House cleaners provide a valuable service that saves you time, money, and hassle. However, if you’re already spending a decent amount of your hard-earned money on a maid service, you may be wondering whether you’ll be expected to leave a gratuity on top of that.
The issueof whether to tip a house cleaner can be a complex one. Ultimately, there is a handful of factors that you’ll want to take into consideration when deciding whether to tip your maid and, if so, how much. Fortunately, our in-depth guide to maid-tipping can help you make the best choice for your specific situation!
When Should (Or Shouldn’t) You Tip a Maid?
Many larger cleaning companies will advertise that tips are not required; this is usually the case when the owner of the cleaning company has built gratuity into the workers’ wages. This means that rather than receiving a relatively low hourly rate and relying on tips to make a decent wage, the company has elected to pay their cleaners a more livable hourly wage.
In a situation where your cleaning company explicitly advertises that tipping is not expected, you shouldn’t feel obligated to leave a gratuity. Of course, if you received exceptional service from your maid(s), it never hurts to throw a tip their way. Doing so can boost morale and ensure they continue going above and beyond for you.
If you don’t see any information on your cleaning company’s website indicating that tipping is not expected, you should generally expect to leave a gratuity for your cleaners. After all, your maid is not only providing a valuable service but battling traffic and traveling to your home to do so.
The only “exception” here would be a situation where your house cleaner is also the owner of the company (or is an independent contractor). In this case, you can usually assume that the maid has set her own rates and isn’t counting on tips to make a livable wage.
How Often Should You Tip a Maid?
Another common question people have about tipping their house cleaners is how often they should be leaving a tip. This, like most matters related to tipping, will depend on a few things. For starters, how often does your maid come to clean your home? If you have a maid coming by once a week, then it might make more sense to leave a larger tip once a month than it would to leave a small tip each week.
If you have less regular cleaning done, you may want to tip each time—especially if you’re booking through a larger company where you may not receive the same maid for each appointment. If you know you may not receive the same maid for your next cleaning, you’ll probably want to play it safe and tip after each cleaning appointment. This will ensure that your maid doesn’t miss out on a tip.
If you have a maid who provides excellent service to your home throughout the year, you may also want to consider leaving an additional tip around the holidays. This time of year tends to be especially taxing for house cleaners, especially as clients strive to have their homes in tip-top shape for holiday parties. You shouldn’t feel obligated, but an additional gratuity can go a long way during these busy and demanding months of the year.
Deciding How Much to Tip Your Maid
Now that you have a better idea of whetherto tip your maid andwhento leave a tip, it’s time to decide what kind of tip is best. First and foremost, understand that your cleaning professional will almost always prefer acashtip to any other type of gratuity (such as gift cards, baked goods, etc.). However, if you prefer to express your gratitude for your maid service in a more personal way, many maids will accept gift cards or other small tokens in addition to cash. A handwritten note or card with a cash tip can be a great way to show your maid how much you appreciate the service in a slightly more personal way than simply handing over an envelope with cash.
In general, when it comes to deciding how much to tip your maid, you should follow the same basic etiquette as you would with your hairstylist, waiter/waitress, or other professional services. This means leaving a tip of 15-20% for great service. This means that if your bill for your house cleaning service was $150, you’d probably want to tip around $30. If there is more than one maid cleaning your home, don’t feel obligated to tip them each $30; splitting the tip between them is perfectly acceptable, especially when you consider that they split the work evenly.
Last but not least, don’t forget to think about how hard your maid(s) may be working on your home. For example, if you’ve scheduled a cleaning service and you know it’s been several weeks since your house has been cleaned, it’s probably not in the best shape; your maid will likely need to spend a little extra time mopping, dusting, wiping down surfaces, and more. As a result, you may want to consider throwing a few extra dollars your maid’s way. On the other hand, if your home has been kept relatively clean since your last maid service, you may not need to feel as obligated to leave an extra tip because the job should be rather quick and easy.
Will You Tip Your Maid?
At the end of the day, the decision to tip (or not tip) your maid is entirely up to you. At home cleaning nyc, we never require tips. However, if you choose to tip your hard-working cleaners, they are permitted to accept cash. Please keep in mind, however, that all payments for cleaning services must be made via Stripe using a credit or debit card.
Ready to book your cleaning appointment with our team of professional cleaners? Contact us at (347) 321-9443 today or book online in a matter of seconds.
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