Anonymous
Post 12/26/2025 16:02     Subject: Is this tacky to give cleaner for Christmas?
I gave my cleaner Christmas bonus equal to one cleaning. She charges me $140 every 2 weeks. Her Christmas bonus was $140.

She will get an increase of $10 from January. Which is roughly 7%. I think that is fair.

Other than that - I provide the cleaning supplies, and I provide her lunch and tea when she comes to work at my house.
Anonymous
Post 12/26/2025 16:01     Subject: Is this tacky to give cleaner for Christmas?
I normally give one cleaning fee as a bonus but our current cleaner charges twice the usual hourly fee ($50) for our area, or $350 for one biweekly cleaning. I still give her a couple hundred in cash and a small food gift.
Anonymous
Post 12/26/2025 15:54     Subject: Is this tacky to give cleaner for Christmas?
Anonymous wrote:We don't give bonuses in fact it should be the other way around you give gifts to clients so they should be giving you something. However we don't care either way .


There are certain personal services that it is customary to give tips/bonuses. Childcare and housecleaning are two of them. If you are tipping waitpeople, you should also be tipping your childcare and cleaners.
Anonymous
Post 12/26/2025 15:50     Subject: Is this tacky to give cleaner for Christmas?
Anonymous wrote:We don't tip, but pay about 25-50 more than they quoted and increase with raises, so they get tipped every 2 weeks when they work.

As someone who has done 1099 work, I would rather have this situation than a random 200 or whatever bonus. A long-term client who pays consistently, even a bit above the market, is worth more.


Are you paying them on the books as employees?
Anonymous
Post 12/26/2025 15:47     Subject: Is this tacky to give cleaner for Christmas?
Anonymous wrote:The quality of work really drops as cleaners get too comfortable, I’ve made it a habit to cancel services around mid November and hiring a new person in January. Problem solved!


I really hope you're a troll. That is just miserly.
Anonymous
Post 12/26/2025 11:41     Subject: Is this tacky to give cleaner for Christmas?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We don't tip, but pay about 25-50 more than they quoted and increase with raises, so they get tipped every 2 weeks when they work.

As someone who has done 1099 work, I would rather have this situation than a random 200 or whatever bonus. A long-term client who pays consistently, even a bit above the market, is worth more.


This is what I do as well. Tip every week, but no holiday tip at the end of the year.


I’m sorry but I fail to see the logic in this.

If your cleaner is reliable, responsible, efficient + truly trustworthy…..in other words a true gem……then what is the problem of offering regular tips along with a Christmas/Holiday bonus??


Most people don’t tip every time. I see it as either/or. And tipping every time is more generous than giving the price of an extra cleaning at the end of the year.
Anonymous
Post 12/26/2025 11:28     Subject: Is this tacky to give cleaner for Christmas?
Anonymous wrote:We just doubled the fee on the last cleaning.

This is what I’ve always done.
Anonymous
Post 12/26/2025 04:52     Subject: Is this tacky to give cleaner for Christmas?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We don't tip, but pay about 25-50 more than they quoted and increase with raises, so they get tipped every 2 weeks when they work.

As someone who has done 1099 work, I would rather have this situation than a random 200 or whatever bonus. A long-term client who pays consistently, even a bit above the market, is worth more.


This is what I do as well. Tip every week, but no holiday tip at the end of the year.


I’m sorry but I fail to see the logic in this.

If your cleaner is reliable, responsible, efficient + truly trustworthy…..in other words a true gem……then what is the problem of offering regular tips along with a Christmas/Holiday bonus??
Anonymous
Post 12/26/2025 03:53     Subject: Is this tacky to give cleaner for Christmas?
The quality of work really drops as cleaners get too comfortable, I’ve made it a habit to cancel services around mid November and hiring a new person in January. Problem solved!
Anonymous
Post 12/26/2025 00:38     Subject: Is this tacky to give cleaner for Christmas?
Anonymous wrote:Weigh in on a debate:

Some of my friend group were discussing how much money we were giving our cleaners as a holiday bonus, and one person noted that her husband "doesn't believe in giving them extra money", so she was giving her cleaner a soap making kit. The cleaner has never indicated that soap making is an itnerest of hers.

This is tacky, right? I feel so bad thinking of this hard-working lady's disappointment when she realizes this is her "bonus."

We were trying to reason with the soap-giver, and now she is angry an not speaking to us after telling us that we are "part of the problem" and "the reason these people expect more and more."


Your friend is wrong; it’s a bad gift and a bad way to talk about people.

But jeez, it sounds like you guys spent the time berating her and calling her cheap, which is pretty rude as well.

Tell her once. Stop being friends if you decide your values are different (maybe by the way she spoke) but no need to embarrass her. Sounds like you guys were sitting around bragging about how much you were giving; the whole thing sounds crass to me!
Anonymous
Post 12/26/2025 00:32     Subject: Re:Is this tacky to give cleaner for Christmas?
“These people…..??!”

Where does she come off accusing them of wanting more + more?

Housecleaning is hard, arduous labor - ask anyone who cleans other people’s homes how much more challenging it is vs. cleaning their own. 🪣🧽

I think a soap-making kit would scream “re-gift.”
Ca$h is king so a little something extra would be much appreciated.
Anonymous
Post 12/25/2025 16:43     Subject: Is this tacky to give cleaner for Christmas?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:We don't tip, but pay about 25-50 more than they quoted and increase with raises, so they get tipped every 2 weeks when they work.

As someone who has done 1099 work, I would rather have this situation than a random 200 or whatever bonus. A long-term client who pays consistently, even a bit above the market, is worth more.


I appreciate what you're saying but guarantee that they do not - every time you pay - think they’re getting a $25-50 tip. It’s just what you pay now


Doesn’t really matter—they know what the agreed upon rate was. So I could drop down to that at any time and they’d have no valid reason to protest.
Anonymous
Post 12/25/2025 16:40     Subject: Is this tacky to give cleaner for Christmas?
Anonymous wrote:We don't tip, but pay about 25-50 more than they quoted and increase with raises, so they get tipped every 2 weeks when they work.

As someone who has done 1099 work, I would rather have this situation than a random 200 or whatever bonus. A long-term client who pays consistently, even a bit above the market, is worth more.


This is what I do as well. Tip every week, but no holiday tip at the end of the year.
Anonymous
Post 12/25/2025 16:09     Subject: Is this tacky to give cleaner for Christmas?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I don’t care for the soap gift, but I also don’t understand why you have to tip every person that crosses the threshold of your house. House cleaner charges X amount and you agree to it. The end.


Because my house cleaner has worked for me for 14 years and is a lovely person. I always giver a month's pay for a holiday bonus. Why? Because I like her and I can afford it and I'm not a cheap $h!t.

I apologized to our new cleaner who we've been using for our second home because I sent her a bonus via Zelle instead of putting cash in a Christmas card for her--I wanted to make sure she got it before the holidays and I don't have her address.


Well okay madam megabucks
Anonymous
Post 12/25/2025 16:05     Subject: Is this tacky to give cleaner for Christmas?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I don’t care for the soap gift, but I also don’t understand why you have to tip every person that crosses the threshold of your house. House cleaner charges X amount and you agree to it. The end.


Because my house cleaner has worked for me for 14 years and is a lovely person. I always giver a month's pay for a holiday bonus. Why? Because I like her and I can afford it and I'm not a cheap $h!t.

I apologized to our new cleaner who we've been using for our second home because I sent her a bonus via Zelle instead of putting cash in a Christmas card for her--I wanted to make sure she got it before the holidays and I don't have her address.


I give a month's pay, too.