Tip the balance in your favor with this tip-giving guide
10%–20% is an acceptable amount if you’d like to tip your carpet cleaner.
Tipping isn’t required, but can be a nice way to acknowledge exceptional work.
Some larger carpet cleaning companies don’t allow their employees to accept tips.
Professional carpet cleaners can keep your family healthier, your home more immaculate, and your rugs and carpet looking new. To show your appreciation, you might be asking, “How do you tip carpet cleaners?” Here are some general guidelines to follow.
If you’re hiring a professional carpet cleaner near you, it’s not necessary or expected to give them a tip. However, if they’re prompt, courteous, do a wonderful job, or exceed expectations by doing extra work at no charge, it’s a nice gesture to tip them. It’s also nice to tip service providers around the holidays.
If you wish to tip your carpet cleaner, 10% to 20% of the total bill is acceptable. If you have multiple cleaners on the job, you can split the tip between them.
Another option is to tip them a flat fee of $10 to $20 per person. However, how much to tip your carpet cleaner is entirely up to your discretion.
Carpet cleaning costs $180 on average. However, carpet cleaners typically make an hourly wage or salary for their service, as opposed to the way people in the restaurant service industry rely on tips as part of their payment.
According to PayScale data, carpet cleaners make around $11 to $20 per hour, or $15.02 on average, and sometimes more if they’re self-employed versus working for a larger chain of carpet cleaning companies. This means tips aren’t a necessary or expected portion of their income, though they are appreciated if you feel inclined after particularly good service.
You know you want to tip your carpet cleaner, but when should you? How do you know when is the right time to tip? Let’s cover a few situations where homeowners typically leave a tip for their pro.
Not everyone has the time or energy to move their furniture before their carpet cleaners arrive. And if you want to reap the full benefits of carpet cleaning, you’ll need that furniture out of the way. So, if your pro tackles this task for you, that’s a great reason to tip them.
If this is your first session, you might not know what to expect or what carpet cleaning questions to ask. However, some pros are courteous, informative, and a breeze to work with. If that’s your cleaner, it’s worth giving them a tip.
Since there isn’t a hard and fast rule to tipping, it almost seems like there isn’t a reason not to tip. However, in some circumstances, you shouldn’t tip carpet cleaners. Below, we’ll cover a few scenarios where you don’t need to tip.
In some industries, tipping is to help supplement a worker’s wage since their hourly rate isn’t enough by itself. However, some larger carpet cleaning companies don’t allow their employees to accept tips. This might be because they don’t want customers to feel obligated to tip, or they feel they pay their workers fair wages, so they don’t need tips.
So check the company website or ask the owner about their tipping policies ahead of your service. You also probably don’t need to tip if the person carrying out the carpet cleaning is the business owner, as they’ll likely charge you a rate conducive to the value of their service.
For some homeowners, tipping isn’t possible due to their budget. Fortunately, there are other ways to show your pro you appreciate their hard work that doesn’t involve tipping, like leaving them a rave review online.
The quality of their service will determine whether you should tip them. You don't need to tip them if they were rude, dismissive, or worse, permanently damaged your carpet. Also, if you aren’t happy with the services, let them know respectably so they can fix the problem.
When you’re ready to tip your pro, there are a few ways you can give it to them. If you’ll be home when they’re cleaning your carpet, you can tip them after they’ve finished. On the other hand, if your pro will come when you’re at work, you can always leave the tip in an envelope where they can see it.
Also, send them a message telling them you left them something and where it’s at. You can always ask your pro how they’d like to receive tips when in doubt.
A carpet cleaner usually puts in a lot of work to make sure your carpet is odor- and stain-free and that it’s looking as good as new. Some homeowners want to show their appreciation for all their pro’s hard work, but tipping isn’t an option for them. The good news is that tipping isn’t the only way you can show how thankful you are. We’ll cover a few other methods below.
Leaving a review about their customer service and quality of work is a great way to show your pro how much you appreciate their service. Good reviews can give them social proof, which can help attract new clientele. Also, suppose your pro is part of a cleaning company. In that case, it can help their employer see that they’re an excellent representation of what their company stands for and that clients appreciate their service, which might help them secure a raise.
Referrals are one of the main ways that service-based businesses get work. So, referring your carpet cleaner to someone you know who can use their service is another way to show gratitude for their hard work. Plus, it’ll require little time, effort, or money.
No, there’s no limit on how much you can tip your carpet cleaning pro. If you couldn’t prepare for your carpet cleaner beforehand, you might feel inclined to give them a large tip for their troubles. However, there's no pressure to tip that much, and most homeowners typically tip 10% to 20% of the total bill.
Whether you tip before or after a carpet cleaning depends on when you’re available. If you’re home when they finish up, you can give them their tip after. However, if you need to leave before they’re done or if you won’t be home at all, you can prepare the tip beforehand and leave it for them in an envelope.
Whether your carpet cleaner is self-employed or not doesn’t need to play a major factor in tipping. Some larger cleaning companies prefer you don’t tip their employees, but if the cleaner is self-employed that isn’t a concern. Tipping isn’t required for this service, so feel free to use it as an appreciation for their service and hard work.
