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 Ireland 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 Ireland. 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 Ireland 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.
Construction Cleaning That Meets Your Programme
Construction projects run to tight programmes. Every day a site is not handed over costs money. Whether you are a main contractor delivering a 200-unit residential development, a fit-out company completing a commercial interior, or a homeowner waiting for a renovation to finish, you need a cleaning partner who understands construction timelines and delivers to them.
Optus Glean provides professional construction cleaning services across all 26 counties of Ireland. Our teams are Safe Pass certified, fully insured, and experienced in working on active construction sites alongside other trades. We understand site access protocols, induction requirements, and the phased nature of construction handovers.
We work with main contractors, subcontractors, developers, property management companies, and private homeowners. From a single apartment renovation to a multi-phase commercial development, we scale our teams to meet your programme.
The Three Phases of Post-Construction Cleaning
Professional post-construction cleaning is not a single task. It is a three-phase process, and each phase is essential to delivering a property that is genuinely ready for occupation or handover.
Phase 1: Rough Clean
The rough clean begins as soon as major construction work is complete but before final fixtures and fittings are installed. This phase removes bulk debris, packaging materials, large dust deposits, and any construction waste left on site. The goal is to create a safe, dust-reduced environment for finishing trades such as painters, tilers, and joinery installers to work in.
- Removal of all packaging, offcuts, and bulk debris
- Sweeping and vacuuming all floors to remove heavy dust
- Wiping down window frames, doors, and sills
- Clearing stairwells, corridors, and communal areas
Phase 2: Builders Clean
The builders clean is the most intensive phase. It takes place after all construction work, painting, and installation of fixtures is complete. Every surface in the building is thoroughly cleaned to remove construction dust, paint splashes, adhesive residue, plaster spots, silicone overspill, and cement marks.
- Detailed cleaning of all internal windows, frames, and glass
- Removal of paint splashes from glass, tiles, and hard surfaces
- Scraping and cleaning of adhesive residue from floors and fittings
- Cleaning inside all cupboards, wardrobes, and storage units
- Sanitising all bathrooms, en-suites, and cloakrooms
- Cleaning and polishing all kitchen units, worktops, and appliances
- Vacuuming with HEPA-filtered equipment to remove fine particulate dust
- Wiping all door handles, light switches, sockets, and radiators
Phase 3: Sparkle Clean
The sparkle clean is the final presentation clean before handover. It transforms a construction site into a show-ready property. Every surface is polished, every window streak-free, every fixture gleaming. This is the clean that buyers, tenants, or clients see on their first walk-through.
- Final polish of all windows inside and out
- Buffing and polishing all hard floor surfaces
- Final wipe of all chrome fittings, handles, and taps
- Touching up any areas missed in Phase 2
- Snagging-level inspection of every room before sign-off
Expert tip: Allow 4 to 5 days between the completion of painting and the builders clean. This gives fine construction dust time to settle rather than becoming airborne again during cleaning.
Working Safely on Construction Sites
Construction sites are high-risk environments. Every Optus Glean operative deployed to a construction site holds a valid Safe Pass card, as required under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (Construction) Regulations 2013. Our teams also carry:
- Manual handling certification — For moving heavy debris, equipment, and materials safely
- COSHH training — For handling chemical cleaning products, solvents, and adhesive removers
- Working at height awareness — For window cleaning, high-level dusting, and access equipment
- Site-specific induction — Every operative completes the main contractor's site induction before starting work
We provide full method statements and risk assessments for every construction cleaning project. These are available before work begins and can be incorporated into your project's health and safety file.
Our Services for the Construction Sector
Optus Glean offers three core services that are essential to construction projects. Each can be booked individually or combined as a package.
Post-Construction Cleaning
Three-phase builders clean for residential and commercial projects. Rough clean, builders clean, and sparkle clean to handover standard.
View service →Pressure Washing
External cleaning of car parks, pathways, building facades, and hard landscaping. Essential for new developments before handover.
View service →Window Cleaning
Internal and external window cleaning for new builds and refurbishments. Water-fed pole systems for heights up to 65 feet.
View service →Why Contractors Choose Optus Glean
Programme-Aligned Delivery
We understand construction programmes. Our teams mobilise within days, scale up for multi-unit handovers, and deliver to your deadlines. We have cleaned single-unit renovations through to 100+ unit residential developments.
Safe Pass Certified Teams
Every operative holds a valid Safe Pass card, manual handling certification, and completes your site-specific induction. Full method statements and risk assessments provided before work begins.
One Provider, Three Services
Post-construction cleaning, pressure washing, and window cleaning under one contract. No need to coordinate three separate subcontractors. One point of contact, one invoice, one standard.
Snagging-Level Standards
Our supervisors inspect every unit before sign-off. We catch the details that matter: paint splashes on glass, adhesive residue on tiles, dust in cupboard corners. The property is handed over ready for viewing.
Request a Construction Cleaning Quote
Tell us about your project and we will provide a fixed-price quotation within 48 hours.
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 Ireland, larger schemes typically build two snag re-attendances into the original fixed-price quote.
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.
Last reviewed: 2026-05-06