Every time you spend money, it’s a personal decision. From hiring a cleaning company to customers deciding how much to tip house cleaning employees, there’s a lot of expenses to consider.
Normally, tipping is a personal preference. It is usually not expected but always appreciated by the cleaners. As a rule of thumb most customers who are very impressed with the overall job will leave 10%, 15%, 20% and sometimes more depending on the person and the situation. If you know your home is extremely dirty and the cleaners went above and beyond then showing gratitude is always a nice gesture.
Yes, cleaning is a crucial part of keeping your home safe from viruses and bacteria and it makes your house look beautiful…but it’s more than that. Having a clean space also makes a house feel more like a home.
Reasons to Tip the Home Cleaners
Maybe the kitchen counter is where you make memories with your kids, or the dining room is where you gather with loved ones. Caring for it with a quality house cleaning service should feel good. We recommend Modern Maids a highly rated house cleaning Austin company. Your home is the center of your life and all the people you love, it’s no wonder you want it to feel beautiful.
That’s why it’s important to choose cleaners that are people you trust in your home. Your housekeepers are not just employees: you’ll want them to feel comfortable with you and your family. In this case, tipping your house cleaner is something that shows them how much you appreciate their work and makes them feel valued.
So how do you tip your house cleaner? Your house cleaning service might provide answers, but if you’re on your own, this guide to tipping should give you a baseline for creating your own personal tipping policy for your cleaner.
The Benefits Of Tipping House Cleaners
Once you find a cleaner you like, you’d probably like to work with them for a while. Over time, your cleaning person will feel like an essential member of your household (even if they’re just there to do their job). Tipping is something that can help to build trust and bonding when the cleaning service first starts.
Guide To Tipping Your House Cleaner
How much should you tip your house cleaner? Should it be cash? Does it depend on their services, or is tipping about more than that? This guide will answer some of the most pressing questions related to tipping your maids and cleaner.
Should You Tip Your House Cleaner?
Tipping can feel awkward, we never want to talk about money, right? But when done gracefully, tipping is a great way to show your house cleaners that they’re doing a fantastic job, even if it’s not required. Whether or not you decide to tip your house cleaners will come to a variety of factors, but ultimately, tipping your house cleaner is a personal decision. Yes, this is their job, but it’s also your home. It’s important for you to have an idea of if you’ll tip, how you’ll give them the tip and the amount you’ll tip your house cleaner for each cleaning service.
Factors To Consider Before Tipping Your House Cleaner
1. Do Others Tip In Your Location
Just like wages vary by location, so does tipping. For example, restaurant servers in New York City will expect to receive a 25-30% tip for excellent service while one in Texas might not need as large of a tip. In the same way, tipping a Texas home cleaner will be different than tipping one for a home elsewhere in the U.S. Ask your friends and neighbors how much they are tipping for house cleaning services. Or search for articles on local standards for what a living wage is in your area and use that to decide how much to tip house cleaners.
2. Do You Have A Budget For A Tip?
Before tipping your cleaner, think about what you can afford. Even if you want to tip a house cleaner, you’re not helping anyone if tipping costs you too much. Find out the rate for how much it costs to hire a cleaning service in Texas (including all taxes and service costs) and then decide how much you’d be able to tip a house cleaner.
3. Do Wages At The Maid Service Company Account For Tips?
Customers have a right to ask what their house cleaners are paid. If you’re concerned about whether cleaners are getting paid a living wage: ask your cleaning company. When you’re trying to determine how much a maid service costs, this is part of what you’re paying for after all. Tips are a great way to show appreciation and thanks, but they won’t do much to change how a company operates if they are mistreating their employees.
4. What Is The Size Of Your Home?
You might tip a house cleaner more if your house is 3,000 square feet than you would if it’s a 1,000 square foot cottage. Cleaning companies will often charge customers a larger amount for a larger home because it’s much more work. Square footage is also something that you can use to increase your tipping.
5. Do You Want To Tip Based On Each Cleaning Service?
One way to determine the right amount to tip is to consider what service your cleaning person is providing. Is your cleaner coming in early and working longer to help you get ready for someone visiting? Did you need to ask for additional help from the maid service to prepare for these people arriving? Maybe you haven’t had a cleaner for a while, and the company is sending a group of cleaners to help with a deep cleaning job. Consider what you’re going to need from your cleaners and then decide on how to tip them.
6. How Many House Cleaners Are Needed Per Job (And Should You Tip Each Of Them?
Cleaning companies usually have an idea of how many employees they’ll need once they know how much work the job is. If they’re a well established agency, they’ve done almost every cleaning job at least once before. Cleaners know (on average) which customers will require more work, and they might increase the amount of people accordingly. Depending on the people doing the cleaning work and the type of service they’re providing, the company might send one person or multiple people to do the job.
Deciding What To Tip House Cleaners
Is It Better To Tip In Cash?
Oftentimes, cleaners prefer to receive a tip in cash. However, how and what you tip will depend on your relationship with your housekeeper. You might want to leave a cash tip for each weekly or monthly service. If you have worked with the same cleaner for a while, a cash bonus for the holiday season or a physical gift might be more appropriate in place of a tip. Sometimes it’s best to be direct: if you want to leave someone a tip but you don’t have an idea as to whether they prefer cash or other forms of tips, you can always ask them.
How Much To Tip House Cleaners
Ok, now it’s down to numbers: how much should you tip house cleaners?
When it comes to home much to tip there is a standard. For a cash tip, a good rule of thumb is 15-20% of the total cleaning service cost. This is a good standard to use for tipping on all routine cleaning services.
But tipping can also show cleaners that you appreciate their cleaning services and them as a cleaner. If your cleaner goes above and beyond what you and your maid service require, an extra cash tip is always welcome.
For example, let’s say you’re hosting a party for the holiday season in your home and your cleaner is coming in to help with the house cleaning. Your cleaner comes to your house, scrubs your home until it’s sparkling clean and leaves hours before the party services begin. In this case, you’ve received exceptional service, reward it! Extra cleaning services are a great time to add an additional tip for your house cleaner.
How much to tip comes down to what you’re tipping for (is it a special event or a holiday?), how much extra you can afford and if you’re using the tip as a reward to cleaners for their exceptional cleaning services.
Ultimately, when it comes to tips, something is better than nothing. Decide the amount you want to tip for all service types, and if something changes, work with the company or one of the employees to adjust the tip.
How To Tip Your House Cleaner
So you’ve decided that you’re going to tip house cleaners, now what? Here are some ideas to actually get the tip to your house cleaner:
- Leave a consistent amount for a cash tip in an envelope in your home every service.
- Tip on your credit card payment (not all cleaning companies allow this, ask first).
- Hand the tip to your house cleaners after work.
- Write your house cleaner a check for their tip.
- If you know them well, give a gift or gift card to your house cleaner in place of a monetary tip.
- If you have more than one cleaner, hand the tip directly to each of the house cleaners at the end of your cleaning service.
- Tipping while the cleaner is in your home for special occasions (events or holidays).
- Speaking with your cleaning service about adjusting your flat rate to include tipping or for a special tip bonus.
- Email the company or service to add a tip to your card that is on file.
The option you choose to tip a house cleaner will depend on your relationship with the cleaner and finding something you’re comfortable with. Pick one and adjust based on the amount of work, specialty cleaning service or if someone or something in your service changes and you want your tips to reflect that.
Still Not Sure? Talk To Your House Cleaning Service
Maid services and house cleaning companies vary wildly in what they charge and how they treat their maids and cleaners. There’s no harm in asking. Some house cleaning services charge more to you (the customer) to pay their cleaners a living wage upfront. Oftentimes, these types of cleaning service providers have a tipping policy that won’t allow their cleaners to take tips.
Bottom line: if you’ve read through this tipping guide and you’re still unsure, ask your cleaning company. Shoot someone in the customer service department an email and explain your question, they’ll be more than happy to provide you with an answer.
Whether you decide to tip or not, you’ll get more for your money by choosing the right maid service. Modern Maids expert team of dedicated house cleaners are here to provide the highest quality cleaning services every single time. The housekeepers and cleaners at Modern Main approach each job with excitement and energy, providing our customers with the same quality cleaning service we’d give to our own home.
We’re not just any cleaning company. Discover the Modern Maids difference.