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 school 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.
Professional Cleaning for Schools and Education Facilities
Schools, colleges, and universities are environments where hygiene directly affects the health and learning outcomes of children and young people. High-traffic classrooms, busy corridors, shared washrooms, and canteen facilities create conditions where bacteria, viruses, and allergens spread rapidly. During cold and flu season, a poorly maintained school can see absence rates spike, disrupting teaching and placing additional pressure on staff.
Optus Glean provides professional cleaning services to primary schools, secondary schools, colleges, universities, and purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) across all 26 counties of Ireland. Every operative assigned to an education contract is Garda vetted under the National Vetting Bureau (Children and Vulnerable Persons) Acts 2012 to 2016, and our safeguarding procedures meet the requirements expected by boards of management and educational authorities.
We understand the unique rhythm of educational facilities. Term-time cleaning focuses on daily maintenance of high-traffic areas. Holiday periods are the window for deep cleaning, floor restoration, and comprehensive sanitisation. Our service is structured around this academic calendar to deliver the right level of cleaning at the right time of year.
Term-Time Daily Cleaning
During term time, schools need reliable daily cleaning that keeps classrooms, washrooms, and communal areas hygienic and presentable. Our term-time specification typically includes:
- Vacuuming all carpeted classrooms and mopping hard-floor corridors
- Emptying all bins and replacing liners in every classroom and office
- Sanitising all washroom fixtures: toilets, urinals, sinks, taps, and hand dryers
- Restocking washroom consumables: soap, paper towels, toilet tissue
- Wiping and sanitising high-touch surfaces: door handles, light switches, stair rails
- Cleaning the canteen or lunch hall: tables, chairs, serving areas, and floors
- Spot-cleaning marks and spills from walls, doors, and furniture
- Cleaning staff rooms, reception areas, and administrative offices
Our teams typically clean after school hours, arriving once students and most staff have left for the day. This avoids disruption to the school day and allows our operatives to work efficiently through every area.
Holiday Deep Cleans
School holidays are the opportunity to reset the building. Areas that receive daily maintenance during term can receive the thorough deep clean they need during mid-term, Christmas, Easter, and summer breaks. Our holiday deep clean programme covers:
- Stripping, scrubbing, and re-sealing all hard floors (vinyl, tile, safety flooring)
- Deep cleaning all carpeted areas using hot water extraction
- Washing walls and removing scuff marks, pen marks, and sticky residue
- Cleaning all windows inside and out
- Deep sanitisation of all washroom areas including grouting and tile descaling
- Cleaning PE halls, sports equipment, and changing rooms
- High-level dusting of light fittings, vents, ceiling tiles, and extractor fans
- Kitchen and canteen deep clean including extraction hoods and equipment
The summer deep clean is the most comprehensive, providing a full reset before the new academic year. We schedule this work to be completed before staff return for September preparation.
PBSA and Student Accommodation Cleaning
Purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) is one of the fastest-growing property sectors in Ireland. PBSA operators need two distinct cleaning services: regular term-time cleaning of communal areas and intensive summer turnaround cleans when students vacate.
Term-Time Communal Cleaning
During the academic year, PBSA communal areas including lobbies, corridors, stairwells, shared kitchens, laundry rooms, study spaces, and outdoor areas need regular cleaning. We provide daily, three-times-weekly, or weekly communal cleaning depending on the size and occupancy of the development.
Summer Turnaround Cleans
The summer turnaround is a compressed, high-volume operation. Hundreds of student rooms and apartments need to be deep cleaned, inspected, and prepared for the next cohort within a tight window. Our summer turnaround service includes:
- Full deep clean of every bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, and living area
- Cleaning inside all cupboards, wardrobes, drawers, and storage units
- Descaling and sanitising all bathroom fixtures
- Cleaning ovens, hobs, fridges, microwaves, and all kitchen surfaces
- Carpet cleaning and hard floor restoration where needed
- Inventory checks and condition reporting
- Mould prevention treatment (essential in the Irish climate)
- Window cleaning inside and out
We scale our teams to meet your turnaround deadlines. Whether you have 50 rooms or 500, we mobilise the workforce needed to complete the programme on schedule.
Garda Vetting and Safeguarding
Any person who works in a school or educational setting where they have access to children or vulnerable adults must be Garda vetted. This is a legal requirement under the National Vetting Bureau Acts, and it is non-negotiable. Optus Glean ensures that:
- Every operative assigned to an education contract holds current Garda vetting
- Vetting is completed before any operative begins work on site
- Our safeguarding policy is available for inspection by boards of management
- All operatives carry photo ID and wear branded uniform on site
- Access is restricted to designated cleaning hours and areas
Our Services for the Education Sector
Daily & Contract Cleaning
Term-time daily cleaning for classrooms, corridors, washrooms, canteens, and offices. Fixed-price monthly contracts.
View service →Carpet & Floor Cleaning
Deep cleaning, stripping, and re-sealing for school floors. Ideal for holiday periods when full restoration is possible.
View service →Window Cleaning
Internal and external window cleaning for school buildings. Water-fed pole systems for safe, efficient access.
View service →Why Schools Choose Optus Glean
Garda Vetted, Safeguarding-Ready
Every operative is Garda vetted before they enter your school. Our safeguarding policies, photo ID requirements, and access protocols meet the standards expected by boards of management and educational authorities.
Academic Calendar Scheduling
We structure our service around your school year. Daily maintenance during term, deep cleans during every holiday break, and a comprehensive summer reset before September. No disruption to teaching.
Health-First Approach
High-touch sanitisation reduces the spread of illness. HEPA-filtered vacuuming improves air quality. Proper washroom management keeps facilities hygienic. Healthier environments mean fewer sick days for students and staff.
Scalable for Any Campus
From a two-classroom rural primary school to a multi-building university campus or 500-unit PBSA development, we scale our teams and equipment to match the size and complexity of your facility.
Request an Education Cleaning Quote
Complete the form below and we will arrange a site survey at your school or campus.
Frequently asked questions
How much does school cleaning cost in Ireland in 2026?
A school is priced as a fixed monthly fee per site against a term-based scope: daily after-hours cleaning of classrooms, washrooms, corridors and shared areas, plus scheduled holiday-period deep cleans. The Contract Cleaning ERO 2026 sets a €14.80/hour labour floor, but reputable providers quote the contract on a multi-year term with an annual indexed review and a single monthly Direct Debit, never per hour.
What standards apply to school cleaning in Ireland?
Department of Education school cleaning guidance, the Children First Act 2015 (child-safeguarding obligations on every adult on site), HSA requirements under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, and HSE Public Health guidance on outbreak response. The cleaning programme must produce a documented audit trail that supports the school's own child-safeguarding statement and risk assessments.
What child-safeguarding requirements apply to school cleaning staff?
Every cleaner working on a school site must be Garda-vetted via the National Vetting Bureau before they enter the building, briefed on the school's Child Safeguarding Statement under the Children First Act 2015, and identifiable on site (lanyard, uniform, signed-in). A reputable provider also runs the cleaning programme outside teaching hours so cleaners and pupils do not share spaces.
How are school cleans scheduled around the term?
A typical school contract runs daily evening cleans across term time and steps up to programmed deep cleans during mid-term, Christmas, Easter, and the summer break. Summer is the heavy lift — floors stripped and resealed, soft furnishings deep-cleaned, washrooms re-grouted where needed. The fixed monthly fee covers both term-time and holiday-period work; budgets do not need to flex with the calendar.
What's the difference between PAYE and casual cleaning contracts in education?
A PAYE-employed cleaner is on payroll with the company that signs the contract, paid above the Contract Cleaning ERO €14.80/hour floor, Garda-vetted, with paid leave and PRSI through the employer. A casual or self-employed operative is none of those things. PAYE staffing is the only model that supports a named primary cleaner with continuity across an academic year — and continuity is what child-safeguarding compliance actually requires.
How do I evaluate a cleaning provider for a school?
Ask whether the cleaners are PAYE-employed and Garda-vetted before they enter the site, who the named primary cleaner and relief are for the building, and whether the provider can produce a written method statement and chemical SDS file that satisfies the school's Health & Safety statement under HSA rules. Holiday-period deep-clean delivery should be in the contract, not an extra.
What should be in a cleaning contract for a school?
Defined daily scope and frequency per zone (classrooms, washrooms, corridors, canteens, gym, staff areas), the holiday-period deep-clean programme, after-hours scheduling, named primary cleaner with Garda vetting on file, child-safeguarding briefing, the chemical regime with SDS, fixed monthly fee, annual indexed review, and a clean exit clause. No per-hour pricing. No "ad-hoc" charges every time a holiday clean is scheduled.
How does a cleaning provider handle outbreaks at a school?
An outbreak — norovirus, hand-foot-and-mouth, flu — triggers the school to consult HSE Public Health, who advise on enhanced cleaning frequency and chemical regime. The cleaning provider should be on call to step the programme up: more frequent touchpoint cleaning, validated disinfection contact times, and documented evidence of what was cleaned and when. In Ireland, this typically means same-day response from the named primary cleaner or named relief, not a "we'll get to you next week" agency dispatch.
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 school 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 school 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 school 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 school before the handover takes effect. There is no day on which the school discovers, after the fact, that their cleaner has changed.
Substitution is Optus Glean's operational problem, not the school'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