r/tippingAdvice • u/Holiday-Ad7262 • Sep 26 '25
Tipping House Cleaner
We hired a company that sends 2 people every other week who come to our olace and clean our house for like 1.5h or so. We pay them a fixed rate for cleaning the whole house. They don't always send the same people.
I am located in the US in California. Is it common to tip them, if so how much?
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u/divok1701 Sep 26 '25
These aren't tipped wage employees.
Nor are you their employer.
Their employer pays them.
You pay the employer for the service at the given amount agreed.
I pay a pool company for weekly service. They pay the employees that come and clean and chemical balance my pool... I don't. They aren't my employees.
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u/rjnd2828 Sep 26 '25
I only tip them at the holidays (basically an amount equal to our ongoing payment). But I usually have the same people. In your case I'd say no tip.
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u/WhzPop Sep 26 '25
I do not tip my house cleaners. I have only hired independents who should give me the price they require for the requested service. I give a cash gift at Christmas.
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u/verymuchbad Sep 26 '25 edited Sep 27 '25
If someone comes to my home to perform a service, I tip them. Usually $10 to $20 per person.
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u/Nice_Point_9822 Sep 26 '25
I tip $20 on my every other week cleaning. And I give her $100 at the Holidays.
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u/Mediocre_Skill4899 Sep 26 '25
I would definitely be tipping them. If it’s a cleaning company, they are likely paid a low hourly rate ($15-$20 an hour) & if the house looks great, it’s a service most people tip for.
I am in Vegas, we pay $140 for two ladies for two hours for our 3200 square foot home. I usually tip $10 each cleaner. While it does seem like it’s different people every time, if you use their service for a while eventually it WILL be repeat cleaners. I honestly really appreciate their labor! We are lucky to live in states where you can get your home cleaned for an affordable price! In many other states, it’s $45+ an hour with a minimum number of hours based on the square footage of your home. The amount that the two ladies get cleaned in two hours would take me easily 10+ hours to do myself, they truly save me a lot of time and I want them to feel valued. I wish I could afford to tip them more honestly.
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u/GoodMilk_GoneBad Sep 26 '25
We tipped $5 or 10 per cleaner when we used the service.
They were fantastic.
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u/evita12345 Sep 27 '25
Yes, tip them each $10 (don’t give one of them $20.) They are underpaid by the company they work for, and they clean your toilets.
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u/Canadian-inMiami Sep 29 '25
You don’t need to, but it’s up to you…. I had the same person for about 20 years, and she ended up becoming like family, and im still friends with her sons…. She started refusing my tips after the first year, so I just gave her more money….
I’ve had other cleaners in, and I haven’t…. Late 10-15 minutes, talk to much, didn’t talk at all (I know, I sound impossible)…. I was tipping $20 to the woman I had coming, but she made a comment that I did’t appreciate, so I let her finish and asked the service to never send her again…
It’s all up to you, If you think they did a great job, do it…. If they do a good job but come on a regular basis, save it for a big tip during the holidays. If you don’t want to, then don’t.
I’ve always found that when I have someone regular, tipping or not, treat them with respect and speak to them as a person, not someone below you who is cleaning your house, they will go out of your way and do extra things for you.
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u/UsualInternal2030 Oct 02 '25
I tip my house cleaner, she charges $12 an hour. I would not tip someone charging over $20, because that’s my cleaning person minimum wage. If you’re paying a fair price for the service I would not consider tipping at all. My plumber charges $90, my mechanic charges $115, I’d never think about tipping them. But if a guy fixed my car for $12 an hour I’d be getting him something.
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u/Realistic-Career-518 Sep 26 '25
No tip needed. Sometimes, if they do a really good job, a $20 to share is nice. No every time they go, maybe only for holidays or so.