shop. To keep surfaces sterilised throughout your shop, you'll need an assortment of disinfecting cleaning products. You should also make biohazard containers easily accessible to your tattoo artists so that they can properly dispose of used tattoo needles, other sharps, and contaminated protective gear, like used tattoo machine bags.  

Tattoo Covers & Protective Gear 

In your efforts to maintain a sterile work environment within your tattoo shop, you should bag all reusable tattoo tools that can't be autoclaved, like tattoo machines and clip cords. Additionally, it's important that your tattoo artists wear medical gloves while tattooing, and that they change them at appropriate intervals. Some artists also like to cover more of themselves, for their health, to prevent cross-contamination and to protect their clothing. 

For tattoo gloves, choose from latex and nitrile gloves in a variety of sizes and styles from brands like Defend, Aurelia, Black Dragon, Midknight, Ultraform, and more. 

When you're tattooing a client's face or neck, it's best to wear a face mask. These surgical face masks come in boxes of 50 and have ear loops to hold them in place. 

Antiseptics, Skin Cleansers & Other Skin Prep Products 

Before tattooing a client and after applying any topical anaesthetic requested, you have to perform surgical skin prep. This process requires washing the skin with an appropriate skin cleanser, and then applying a CDC-approved antiseptic. Make sure your client isn't allergic to any of the skin prep products you're planning to use. Some people have iodine allergies while others have sensitivities to fragranced soaps, so it's important to talk to your clients about the tattooing process and products you use before you begin 

Top brands like Intenze, Green Soap, Tattoo One, Tattoo Goo, and H2Ocean are just some of the well- known skin cleaners that are being used by tattoo artists, as well as surgical-grade antiseptics like alcohol pads and providone iodine swabs. 

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