What does Optus Glean charge per hour?

We do not. Commercial and contract cleaning is delivered to a defined scope on a fixed monthly fee, paid by Direct Debit, with an annual indexed review. Per-hour pricing is for ad-hoc and domestic work, neither of which we do. The fixed monthly fee covers the named primary cleaner, the named relief, all consumables where contracted, all equipment, and the management overhead of running the contract.

What happens if Optus Glean's cleaner is sick?

The named relief is deployed and the site contact is notified by 06:30 on the morning of the absence. The relief is already vetted, inducted, and trained on the site's colour-coded system and IPC standard, so the standard of clean does not change. Substitution is Optus Glean's operational problem, not the buyer's risk to absorb.

How is the fixed monthly fee set?

The fee is set against a defined scope of work — frequency, areas, tasks, consumables, equipment — agreed at contract signature and documented in the service specification. The fee is reviewed once a year against the Consumer Price Index and the Contract Cleaning ERO rate movement, with any change communicated 60 days in advance of the review date. There are no in-year variations unless the scope itself changes.

Why are cleaning services in Cork so inconsistent?

It is a workforce-design problem rather than an effort problem. Most operatives in the sector are part-time or casual, and many also hold healthcare assistant shifts in nursing homes and acute care. When a care shift is offered, the cleaning shift is dropped. Optus Glean removes that dynamic by employing operatives PAYE on guaranteed hours, so the cleaning role is not the secondary income.

How does Optus Glean stop cleaners disappearing for healthcare shifts?

We make the cleaning role the better work. Pay is set above the Contract Cleaning ERO floor (€14.80 per hour, 2026). Hours are guaranteed and rostered weeks in advance. Annual leave is paid. Pension contributions are made. The cleaner has no incentive to substitute a less predictable casual healthcare shift.

Why are some commercial cleaning quotes for Cork so much cheaper than others?

Quotes for the same scope range from around €750-1,100 per month at the lower end to €1,500-1,700 per month at the upper end. The differential is almost entirely driven by employment model. Lower quotes assume a casual workforce where the provider carries no employment risk and passes service-continuity risk to the buyer. Higher quotes assume a PAYE workforce where the provider absorbs that risk.

Is the ERO rate a minimum or a market rate in Cork?

The Contract Cleaning ERO rate of €14.80 per hour is a statutory minimum set under the Labour Court's Sectoral Employment Order. It is a floor, not a ceiling. Providers who pay at the floor are competing for staff with adjacent care-sector roles paying €15-€17 per hour, which is why retention is poor across the lower end of the market.

What evidence is there that this workforce pattern is real?

It is visible in CSO Labour Force Survey data on multi-jobbing in accommodation, administrative support, and human health and social work activities, and in the Workplace Relations Commission's enforcement record under the Contract Cleaning ERO. Practice managers confirm it experientially: the same operative who cleans the practice on Monday is on a healthcare assistant rota at a nearby nursing home on Wednesday.

What happens if my cleaner is sick or on leave?

The named relief is deployed. The site contact is notified by 06:30 on the morning of an unplanned absence, or at the start of the leave period for a planned absence. The relief is already vetted, inducted on the site, and trained on the same colour-coded system and IPC standard as the primary cleaner. The task list, the equipment, and the time window do not change. The clean is delivered to the same standard.

Will I get a different cleaner every week?

No. The model is a named primary cleaner with a named relief, both fixed to the site for the duration of the contract. The relief only attends when the primary is genuinely unavailable — sick day, annual leave, training day — and it is the same named relief each time, not a rotating pool. Long-term continuity of the same two people on a site is what makes the standard of clean stable.

How does Optus Glean handle long-term cover?

For absences longer than two weeks, cover is drawn from the wider Optus Glean trained bench. Every operative on the bench is PAYE-employed, Garda-vetted, and trained to the same documented HIQA-aligned IPC standard, so continuity of standard is preserved. The buyer is informed of the cover plan, the named individuals involved, and the expected duration at the point the long-term absence is identified.

What happens if my primary cleaner leaves Optus Glean?

The relief is promoted to primary on a planned timetable. A new relief is recruited, vetted, inducted on the site, trained on the colour-coded system and IPC standard, and introduced to the buyer before the handover takes effect. There is no scenario in which the buyer discovers, after the fact, that their cleaner has changed. Continuity is engineered, not improvised.

Post-Construction Cleaning Cork | Builders Clean Cork

€6.5M Public Liability

€13M Employer's Liability

Garda Vetted Staff

24/7 Emergency Response

Safe Pass Certified

The Optus Glean promise: predictability

Three pillars. Three commitments. No exceptions.

Predictable cost. One fixed monthly fee, set against a defined scope and an annual indexed review. No variable hours. No surprise invoices. No padded callout charges. Budgeted once, paid by Direct Debit, reviewed once a year.

Predictable presence. The site is cleaned every day it is meant to be cleaned. A named primary cleaner is rostered to your contract, supported by a named relief who is already vetted, inducted, and trained on the same colour-coded system and IPC standard. The schedule does not depend on whether one person is available on one day.

Predictable freedom. A single point of accountability. One contract. One named manager. One number to call. Cleaning is no longer a problem the site has to manage — it is a service that runs.

Why cleaning in Cork is structurally hard to get right

Most cleaning provision in Ireland — including in healthcare-adjacent settings — is delivered by a workforce that is structurally part-time and casual. A significant proportion of operatives across the sector also work as healthcare assistants in nursing homes, residential care, and acute hospitals. Cleaning shifts are typically taken when healthcare shifts are not available, and released when they are. This pattern is consistent with CSO labour data on accommodation, food, and administrative-support employment, and it is the underlying reason that buyers across Ireland encounter inconsistency from agencies they have contracted in good faith.

The pattern is reinforced by two background pressures specific to Cork. Housing affordability limits the catchment for any role paying at or near the minimum wage. The Contract Cleaning Employment Regulation Order rate of €14.80 per hour for 2026, set under the Labour Court's sectoral employment framework, sits close enough to flexible care-sector pay that operatives drift toward whichever shift pays slightly more on the day. Both pressures pull cleaning staff away from contracted shifts and toward casual healthcare work.

The result, from the buyer's perspective, is the experience most practice managers, facilities leads, and procurement officers in Cork describe: a clean that is half-completed when the contracted cleaner is available, missed entirely when they are not, and accompanied by recurring conversations with the agency about cover that may or may not arrive.

This is the structural problem Optus Glean is built to solve. Our operatives are fully PAYE-employed with guaranteed weekly hours, paid leave, and pension contributions under Irish auto-enrolment. They are paid above the ERO floor deliberately — because the structural reliability of the service depends on the cleaner choosing to remain in the role rather than rotating through casual healthcare shifts. A named primary cleaner is assigned to your site, supported by a named relief, both Garda-vetted and trained to Optus Glean's documented HIQA-aligned IPC standard.

Post-Construction Cleaning for Cork Developments

Cork is experiencing a construction boom. The Docklands regeneration is transforming the city's waterfront with major residential and commercial projects at Horgan's Quay, Albert Quay, and the former Ford distribution site at Marina Park. The Port of Cork's relocation to Ringaskiddy has released prime city-centre land for development. Across the suburbs, large-scale residential developments are under construction in Ballincollig (Maglin, The Weirs), Carrigaline (Janeville, Castlelands), Cobh (Ticknock), Douglas (Maryborough Ridge), Rochestown, and Glanmire.

Every one of these projects needs professional post-construction cleaning before units can be handed over to buyers, tenants, or occupiers. Optus Glean provides Safe Pass certified cleaning teams for all phases of post-construction cleaning, from rough cleans during construction through to final sparkle cleans before handover.

Our Three-Phase Cleaning Process

Phase 1: Rough Clean

Carried out during or immediately after construction, the rough clean removes bulk construction waste, rubble, offcuts, packaging, and debris from the site. This makes the building safe and accessible for remaining finishing trades. Our teams work alongside other trades on active construction sites, which is why Safe Pass certification is essential.

Phase 2: Builders Clean

Once all trades have completed their work, the builders clean begins. This is the most intensive phase and involves:

Removing all paint splashes from windows, frames, tiles, and surfaces
Cleaning plaster dust and construction dust from every surface, ledge, and recess
Removing adhesive residue, grout haze, and silicone smears
Deep cleaning all bathrooms, kitchens, and utility rooms
Scrubbing and mopping all floor surfaces
Cleaning all internal and external windows
Wiping all light fixtures, switches, sockets, and door furniture
Vacuuming any fitted carpets to remove construction dust
Cleaning stairwells, corridors, and common areas in apartment developments

Phase 3: Sparkle Clean

The sparkle clean is the final clean before handover. It brings the property to a show-home or move-in-ready standard:

Final window polish (internal and external where accessible)
Final floor clean and polish
Touch-point cleaning of all handles, switches, and fixtures
Bathroom final check — mirrors, chrome, tiles, grouting
Kitchen final check — countertops, appliances, cabinet interiors
Snagging support — noting any defects for the contractor

Cork Development Areas We Serve

Cork Docklands — Horgan's Quay, Albert Quay, Marina Park, the Events Quarter. Large-scale mixed-use developments requiring phased cleaning programmes
Ballincollig — Multiple residential developments including Maglin and The Weirs. High-volume unit cleans on tight handover schedules
Carrigaline — Janeville, Castlelands, and other suburban housing developments. New-build houses and apartments
Cobh — Residential developments serving the commuter market. Heritage town setting requires care with external cleaning
Douglas & Rochestown — Premium residential developments with higher specification finishes requiring careful handling
Glanmire — Growing commuter town with significant new-build residential activity
City Centre — Commercial office fit-outs, retail refurbishments, and apartment conversions
Midleton — Residential and mixed-use development activity associated with the Water Rock area
Little Island — Pharmaceutical and biotech facility construction and fit-out. Post-construction cleaning for cleanroom environments, GMP-standard production areas, and office buildings at Little Island's pharma campus corridor
UCC Campus & Western Road — University College Cork campus expansion projects, student accommodation builds, and refurbishment of historic campus buildings. Academic and research facility cleans to specialist standard
Mahon Point & South Ring — Retail expansion, new commercial units, and residential development around the Mahon Point area and South Ring Road corridor

Pharma & Life Sciences Post-Construction Cleaning in Cork

Cork is Ireland's pharma capital, with major manufacturing and R&D facilities across Little Island, Ringaskiddy, and Carrigtwohill. Construction and fit-out projects at pharmaceutical and biotech facilities require specialist post-construction cleaning that goes beyond standard builders cleans. Optus Glean provides cleanroom-grade post-construction cleaning for pharma environments, including:

HEPA-filtered vacuuming and controlled dust extraction to prevent particulate contamination
Cleaning to ISO 14644 cleanroom classification standards where specified
Stainless steel surface cleaning and passivation support for production areas
Epoxy and vinyl floor deep cleaning and preparation before commissioning
Documentation and cleaning validation records for GMP audit requirements

Post-Construction Cleaning Pricing in Cork

New-build house (3-bed semi) — €350 to €550 for a full builders clean and sparkle clean
New-build house (4-bed detached) — €500 to €750
Apartment (1-bed) — €200 to €350
Apartment (2-bed) — €300 to €450
Commercial office (per sqm) — €3 to €8 per sqm depending on condition
Common areas (apartment block) — Quoted per project based on number of floors, lifts, and specification

All prices are exclusive of VAT. Actual costs depend on the condition of the site, the quality of finish, and the scope of work required. Volume discounts apply for developments of 10+ units.

How Optus Glean handles staff shortages

Every Optus Glean contract is staffed on a redundancy model rather than a single-person model. A named primary cleaner is assigned to the site at contract start. A named relief is assigned alongside them. Both are PAYE-employed by Optus Glean, both are Garda-vetted, both are inducted on the site's specific layout, access protocols, and colour-coded equipment system, and both are trained to the same documented HIQA-aligned IPC standard. Substitution is built into the contract from the first day, not arranged on the day cover is needed.

Sick day cover. When the primary cleaner is unable to work, the named relief is deployed. The site site contact is notified by 06:30 on the morning of the absence by SMS or email, with the name of the relief who is attending. The relief follows the same task list, uses the same equipment, and finishes within the same window. The standard of clean is unchanged because the relief was prepared for this scenario before the absence happened.

Annual leave cover. Annual leave is rostered weeks in advance and the relief is scheduled to cover the full leave period. The site is informed at the start of the leave period — not on the morning leave begins. This is the same model used in clinical rota management: known absences are pre-staffed, not improvised.

Long-term cover. If the primary cleaner is absent for more than two weeks (extended illness, parental leave, bereavement leave), cover is drawn from the wider trained bench rather than relying on the single named relief. The site is kept informed of the cover plan, the named individuals involved, and the expected duration. Continuity of standard is maintained because every operative on the bench is trained to the same documented standard.

Permanent reassignment. If the primary cleaner moves to a new permanent role within Optus Glean — promotion, relocation, retirement — the relief is promoted to primary on a planned timetable, a new relief is trained on the site, and both are introduced to the site before the handover takes effect. There is no day on which the site discovers, after the fact, that their cleaner has changed.

Substitution is Optus Glean's operational problem, not the site's risk to absorb. The buyer pays a fixed monthly fee for a defined scope to be delivered, every day it is meant to be delivered. The mechanism by which we deliver it — primary, relief, bench, retraining — is our cost to manage and our risk to carry.

This page references the following Irish statutory and regulatory sources:

Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Construction) Regulations 2013 (S.I. No. 291/2013) — the operational backbone of construction H&S in Ireland, applicable to post-build cleaning on site.
Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 — parent statute defining duties on clients, project supervisors and contractors.
HSA — Construction — the regulator's hub for duty-holder responsibilities, Safe Pass / CSCS and contractor management.
Voluntary Construction Register Ireland — the working public-facing register of competent builders, contractors and specialist sub-contractors in Ireland.
Workplace Relations Commission — Contract Cleaning Employment Regulation Order — sets the statutory pay floor for operatives on contract cleaning agreements, including post-build crews.

Frequently asked questions

How much does post-build cleaning cost in Ireland in 2026?

Construction post-build cleaning is the one cleaning vertical priced on a fixed-price-per-project basis, not a recurring monthly fee. Pricing is set against the scope (square metres, number of units, level of finish), the trade-out condition, and the handover deadline. The Contract Cleaning ERO 2026 sets a €14.80/hour labour floor that is reflected in the project rate, but the buyer signs a fixed-price-per-project quote, not an hourly call-off.

What's the difference between a builders' clean and a sparkle clean?

A builders' clean is the first-stage post-construction clean — debris removal, dust extraction, gross protection film stripped, surfaces cleaned, sanitaryware washed. A sparkle clean (handover clean) is the second-stage finish — every surface to handover standard, glass and mirrors, fittings and ironmongery polished, snag-list items cleaned, ready for client walkaround. Many projects need both, scheduled in sequence around the snag list.

What standards apply to post-build cleaning in Ireland?

The HSA enforces the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Construction) Regulations 2013 across the live site. Operatives must hold a current Safe Pass card before entering. The cleaning provider's method statement, risk assessment, chemical SDS, and PPE schedule must be approved by the principal contractor's safety file. CIRI registration on the contractor side is increasingly a tender pre-qualifier.

Who needs Safe Pass on a construction site?

Every operative on a live Irish construction site needs a current HSA Safe Pass card, including cleaners delivering builders' cleans and sparkle cleans. The card is issued via an HSA-approved one-day course and must be in date — expired cards mean the operative is turned around at the gate. A reputable cleaning provider holds a Safe Pass register and will not deploy a cleaner without one.

What's the difference between PAYE and casual cleaning contracts in construction?

A PAYE-employed cleaner is on the cleaning company's payroll, paid above the Contract Cleaning ERO €14.80/hour floor, Safe Pass-carded, with PRSI and paid leave through the employer. A casual or self-employed operative is none of those things — and casual labour on a construction site exposes the principal contractor to direct liability under the 2013 Regulations. PAYE staffing is the structural baseline that keeps the principal contractor's safety file clean.

How do I evaluate a cleaning provider for a post-build job?

Three checks. One: are the operatives PAYE-employed and Safe Pass-current, with the register available before the job starts? Two: can the provider produce a method statement, risk assessment, and chemical SDS that the principal contractor's safety officer will accept into the project safety file without rework? Three: does the fixed project price align to the handover programme, or is the provider quoting hourly with surprise top-ups?

What should be in a fixed-price post-build cleaning quote?

The defined scope (areas, units, square metres), the cleaning standard (builders' clean, sparkle clean, or both), the chemical and equipment list with SDS, the staffing plan with Safe Pass-current operatives, the programme tied to the principal contractor's handover dates, the snag re-clean policy, the agreed fixed price per project, and payment terms. No per-hour pricing on the cover sheet.

How does the snag list affect handover cleaning?

A sparkle clean is delivered against a defined handover date, but trades inevitably return to address snag-list items, generating fresh dust and finish damage. A reputable provider quotes a snag re-clean within the project price (one or two re-attendances), with any further re-cleans priced as a known unit rate, agreed in writing. In Cork, larger schemes typically build two snag re-attendances into the original fixed-price quote.

Related Services in Cork

Last reviewed: 2026-05-06

Post-Construction Cleaning Cork — Builders Cleans & Sparkle Cleans