What a green cleaning request usually means
People ask for green cleaning for different reasons: a fragrance the household wants out of the home, a specific ingredient off the shelf, or a new finish on a counter. The visit runs in its usual order; the products that come out of the cabinet are the part that changes. SF Environment says many household cleaning products contain harsh chemicals that are not needed to keep a home clean, and the City's own guidance frames the call about which bottles stay in and which go back under the sink.
1. The products question, settled when you call
The plainest form in a private home is a cleaner using what the household wants used. On the call we go over products you want used, products you want avoided, any sensitivities in the house, and any surface you want handled a specific way. Hand your products to us or set them in the cabinet you want us to use.
2. What SF Environment points to
Three third-party labels sit on SF Environment's list for a store shelf: Green Seal, EcoLogo and the EPA's Safer Choice. The City also points to its own SF Approved list, which covers City purchasing. These labels are the City's reference, and we are not claiming to use any of them.
3. Ingredients the City lists to avoid
When products with these labels are not on the shelf, SF Environment lists ammonia, chlorine bleach, "quats" (quaternary ammonium), 2-butoxyethanol and monoethanolamine as ingredients to avoid. If any of these are in your cabinet and the household wants them left there, we work around them with what else is on the shelf. If the only product for a given surface is one on this list, the choice is settled with you before the day.
What SF Environment points to, and what it lists to avoid
The City's own guidance for choosing household cleaning products.
Labels the City points to
- Green Seal
- EcoLogo
- EPA Safer Choice
- The City's SF Approved list
Ingredients it lists to avoid
- Ammonia
- Chlorine bleach
- Quats (quaternary ammonium)
- 2-butoxyethanol
- Monoethanolamine
Sources: San Francisco Environment Department, Cleaning Products; SF Approved, General Purpose Cleaners.
4. Spraying into the cloth, not the air
SF Environment suggests mist spray bottles over aerosol cans, and spraying any product into a cloth rather than onto a surface or into the air. The cloth carries the product to the surface where it is needed.
5. Kitchens and bathrooms with what you chose
Each room gets cleaned with whatever products you set, in the usual order: top-to-bottom dusting, kitchen counters, sink, stovetop and the fronts of appliances, bathrooms in full, bedrooms, living areas, and floors last. The bottle picked up at each step is the one you asked for.
We never mix cleaning products. Bleach is never mixed with ammonia, vinegar or other acids, or with any other cleaner. The City says the same about leftover hazardous products: never mix them, because incompatible products might react, ignite or explode.
6. Old products never go in any of the three bins
Some household items count as hazardous waste that should not go in the black, green or blue bin, and the City flags that disposing of them improperly is illegal. The resident books the City's own free home pickup for household hazardous waste and is present for the pickup. We do not take a customer's old cleaning products away with us.
| What the City points to | What it means for a cleaning | What to ask any company |
|---|---|---|
| Green Seal, EcoLogo, EPA Safer Choice | Labels the City points to on store shelves | Which products you use, and whether any carry these labels |
| SF Approved | The City's own list for City purchasing | Which products on your shelf match the City's list |
| Ingredients the City says to skip | Products to avoid when a Green Seal, EcoLogo or Safer Choice option is not on hand | Which of these your crew keeps in the kit |
| Spray into a cloth | Spray into a cloth, not onto surfaces or into the air | Whether your crew sprays surfaces or sprays a cloth |
| No mixing products | Each product stays in its own bottle | Whether your crew uses any homemade recipes |
| Household hazardous waste | Old products off the three bins | Whether the company takes old chemicals away (the answer should be no) |
When this fits, and when another page fits
When a green cleaning request fits
You have your own products you want used, or you want the labels the City points to on anything used in your home. A member of the household wants a specific fragrance or ingredient out of the home. A new finish on a counter has not had everything thrown at it yet.
When another page fits better
A long stretch since the last top-to-bottom clean goes to a deep clean first, so the regular visits that follow can keep up. Steady upkeep goes to regular visits with your products. A rhythm set in place is a schedule.
What the visit covers
A visit sorted around the City's guidance covers the same rooms in the same order as any other: top-to-bottom dusting, kitchen counters, sink, stovetop and the fronts of appliances, bathrooms in full, bedrooms, living areas, and the floors last. What we collect goes into the home's own blue, green and black bins the way the household sorts them. What a visit covers walks through the room-by-room detail, and the three bins covers how San Francisco sorts recyclables, compost and trash.
Each room follows the usual order, and the different products just slot in where they are needed.
