Hiring a house cleaning service can be a huge boon, especially if you have a hectic schedule with little to no time for chores. Not only do house cleaners help keep your house clean and sanitary, but they also give you some peace of mind and allow you to relax.
So, if you are about to try a house cleaning service for the first time, your biggest question is probably about gratuity. While it is normal for you to tip your barista or servers, do you tip house cleaners too? Let’s find out.
Do You Tip House Cleaners?
Tipping for different services has been the norm in the US since the 18th century. Giving tips is expected, often out of duty or because you are genuinely thankful for the services or products.
When it comes to house cleaners, however, there are no set guidelines for tipping.
House cleaners are employed by a professional cleaning company or work independently. Either way, most house cleaners charge for their services on an hourly basis.
House cleaners employed by a company are typically sent out as per their schedule and don’t expect any additional gratuity from their clients. However, you are still more than welcome to tip them as they are also paid minimum wages.
Even independent hired house cleaners have fixed rates you agree upon before hiring their services. Most of the time, though, your house cleaners have to rely on the tips they receive to make a little extra.
So, do you tip your house cleaners? It is not mandated, but you are welcome to give them a little extra as a tip if you are pleased with their services.
How Much Should You Tip House Cleaners?
So, you’ve decided you want to tip your house cleaner to show your gratitude or you are satisfied with the service they provided. The next question is, how much should you tip?
Tipping your house cleaners is a gray area. If you’ve hired them through an agency, you can proactively contact the company to check whether they have a recommended guideline.
If the company has no such policy, consider asking your family and friends if they have hired house cleaners before and tipped them. Or you can simply trust your instincts and give the amount you feel is enough.
A good rule of thumb is to give a tip ranging from $10 to $20 or follow the principle of the service industries of 15-20% percent of the total due. You also have to consider if your house cleaners come as a team, in which case you can give them a tip and it would be up to them to share it equally.
What can also help you decide will be the size of your house. For example, if your house is over 2,500 square feet, you may want to add a few more bucks on the tip since a larger house entails more work.
Of course, how satisfied you were with the overall service will be the primary factor in deciding your tip.
How Often Should You Tip Your House Cleaners?
If you have the same people cleaning your home on a weekly basis and have always been satisfied with the entire team or even with individual work, you have the option to tip them after every cleaning visit or give them a gratuity on a monthly basis.
In the case of a one-time deep cleaning service, however, it is a more intense and laborious job that entails a lot of physical work. So, tipping after the service has been delivered is rather considerate and acceptable. The same principle applies to seasonal cleaning jobs.
If you have one cleaner for an entire month or year who already knows the routine and your preferences as a client, you can consider tipping them generously once a month or year — sort of like a holiday bonus that you can give by the end of the year.
8 Tipping Tips
#1. Make sure you check the company policies for tipping if you’re hiring house cleaners through an agency.
#2. Aside from cash, you can also tip your house cleaners with gifts or in kind. A hand-written thank you note with cookies, a bottle of wine, gift certificates, or tickets to a movie, an amusement park, or events are also as good (and sometimes even better) than cash.
#3. Be generous if you can as it may result in an even better service next time.
#4. Always incorporate the tips in your “cleaning budget” because this is the only way you can tip graciously without having to compromise your other expenses.
#5. Tips can be your way of communicating your satisfaction with the cleaning service. So, you can start with a standard tipping amount, and if you notice that the work is excellently done the next time, you can add more. However, providing direct feedback to the agency or even the house cleaner is still the best approach.
#6. Don’t feel obligated to give tips, especially if you are not satisfied with the cleaning work.
#7. When it comes to tipping your house cleaners, only you can decide how much and how often you want to tip.
#8. “Tips are like hugs without the awkward body contact.” Always make sure you tip out of gratitude and sincerity, without any regret or bitterness.
