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Home service professionals have a hard job at times. They work in the homes of others, often cleaning up their messes, while not always earning a lot of money for the services they provide. Getting tipped would help greatly, but, for whatever reason, many proprietors don’t tip for work done in their homes, according to the data collected in our survey. In a society that tips servers, porters, and valets, it remains a mystery why most people choose not to tip home service professionals.

That being said, some service professions are more likely to receive gratuities than others. Here are the top five:

• Window Washers: 30 percent of respondents said they would tip them, with $6 being the average tip.
• Maids: 28 percent of those surveyed said they would tip them, with $12 being the average amount.
• Movers: 26 percent of interviewees said they would tip them, with $17 being the average bonus.
• Painters: 24 percent of survey participants said they would tip them, with $25 being the average perquisite.
• Snow shovelers: 23 percent of those polled said they would tip them, with $10 being the average gratuity.

It seems odd that so many people fail to tip professionals who come into their homes to provide a specific service, especially those who specialize in an industry that provides customers with something they need – often in times of emergency – or are unequipped to do themselves, such as electricians or plumbers. These two professions are tipped a paltry 21 percent and 19 percent of the time, respectively.

Of course, things are even worse for handymen and pool cleaners, who only get tipped 18 percent of the time, and for lawn mowers, who only receive six dollars per tip.

Home service professionals work hard to make sure your household is running smoothly, and they deserve a little extra token of appreciation. So the next time you have an electrician, lawn mower, pool cleaner, snow shoveler, or painter in your home, perhaps you can consider tipping them a few extra bucks to thank them for a job well done.