Etiquette for cleaner at Christmas

[CandleWick4]

We have a cleaner who comes every two weeks. She is lovely, happy with how she cleans. This is our first Christmas with her and I’m not sure what the etiquette is around a gift/Christmas tip? Is a nice bottle of wine and a card ok or is a cash tip the norm? And how much? TIA

I sometimes pay her extra, this year she is getting a bottle of Prosecco (I know she likes it)

A weeks wages extra, and this year a nice candle - but only as she was saying that was all she wanted for christmas but her daughters were insisting on buying her other things

😂😂😂, my eldest granddaughter christened me that once when I said no to another cookie before bedtime she said I was obviously over tired and grumpy- she was 3 at the time 😂😂. My son has never let it be forgotten 😂😂

@Grumpynan Your username doesn't do you justice! You sound like such a lovely person.

Ha, cross posted!

Thanks all. I pay through standing order with an agency, so I never pay her direct. I pay £30 for the 2 hours she does every 2 weeks so how much would you say as a tip in this case? And would I be best putting say £20 in a card along with a nice box of choccies?

I'm clearly tight in comparison to the rest of MN. Some of you spend more on your cleaner than I do on my mum!

That sounds about right.

We pay double the last week (and then she doesn't work over Christmas so effectively we're paying for the week off iykwim) and a gift like a plant or something.

Double pay for the week plus chocolates and wine. Good cleaners are worth treating well.

great thank you

Giving a supermarket voucher is worse than giving cash! You're dictating where it needs to be spent which is totally patronising.

I also cover her wages for lost earnings, a week as a tip and her favourite chocolates.

We are giving our weekly cleaner £40, some lovely hand cream and treats for her pets.

i used to give our cleaner a weeks wages cash & a box of chocs. we now use an agency so not sure im going to leave anything? different ladies.

I’ve had my cleaning business for over 10yrs. Most clients leave something like biscuits, chocolate or a candle.
Occasionally I might receive a voucher but never anything close to the cost of a clean.
Some clients don’t give anything.

God I'm glad you said this. I'm happy to buy a gift but two weeks wages? No

Ex cleaner here.....cash is king 🤣🙌

We use a company who provides 2 cleaners for 3 hours every two weeks. The main cleaner always remains the same but there is a 2nd cleaner that changes regularly.
What is the etiquette when your cleaners aren't self employed and are actually hired via a company?

I do cleaning as a side hustle - I have 3 regular clients. Two give a week's wages, plus a small gift like chocs. The other asks me to choose two days when I don't come, but still get paid. All very appreciated! I agree with people saying don't give wine - I'm teetotal, but even when I wasn't I never drank wine, so a bottle, whilst appreciated, would have been passed on. People have very particular tastes when it comes to booze, I find!

DM gets her cleaner and her mobile hairdresser a small box of biscuits. No need to buy them anything IMO, both charge way more than the living wage rate.

Christmas card with cash

I always get mine a gift. This year it's a Sanctuary Spa gift set.