Should You Tip Your House Cleaner?
Tip Jar with Boltz Cleaning Services brand colors overlay. Photo by Sam Dan Truong on Unsplash
Recently, the issue of tipping your house cleaner has come up several times on the cleaning blogosphere. We want you to clean less and live more, so if you tend to like things tidy but don’t have the time, or just want a helping hand then you might be looking into hiring a professional maid service to clean your home. One aspect of hiring a cleaner seems to cause confusion among even the savviest of homeowners: should you tip your house cleaner? And if so, how much and how often? Although tips are never required and there is no definitive answer to these questions, there are several factors to consider when determining whether to tip your house cleaner and what amount to give. There are some cases where a tip may be more appropriate than others. Factors such as the state of your home, the quality of work, the size of the company, and their tipping policy all contribute to whether or not you should tip your cleaner. To help ease the confusion, here’s our complete guide to tipping your house cleaner.
The State of Your Home
The amount you tip your house cleaner or garden caretaker may seem like an individual matter. But keep in mind that your payments and service quality depend on a whole lot more than just how much you tip. Think about how often you get to enjoy a clean house, and you may want to consider the state of your home when deciding whether to tip your cleaner. If you have an especially difficult task like an unusually filthy bathroom or an extremely messy kitchen, or you know that your house has not been cleaned in quite a while, you may decide to tip your cleaner even if you usually wouldn’t. Some cleaning services offer discounts for regularly scheduled cleanings, since it’s assumed that your maid will not have to scrub as deep as they would for a first time or one time cleaning.
The Quality of Work
Just like a server at a restaurant or laborer on a construction project, exemplary service should be rewarded. Tipping is not just a social custom but an opportunity to show appreciation towards the humans cleaning your home. This is especially true in light of the fact that house cleaning can be risky business; viruses and fire hazards exist in nearly every household. Keeping your home free from filth and disorder helps maintain a positive sense of well-being and helps reduce stress among homeowners. Likewise, if your cleaner or maid isn’t meeting your needs then that also needs to be considered when you’re considering leaving a tip or not.
Self-Employed Cleaners vs. Agencies
If you are wondering if you should tip your cleaner, you should consider if you are hiring an individual self-employed cleaner who runs their own business, or are you turning to a larger cleaning company with many employees? Self-employed maid services are generally able to set their own rates and do not lose a portion to a larger company, so they do not usually expect extra tips but surely would not mind! Meanwhile, employees of cleaning companies do not get to determine their wages, get paid only a portion of the full service rate, and may even rely on tips to make a living wage. Taking this into account will help you determine whether a tip is necessary.
Tipping Policies
Another thing to factor in is the tipping policy of the specific company you are working with. Some larger nation wide cleaning companies might pay their employees a higher wage, eliminating the pressure for their customers to tip the cleaners. Smaller companies may build the tips into their standard rates. In this case, the service agreement should clearly state how the rates are determined and whether the tip is included. Still other companies may have a policy that does not allow cleaners to accept tips, and in these cases your cleaner will respectfully decline any tip you may offer. If you are ever unsure of the company’s policy on tipping, there is no harm in asking – in fact, they might also be able to give you guidance on what other customers have done and how much they have tipped.
Requested Services
The first thing to take into consideration when deciding how frequently you should tip your cleaner is the type of services that you have requested. If you have booked only a one-time service, such as a deep clean, or a move out clean and you do not intend to hire a cleaner often, then you might offer a one-time tip or choose not to tip at all. If you decide to book multiple sessions, you might have more choice in how frequently you tip your cleaners.
Simple cleaning products with Boltz Cleaning Service colors overlay. Photo by Crystal de Passillé-Chabot on Unsplash
The Same Cleaner vs Different Cleaners
If you decide to have your cleaners make regular visits, it is a good idea to discuss the matter with them beforehand. It is also customary to leave a small amount of cash or a gift if you appreciate their service. If a different cleaner appears every week, you will need to leave a tip each time you feel it is appropriate because you do not know if you will see that cleaner again. However, if the same cleaner returns each time, it is not expected that you tip them every single week they clean your home. Instead, you may want to tip a larger amount once a month or every few months instead of tipping a small amount for each service.
How Much to Tip
So, you’ve now determined whether it is appropriate to tip your cleaner and how frequently you should tip them, but there’s still the question of how much. This is going to depend largely on the area you live in, the rates you are paying for the cleaning and how they are calculated, and as mentioned above, the state your house is in when the cleaner enters and quality of service they provide. If you received good service, it’s a good idea to tip between 15-20% of the rate you pay, and you can tip a little on the higher end if you feel that your cleaner did an exceptional job or if you asked them to complete an especially dirty project. Likewise, if you know that the cleaners who work for the company you choose rely on tips for a living wage and they are not built into the rates you pay, you may consider tipping closer to the 20% mark.
Acceptable Forms of Tipping
Cash is king, and it is like the preferred option among cleaners, especially for one-time services. However, if you have a maid who visits your home frequently and you don’t feel comfortable tipping in cash, there are other ways to show your appreciation. If you are close with your house cleaner, you could gift them with something personal such as a nice bottle of wine, or a gift card to one of their favorite shops or to a local café or restaurant. You can also ask them what they prefer. Your cleaners will have no problem letting you know what kind of tip they prefer but are unlikely to bring it up themselves.
So Should You Tip Your Maid or Not?
Tipping is never mandatory, but cleaners certainly appreciate being recognized for a job well done. Our professional maid services located in Johnson County will never ask for tips from our clients, but if you believe you have received extraordinary service then you can always add a tip to your bill.