If you are asking whether Medicare will pay someone to clean a parent's house, or your own, Medicare does not pay for standalone cleaning unrelated to your care plan. If you have Medicare Advantage, check your plan for its benefits. This guide explains where to ask in Philadelphia, what to ask them, and how to plan for a regular visit using local cost examples before tax, dated October 17, 2026.
It is written for two readers: an older homeowner or renter who has found the stairs, the bathrooms and the floors of a rowhome harder than they used to be, and the adult child, often living somewhere else, who is trying to sort it out. We clean homes. We do not provide care, and we say so plainly below. We currently clean in Philadelphia.
What Medicare does and does not pay for
Medicare's own page on home health services (medicare.gov, read October 17, 2026) lists what it does not pay for. One item on that list is "Homemaker services (like shopping and cleaning) unrelated to your care plan." The same list includes custodial or personal care that helps with daily living, when that is the only care a person needs.
Its page on long-term care (medicare.gov, read the same day) says the same thing from the other side: "You pay all costs for non-covered services, including most long-term care." That page also points to Medicaid, depending on your state's eligibility rules, and to long-term care insurance bought privately, as the other routes people use.
If you have a Medicare Advantage plan instead of Original Medicare, plan benefits differ from one plan to the next. Read your plan's benefits booklet or call the number on your card and ask directly whether it covers any help with housekeeping. We cannot tell you what your plan does.
Where to ask in Philadelphia: the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging
The Philadelphia Corporation for Aging (PCA) describes its mission as working to "improve the quality of life for older Philadelphians." Its site has a Help in the Home section with an eligibility assessment, care management, home-delivered meals, and home repairs and modifications.
What the assessment page says, as of October 17, 2026 (pcacares.org): the assessment is offered to people aged "60 years and older"; there is no cost for the assessment; and the page adds that "Individuals must meet both functional and financial eligibility to receive long-term care services." The page does not name housekeeping or chore help, so we cannot tell you whether it is something PCA can arrange for you. That is a question for them.
How to reach PCA
- Helpline: 215-765-9040. For people who are hearing-impaired: 215-765-9041.
- Email: AskHelpline@pcacares.org.
- Online: the Request Assistance form on pcacares.org.
What to ask when you call
- Is housekeeping or chore help something PCA can arrange for me, or only personal care?
- What would I have to qualify for, and what would you need from me to find out?
- Does the assessment cost anything, and do I have to sign up for a service afterward?
- If I do not qualify, do you know of other programs for help with cleaning?
- While I wait, who can I call for a one-time or regular cleaning?
Call before you assume either way. Eligibility is PCA's to decide, not ours, and the people who answer that line can tell you which programs fit your situation.
What a private cleaning visit costs on a Philadelphia rowhome
If you decide to pay for help yourself, whether while you wait to hear from PCA or instead of it, here are local Standard-clean cost examples before tax, dated October 17, 2026. The 3 bed, 1.5 bath rowhome is the example we use across our Philadelphia cost guides: a narrow house with stairs between floors. Tax is unresolved in these examples, and nothing is charged at booking.
| Home | One-time | Every 4 weeks | Every 2 weeks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 bed, 1 bath home | $220.00 | $209.00 | $198.00 |
| 3 bed, 1.5 bath rowhome | $275.00 | $261.25 | $247.50 |
Local examples per visit, before tax (October 17, 2026). In these examples, a recurring plan costs less per visit than a one-time clean. You can explore the plans, including every 4 weeks. Our line-by-line price breakdown shows how a home size becomes a price.
Using these local rowhome examples before tax, dated October 17, 2026, every 4 weeks means 13 visits a year at $261.25, which is $3,396.25 for the year before tax. Every 2 weeks is 26 visits at $247.50, or $6,435.00 before tax. The yearly cost guide lays out those comparisons across home sizes. Tipping is never required or expected, according to our FAQ.
One visit, or a regular rhythm?
A one-time clean suits a reset: the first visit after a hospital stay, a long winter, or before family comes to stay. A regular rhythm suits a home you want to keep up. Our FAQ says you can pause or change your cadence anytime. On recurring plans, we prefer to send the cleaner who already knows your home. That is a preference, not a promise of the same person every time.
What a Standard visit covers, and the extras that matter at home
The Standard checklist is the same in every Philadelphia home, and a few lines on it are the ones that tend to get harder with age: "Hallway & Staircases Vacuumed And/or Mopped", "Wipe Down Door Handles and Light Switches", "Neatly Fold & Hang Towels" in each bathroom, and "Floors Swept / Mopped / Vacuumed" throughout. In the kitchen it includes "Wipe Down Refrigerator Front"; the inside of the fridge is an extra.
Four add-ons fit this situation. Here are local add-on cost examples before tax, dated October 17, 2026:
| Add-on | Price |
|---|---|
| Laundry Wash & Dry (Per Load), sorted and folded | $20.00 |
| Clean Inside Fridge | $35.00 |
| Organize Clothes Clutter (30-mins) | $30.00 |
| Clean Interior Windows (6 Max) | $60.00 |
You choose add-ons at booking and see your total before you pay. If the home has not been cleaned in a long time, the rowhome guide linked below explains when a Deep clean is the better first visit.
Who lets the cleaner in
You do not have to be home. Our FAQ answers it directly: "Many customers leave entry instructions or a lockbox/smart-lock code at booking. If you'd rather be home, that's completely fine too." The access guide covers keys, lockboxes, rowhome doors and block parking in detail.
If you are arranging this for a parent, decide first who is the keyholder (the parent, a neighbor, you) and who will be home for the first visit. We have not published a rule for a family member booking on someone else's behalf, so we do not guess at one. Message the team before you book and ask how payment and entry will work in your situation.
Getting the house ready
The preparation steps are the same for everyone, and how to prepare for house cleaners has the list. On a rowhome, two things matter most: a clear path from the door to the stairs and the rooms being cleaned, and anything personal or valuable put away where you want it. The rowhome cleaning guide explains how a narrow, tall house is cleaned and when it needs a Deep clean instead of a Standard one.
What a cleaning visit is not
Hometress cleans. We do not provide personal care, companionship, medication help, lifting, transfers or any other caregiving, and a cleaning visit is not a substitute for any of it. If you or your parent needs help with bathing, dressing, meals or getting around, that is a different service, and PCA is the place to ask about it. Our cleaners are background-checked independent professionals, which is a statement about screening, not about care training.
If something is not right
Tell us within 48 hours of the visit and we will make it right, as described on the White Glove Guarantee page.
A short plan for the next week
- Call PCA at 215-765-9040 and ask the questions above. Write down who you spoke to and what they said.
- If you have Medicare Advantage, call the number on the card and ask about housekeeping.
- Decide whether you want a one-time clean now while you wait for answers.
- Choose who the keyholder is and whether anyone will be home for the first visit.
- Look at your own total before you commit to a rhythm.
New to Hometress? You can see your total before you pay: start a booking. Nothing is charged at booking, and your card is saved when you book. We currently clean in Philadelphia.