Christmas present for our cleaner

[SilverBirchTree]

DH and I are in disagreement about how much to tip the people who clean our house. Previously would give the equivalent of one clean as a Christmas present to the one lady who cleaned our tiny old flat.

Have since moved to a larger home and hired new cleaners - who clean as a duo. Cleaning fee is also double what we paid earlier (fair enough- there is more to clean).

DH thinks we need to pay each of the cleaners the equivalent of one cleaning visit at the new higher rate.

I think it would be ok to give them much less, although I am not sure how much.

If we go with DH's plan- we'll be spending more on Christmas for our cleaners than we will on each other or our parents, which I find a bit odd.

What do other people do?

Why do you need your husband to agree?

Can't you just buy them a gift and then be done with it.

I gave my cleaner today £60, a card, a plant and small box of chocs (cost of both £16). She’s been with me for 8 years and is a single mom and was an asylum seeker. Happy to be generous - she makes my life sooo much better.

I am giving mine £50, which is a bit less than what I pay every week. I was going to buy her something but decided that she would prefer money.

We pay ours £25 a week, so she will get £50 next week and won't be cleaning the week in between. I have also made her a Christmas pudding which i know she likes.

How do people actually give the cash gift? In a card? I feel a bit weird giving cash, even though I’m sure it’s appreciated!

Crickey now I feel like Scrooge 😔
My cleaner and gardener get a bottle of fizz and a thank you

Well this thread makes me feel poor

I’m a cleaner and most people give £20 if they give money - that’s the same regardless of the length of the job or whether I clean it with a colleague. Some people give chocolates or toiletries and some only a card. Don’t worry about convention as I’m sure there isn’t one - give what you’re happy to give and what feels right for you - I’d rather that personally as it’s coming from the right place then.

@Noodella18 In a card usually.

I should add to the above, I don’t drink and most of my customers know this. I know at least would normally give alcohol.

@Ladybirdsaredotty Me too!!
Wish I could afford a cleaner! 😣

I need to get something for my cleaners over the weekend.

I have a duo and it’s supposed to be the same people each week, but not sure if it actually is...

Do you just leave the gift/card on the side, if you don’t know their names how do you address it!!

I just give mine a week's extra money. I think in OP's situation I'd still give a week's extra money and allow the pair to split it as they see fit.

My cleaner doesn't drink and has said in the past she doesn't like chocolate. I usually get a chocolate reindeer or similar for her son.

I wouldn’t get one hamper for both then ask them to split it. Better to get two smaller gifts.

When hampers are divided up I’ve never known someone not feel hard done by.

Stumpted88 if you don’t know the name of the person who you let into your home weekly and expect to clear up your mess then you’ve got bigger problems.

Why do I? I use a popular agency that is insured etc and pays a living wage and 25 days holiday, plus pension...

They agency chooses who comes round and cleans and unsurprisingly I am out at my full time job when they are here..

Mine is from a company and get maybe one that comes 70% of the time and the other of the pair is one of about 6 in rotation. So I was just going to go with a giant box of chocolates but now I feel like if I don’t my toothbrushes will be used to clean the toilet! I can’t afford to give extra money and who would I decide to give it too?

I’m out when our cleaner comes and I still know she’s Aggie. Surely your agency confirms who they’re sending to your house?

We do a week's extra money in a card. Maybe a small token alongside, like some chocolates.

Nope they don’t, I just come home to a clean house! The only correspondence I get is my weekly invoice and confirmation my card payment has been taken! So far no issues!!

If you have a few people on rotation CanSurvive then it’s the luck of the draw who comes on the last week. I’d probably get something a bit smaller if the person hadn’t done most of the work though, box of chocolates and a voucher or something like that.

Stumpted88 then just write a smallcars and set it down on top of the gift with no envelope. Isn’t it supposedly Non-U to name people within cards anyway? Problem solved.

Or do a group gift and addres the envelope to “The cleaning team from X agency”.

@Cansurvive If you really want to do something, I’d just leave some chocolates and a card addressed to ‘Cleaner’ as you have no way of knowing if the person who turns up is one of your regular cleaners or even if you have a regular cleaner.

Thanks @He11y I’ve bought a tin of Cadbury’s biscuits which can be shared so I hope that’s ok.