Do you tip house cleaners? Do you tip a cleaning lady? How much do you tip? What is the proper cleaning service tipping etiquette? It turns out, the rule for tipping house cleaners depends on who comes to clean your home.
Should You Tip Your House Cleaner?
Many years ago I hired a cleaning service. At the time I wasn’t sure whether or not I was supposed to tip and if so just how much I should give. So I did what anyone might do in my situation. I asked the Internet for help. I posted these questions to my website:
- Do you tip house cleaners?
- Are you supposed to tip a house cleaning service?
- How much do you tip house cleaners?
- Do you tip a specific amount or a percent of the overall cost of cleaning?
Tipping house cleaners isn’t as straightforward as it seems. After a lot of research and a ton of comments here is what I learned.
Do You Tip House Cleaners?
Is it customary to tip house cleaners? It depends on who you ask.
Tipping house cleaners depends on a number of factors including how many people are cleaning your home and how often. It also depends on whether the person works for a large company or is self employed.
When I searched online I was surprised to find that most homeowners do not tip for cleaning services. It seems some folks provide a large tip around the holidays and some never tip at all.
There is a lot of variation in tipping etiquette for house cleaners. We all know how much we should tip a waitress or bartender, but how much should we tip for the house cleaners that clean our homes? This post will step you through the details.
How Much Do You Tip A House Cleaning Service?
How much do you tip a house cleaning service? If you are using a house cleaning service from a large company it helps to know how much a standard tip should be. Believe it or not the best way to find out is to email, chat or call the cleaning company directly.
You can ask whether customers are expected to tip and even how much is typically provided. Large cleaning companies will typically provide a dollar amount or a percentage of the service you purchased.
Do You Tip Merry Maids?
House cleaners from big cleaning companies like Amazon and Merry Maids don’t expect tips, but it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t leave one if you are inclined to do so. The same goes for house cleaning services purchased through Groupon.
Tips are not included in the price of services at places like Merry Maids. If you want to leave a tip, pay in cash or ask if there is a way to tip through the Merry Maid website or app.
Unfortunately, just because a large cleaning company charges a lot for services doesn’t mean they pay their cleaners a lot to clean homes. If you are unsure simply ask. The company will let you know whether or not it is customary to tip. Don’t be afraid to ask how much to tip as well.
How Much to Tip a House Cleaning Service?
Remember that most cleaners are working for minimum wage. A house cleaner or cleaning lady should be tipped the same way you would tip your hair dresser or waitress. These types of employees are often underpaid, so if you can afford to tip them please do so.
The location of your home will also make a difference in how much you pay a house cleaner. A cleaning lady in NYC will ultimately receive a higher tip than a house cleaner in Chicago, Toronto or Kansas City. It’s best to pay a percentage of the service rather than a flat tip. This is similar to the way you would pay a waitress or server.
How Much to Tip Multiple House Cleaners?
How much should you tip multiple house cleaners? If a crew of house cleaners arrive at your house it is perfectly acceptable to leave a $10 to $15 tip for all of them. You don’t need to tip each member of the house cleaning crew individually.
Do You Tip a Self Employed House Cleaner?
Should you tip a self employed house cleaner or the owner of a cleaning service? Tipping a house cleaning service is very different from tipping an owner or self employed cleaner. A self employed house cleaner can set prices to the exact amount he or she wants to get paid.
A self employed cleaner or owner of a cleaning company can always raise prices to cover missing tips. They also earn the full amount for each home that they cleans.
Tipping a House Cleaner Who Works for Herself
Tipping self employed cleaners isn’t as important as tipping cleaners who work for large agencies, but it’s still nice to tip them if you can.
Do you tip independent house cleaners? Yes. If you use a self employed or independent cleaner to clean your home consider saving up for a large Christmas gift in addition to tipping each time they clean.
Do You Tip House Cleaners Every Time They Clean?
Should you tip house cleaners every time they clean? If the same set of cleaners are arriving each week you can tip them once a month. Of course, if you receive a different cleaner or group of cleaners every week then you’ll need to tip weekly.
How Much Do You Tip for a One Time Cleaning Service?
Tipping depends on how often you get your house cleaned. If you hire a company for a one time cleaning provide a tip between 15% and 20% of the total bill. Present the tip in an envelope marked “tips” or hand it over directly after the work is finished.
How Much to Tip House Cleaners?
How much do you tip for house cleaning services? I think the standard rates apply. What would you give your bartender or waitress? Most of us provide 15% to 20% for tips. I think that’s a good place to start. That means a $100 cleaning will really cost you $115 to $120. If you need a little help calculating the amount simply type the cost of your service and the tip percentage into this calculator.
When to Tip More
Consider the amount of work a cleaner might need to do inside of your home. If you keep your home neat and tidy with little dust and dirt then you might not need to provide a giant tip.
On the other hand, if you have lots of children dragging crumbs throughout the house and dogs and cats leaving fur behind you should consider tipping more. If your home is cleaned weekly it requires less work than a home that is cleaned less often.
How Much Do You Tip House Cleaners for a Deep Clean?
Do you tip a deep cleaning service? Deep cleans involve a lot more heavy lifting than a typical cleaning and house cleaners should be tipped more for the extra work and effort involved. As part of the deep clean process a house cleaner will scrub appliances, dust the baseboards, polish the door knobs and clean windows.
Tip house cleaners twice as much for a deep clean as you would for a normal cleaning. Why tip more? Extra tips should be provided for the additional work and effort involved.
How Much Do You Tip Move Out Cleaners?
If you fail to clean the dirt and grime your landlord can keep your security deposit. A move out clean helps you get your money back by making your former rooms look spotless.
If you are moving out of your house or apartment you’ll need a move out clean, which includes much more work than a typical cleaning and costs more too.
How much should you tip move out cleaners? Usually double your standard tip. If you typically tip $10 provide $20. Especially if you left a real mess behind.
How Much Should You Tip Your Cleaning Lady at Christmas?
Generosity is always appreciated during the holidays and many homeowners provide a Christmas bonus or tip to house cleaners before the year ends.
How much do you tip a cleaning lady at Christmas? An average Christmas tip is typically $50. Some homeowners pay double that amount while others provide a monetary tip plus a small physical gift including candles, ornaments or baked goods.
How much you tip house your cleaner at the end of year depends on how often they clean and how much they charge per week. Remember $50 is the average tipping amount. Some homeowners tip $20, while others tip $100.
How Much to Tip House Cleaner at Christmas?
Again it depends on whether the cleaner works for his or herself or if she works for a larger company. It also depends on how many cleaners arrive at your home weekly.
If more than one cleaner arrives each week you’ll probably want to divide the tip among them. Somewhere between $20 and $50 each is appropriate depending on the size of your house and how dirty it gets between cleanings.
Leave the Christmas gifts for your house cleaners in a holiday card and make sure to hand it to them directly or leave a large note on your counter if you aren’t home when they clean.
A Christmas bonus is a nice treat for housekeepers and house cleaners. In addition to a cash gift a friend of mine bakes a batch of sugar cookies for his cleaning service. It’s not required, but it’s an extra special touch that feels good to give around the holidays.
Tipping House Cleaners
The truth is there isn’t a gold standard for tipping house cleaners, but there are general tipping rules you can follow. These rules should apply to any cleaning lady, housekeeper or maid who works hard inside your home.
- If you are home when the house cleaners arrive offer them water and other cold drinks. This is especially true for house cleaners performing deep cleans or move out cleans, which may require a lot of heavy lifting.
- For exceptional cleaning contact the cleaning company and commend the house cleaners for a job well done. This doesn’t cost you anything, but could result in a raise or promotion for cleaning staff further down the line.
- Thank your house cleaners before they leave.
Tipping house cleaners isn’t mandatory, but just because it’s not required doesn’t mean it’s not the nice thing to do. Should you tip house cleaners? Most definitely. Show your appreciation for those who are bending over, cleaning your toilets, scrubbing your floors and shaking out your rugs.
If you find a really great cleaner definitely tip them. Cleaning homes for a living isn’t an easy job. Everyone likes to feel rewarded for a job well done.
Your Thoughts
Do you have any thoughts on this topic? Do you tip house cleaners? If so, how much do you tip them? Please leave your comments below.
Remember, most of the time any and all tips are greatly appreciated. In fact, it’s highly unusual for anyone to complain about unexpected generosity, but it does happen every once in awhile.
Claire Masters says
My mom is planning to try commercial cleaning services for the first time since she broke her leg and can’t really do much cleaning herself. Now I know that you should tip cleaners more when you do services less because your house would be a lot dirtier that when it’s serviced regularly. I’d have to prepare for that when my mom books for the service this weekend.
One Frugal Girl says
Thank you for letting me know this information was helpful.