DH and I (and our 3 pets) live in a HCOLA which is a popular travel destination. All of DH's family lives across the country and a group of his friends lives in another state. So, we have lots of visitors throughout the year. They mostly come to visit the area and they stay with us for the free lodging. DH is very hospitable and would never think of turning them away. However, the bulk of the cleaning, prepping, grocery shopping, etc. falls to me.
We recently came up with an agreeable solution: every time we have house guests, I will bring in a professional house cleaner either before or after the visit, whichever I choose. This seems like a good offset to my schedule disruption and added work load. So I plan on using a wonderful house cleaner I found on a regular basis.
Now, this house cleaner is just great. She is professional, prompt, hard working, creative (has removed stains on appliances I'd give up on years ago) and has a lovely personality. She also brings all her own cleaning supplies, tools and equipment. And her prices are a bargain! She gave my house a 6-hr deep cleaning for $100. I was home and saw that she worked non-stop the whole time.
So, how much to tip? I know that hairdressers are a typical 20% tip. But a house cleaner works so much harder than a hairdresser that I feel stingy doing 20%. I don't want to devalue this person's labor.
Any suggestions?