When you let a cleaning company into your home, you’re also letting in whatever they bring with them. If you have pets that lick the floor, kids who crawl on it, or anyone in the house with allergies or a sensitive nose, it’s fair to ask what’s in those bottles.
Here’s how we think about green cleaning, what we avoid, and how we set things up for your household, whether you’re in St. Petersburg, Seminole, or Pinellas Park.
What “green” and “pet-safe” really mean
There’s no single legal definition of “green” or “natural” on a cleaning label, so the words alone don’t tell you much. What matters more:
- Third-party certifications, like the EPA’s Safer Choice label, which reviews ingredients against safety criteria.
- Fragrance. Added fragrance is one of the most common irritants for people and pets. Fragrance-free products avoid it.
- How it’s used. Even a mild product should be wiped and rinsed where needed, especially on floors pets walk on and lie on.
“Pet-safe” usually means a product doesn’t contain ingredients known to be especially harmful to pets, like certain essential oils that are toxic to cats, and is used so that pets aren’t exposed to wet surfaces or residue.
Green cleaning is also a range rather than a single standard. One household only wants fragrance-free products. Another wants plant-based cleaners throughout, with disinfectants used only in the kitchen and bathrooms. The right point on that range depends on who lives in your home, the surfaces you have, and what each job calls for.
Why we don’t use some common products
- Heavily scented cleaners and plug-in-style fragrances. A clean home shouldn’t need to smell like perfume.
- Essential-oil-heavy “natural” cleaners around cats. Several essential oils, like tea tree, can be dangerous for cats.
- Vinegar and acidic cleaners on stone. They’re popular “green” choices, but they etch marble and terrazzo. Our post on caring for Florida floors explains why.
- Mixing products. Our teams never mix bleach with ammonia or other cleaners.
Keeping pets comfortable during a cleaning
- Keep pets in a crate or a closed room while the team works, so they stay away from wet floors and open doors.
- Let floors dry fully before letting pets back into a room.
- Tell us about your pets when you book, including any allergies or sensitivities.
If shedding and sand are your bigger battle, our post on pet hair, sand, and Florida floors has a simple routine for between visits.
Set up for your household
We don’t bring the same “green” kit to every home. When you book, tell us what matters to you, whether that’s fragrance-free products, a sensitivity in the family, or pets that spend their day on the floor, and we’ll choose products to fit. If you have a product you prefer, our team can use what you provide. Just tell us what it is before the visit so we can check that it’s safe to use in your home and by our employees.
Tampa Bay Home Services is a family-owned St. Petersburg company, not a franchise. Our cleaners are trained, background-checked employees who speak fluent English, so you can explain your preferences once and know they’ll be followed. Read more about how we hire on our Why Us page. We clean homes in St. Petersburg, Seminole, Pinellas Park, and across Pinellas County. Get your price and get your time back, with a home that’s clean for everyone who lives in it.
This post is part of our complete guide to house cleaning in St. Petersburg.