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.
Professional Factory Cleaning in Ireland
Factory cleaning is a specialist discipline that demands far more than a mop and bucket. Production environments accumulate oil, grease, chemical residues, food waste, metal swarf, dust, and industrial debris that standard cleaning methods cannot address. The equipment is larger, the compliance requirements are stricter, and the consequences of inadequate cleaning range from regulatory enforcement to production contamination.
Optus Glean provides factory cleaning services to food processing plants, manufacturing facilities, engineering workshops, pharmaceutical production sites, and assembly operations across all 26 counties of Ireland. We deploy industrial ride-on scrubber-dryers, walk-behind scrubbers, hot water pressure washers, HEPA-filtered extraction systems, and specialist degreasing equipment. Every operative holds Safe Pass certification, COSHH training, and receives site-specific induction covering your facility layout, hazardous areas, emergency procedures, and lockout/tagout protocols.
We understand that factories operate on tight production schedules where every hour of downtime costs money. That is why we schedule factory cleaning around your production cycles — during night shifts, weekends, shift changeovers, bank holidays, and planned shutdowns — to deliver a clean, compliant facility without losing a single hour of production.
What Factory Cleaning Involves
A professional factory cleaning service covers every area of the facility, not just the production floor. The scope depends on the sector, the facility layout, and the level of soiling, but a comprehensive factory clean typically includes:
- Production floors — degreasing, scrubbing with ride-on machines, and drying in a single pass
- Machinery surrounds — cleaning equipment bases, guards, and the floor areas around fixed machinery
- Assembly lines and work stations — wiping down surfaces, removing debris, and cleaning tool storage areas
- Storage and racking areas — dust removal, floor cleaning between racking runs, and shelf wiping
- Loading bays and dock areas — pressure washing, degreasing, and debris removal
- Canteens and break rooms — deep cleaning of kitchen equipment, surfaces, floors, and seating areas
- Welfare facilities — toilets, showers, changing rooms, and locker areas
- Offices and reception areas — standard office cleaning within the factory complex
- External yards and car parks — sweeping, litter picking, and pressure washing
- High-level structures — roof trusses, lighting, cable trays, ventilation ducting, and overhead pipework
The scope is documented in a site-specific method statement and risk assessment before any work begins. Nothing is cleaned without a plan, and nothing is missed because the plan covers every area.
Food Processing Factory Cleaning
Food processing factories operate under strict HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) requirements that make cleaning a critical control point in the food safety chain. A contamination event caused by inadequate cleaning can result in product recalls costing hundreds of thousands of euro, enforcement action from the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI), and reputational damage that takes years to recover from.
Optus Glean provides specialist food factory cleaning using food-safe, HACCP-approved chemicals and sanitisers. Our food processing cleaning covers:
- Production line cleaning including conveyor belts, filleting areas, and processing equipment (external surfaces)
- Cold rooms, blast freezers, and chilled storage areas
- Dry stores and ingredient storage
- Packing and despatch areas
- Floor channel and drain cleaning and sanitisation
- Colour-coded cleaning systems to prevent cross-contamination between raw and cooked zones
- Allergen management protocols for facilities handling multiple allergens
- Environmental monitoring swab support
Every food factory clean is fully documented with chemical batch numbers, dilution rates, contact times, and operative signatures recorded. This documentation supports your HACCP plan and is available for FSAI, BRCGS, or customer audit review at any time.
Our food processing teams are trained in HACCP awareness, allergen management, clean-in-place (CIP) support procedures, and the specific protocols of your facility. For more detail on food sector cleaning, see our dedicated food processing cleaning page.
Manufacturing Plant Cleaning
Manufacturing facilities — from light assembly to heavy engineering — accumulate oil, grease, metal swarf, cutting fluid residue, coolant overspray, and general industrial debris. The production floor becomes contaminated through normal operations, and without regular professional cleaning, slip hazards develop, machinery performance degrades, and the working environment deteriorates.
Our manufacturing plant cleaning service addresses:
- Production floor degreasing — alkaline degreasers for mineral oil and petroleum-based contamination, enzyme-based cleaners for organic residues
- CNC machine and work station cleaning — external surfaces, guards, and surrounding floor areas
- Swarf and waste metal removal — collection and disposal of metal turnings, offcuts, and grinding dust
- Oil interceptor and drain cleaning — preventing blockages and ensuring environmental compliance
- Overhead structure cleaning — removing accumulated dust from roof steelwork, lighting, and ventilation that would otherwise fall onto products and machinery
- Warehouse and storage area maintenance — keeping raw material and finished goods storage areas clean and organised
We understand that manufacturing operates to tight production schedules. Our teams are trained to work safely around operational machinery and to coordinate with your production supervisors to minimise downtime. For facilities running 24/7, we deploy teams during shift changeovers or quieter production windows.
Pharmaceutical and Cleanroom-Adjacent Cleaning
Pharmaceutical manufacturing demands the highest standards of environmental cleanliness. While ISO-classified cleanroom maintenance requires specialist cleanroom operators with validated protocols, the surrounding facility — which accounts for 70% to 80% of the total floor area — requires professional industrial cleaning to prevent contamination migrating into controlled environments.
For pharmaceutical factory clients, Optus Glean provides comprehensive cleaning of warehousing and goods-in areas, corridors and connecting walkways, changing rooms and gowning areas, welfare facilities, administrative offices, loading docks and external areas, and waste storage and compound areas. We also offer enhanced documentation including cleaning validation records, batch traceability for all cleaning products, and compliance with your site's quality management system (QMS) requirements.
For full details on pharmaceutical facility cleaning, see our dedicated pharmaceutical cleaning page.
Production Floor Cleaning
The production floor is the heart of any factory, and it takes the heaviest punishment. Forklift traffic, foot traffic, spillages, oil drips from machinery, product residue, and general debris accumulate continuously. A production floor that is not cleaned regularly becomes a safety hazard, a compliance risk, and a drag on operational efficiency.
Optus Glean cleans production floors using industrial ride-on scrubber-dryers that scrub, degrease, and dry the floor in a single pass. Our ride-on machines cover 3,000 to 5,000 square metres per hour, meaning a 10,000m² production floor can be cleaned in 2 to 3 hours. For narrower areas around machinery, we use walk-behind scrubbers that deliver the same cleaning action in a more manoeuvrable format.
Production floor cleaning frequency depends on the sector and soiling level. Food processing floors may need daily or per-shift cleaning. General manufacturing floors are typically cleaned weekly or fortnightly. Heavy engineering floors with significant oil contamination may need twice-weekly degreasing. We work with your production team to establish the optimal frequency and schedule that maintains compliance without disrupting output.
Loading Bay and Yard Cleaning
Loading bays and external yards are the most exposed areas of any factory. They accumulate diesel and oil drips from delivery vehicles, food waste from rejected deliveries, packaging debris, rainwater contamination, and general dirt tracked in from public roads. Because loading bays are where products leave your facility, their cleanliness reflects directly on your operation.
We clean loading bays using hot water pressure washers operating at up to 250 bar, which effectively remove oil, grease, and food residues that cold water simply moves around. External yards are swept, litter-picked, and pressure washed on a schedule that keeps them presentable and safe. Drain covers and channels are cleared to prevent flooding during heavy rain.
Welfare Facility Cleaning
Factory welfare facilities — canteens, toilets, showers, changing rooms, and rest areas — require daily cleaning to maintain hygiene standards and comply with the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work (General Application) Regulations 2007. In food processing environments, welfare facility cleanliness is directly linked to food safety because contamination can transfer from welfare areas to production zones via personnel.
Our welfare facility cleaning covers deep cleaning of all sanitary ware, floor mopping and disinfection, surface wiping and sanitisation, consumable replenishment (soap, paper towels, toilet rolls), kitchen and canteen cleaning, locker and changing area maintenance, and waste removal and bin cleaning. For factories on ongoing contracts, welfare facilities are cleaned daily as part of the standard service.
Night Shift and Weekend Factory Cleaning
Most factory cleaning is scheduled outside production hours to avoid disruption. Optus Glean operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. There is no premium charge for unsocial hours — our standard rates apply whether we clean at 2pm on a Tuesday or 2am on a Sunday.
Common scheduling patterns include:
- Night shift cleaning (6pm – 6am) — production floors scrubbed and ready for the morning shift
- Weekend deep cleans — comprehensive facility cleaning during Saturday/Sunday shutdowns
- Shift changeover cleans — rapid floor scrub between shifts in 24/7 operations
- Bank holiday deep cleans — using holiday shutdowns for thorough cleaning
- Annual shutdown cleans — full factory deep clean during planned maintenance windows
We plan every scheduled clean weeks in advance with your operations and maintenance teams. For annual shutdown cleans, we coordinate with maintenance engineers, electrical contractors, and equipment installers to ensure cleaning does not conflict with other shutdown activities and the facility is returned to production-ready standard on time.
Factory Cleaning Pricing in Ireland
Factory cleaning is priced based on facility size, sector requirements, soiling level, equipment needed, and frequency. Below are indicative pricing ranges for 2026.
| Service | Typical Pricing | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Production floor scrub (ride-on) | €0.50 – €1.50/m² | Standard soiling, concrete or epoxy floor |
| Production floor degreasing | €1.50 – €3.00/m² | Oil/grease contamination, chemical treatment |
| Full factory deep clean | €2.00 – €5.00/m² | All areas, all surfaces, shutdown clean |
| Food factory clean (HACCP) | €3.00 – €6.00/m² | Food-safe chemicals, documentation included |
| Loading bay pressure wash | €150 – €400/bay | Hot water, degreasing included |
| High-level cleaning | €35 – €65/hour | MEWP access, per operative |
| Ongoing contract (weekly) | From €500/week | Floor scrub + welfare, frequency dependent |
| Ongoing contract (daily) | From €180/day | Food sector, production floor + welfare |
All pricing is exclusive of VAT at 13.5%. Volume and contract discounts apply to regular service agreements. Optus Glean provides fixed-price quotations after a free site assessment — there are no hidden charges.
Why Choose Optus Glean for Factory Cleaning
Choosing a factory cleaning provider is a decision that affects production quality, staff safety, regulatory compliance, and your reputation with customers and auditors. Here is what sets Optus Glean apart:
- Industrial equipment — ride-on scrubbers, walk-behind machines, hot water pressure washers, and HEPA extraction systems. We do not clean factories with domestic equipment.
- Sector knowledge — our teams understand HACCP, FSAI, BRCGS, and the operational realities of food, pharmaceutical, and manufacturing environments
- 24/7 availability — night shifts, weekends, bank holidays, and shutdown periods at standard rates
- Full documentation — RAMS, COSHH assessments, cleaning records, and compliance documentation available on request
- Insurance cover — €6.5M public liability and €13M employer's liability
- Garda vetted staff — all operatives are Garda vetted, Safe Pass certified, and site-inducted before first access
- Nationwide coverage — we serve factories in all 26 counties from our base in Co. Monaghan
Industries We Serve
Our factory cleaning teams have experience in:
- Food processing and food manufacturing (meat, dairy, bakery, prepared foods, beverages)
- Pharmaceutical and life sciences
- General manufacturing and engineering
- Electronics and technology manufacturing
- Plastics and packaging production
- Automotive and vehicle manufacturing
- Textile and garment manufacturing
- Chemical manufacturing (non-cleanroom areas)
- Print and packaging facilities
- Warehousing and distribution centres
Frequently Asked Questions About Factory Cleaning
How much does factory cleaning cost in Ireland?
Factory cleaning in Ireland typically costs between €2.00 and €5.00 per square metre for a full deep clean. Ongoing contract cleaning for production floors ranges as a fixed monthly fee per site for standard operatives and as a fixed monthly fee per site for specialist food-grade cleaning. Most factories on a weekly contract pay between €500 and €2,500 per week depending on facility size and sector requirements. Optus Glean provides fixed-price quotations after a free site assessment.
What is included in a factory deep clean?
A factory deep clean covers every area of the facility: production floors are degreased and scrubbed, machinery bases and surrounds are cleaned, overhead structures including roof steelwork, lighting, cable trays, and ventilation ducting are cleaned, racking and storage areas are wiped down, welfare facilities are deep cleaned, and loading bays and external yards are pressure washed. The scope is documented in a site-specific method statement before work begins.
Can you clean a factory at night or on weekends?
Yes. Optus Glean operates 24/7, 365 days a year. Most factory cleaning is scheduled outside production hours. We routinely deploy teams for night shifts (6pm–6am), weekend deep cleans, bank holiday cleaning, and shift changeover cleans. Night and weekend cleaning is available at standard rates with no premium charges for unsocial hours.
Do you provide HACCP-compliant factory cleaning?
Yes. Our food factory cleaning teams are trained in HACCP awareness, allergen management, and FSAI inspection requirements. We use food-safe chemicals, colour-coded systems, and maintain full traceability documentation including chemical batch numbers, dilution rates, contact times, and operative signatures. This supports your HACCP plan and is audit-ready.
What equipment do you use for factory floor cleaning?
We deploy ride-on scrubber-dryers (3,000–5,000m²/hour), walk-behind scrubbers for narrow areas, industrial sweepers, hot water pressure washers (up to 250 bar), HEPA-filtered vacuums, and specialist degreasing equipment. Equipment is matched to your floor type, contamination level, and facility layout.
How often should a factory be cleaned?
Food processing floors: daily or per-shift. General manufacturing: weekly or fortnightly. Heavy engineering with oil contamination: twice weekly. Welfare facilities: daily. High-level structures: quarterly or bi-annually. Full deep clean: during annual shutdowns. The optimal frequency depends on sector, production volume, and regulatory requirements.
What health and safety measures do your teams follow?
Every factory clean operates under a documented risk assessment and method statement. All operatives hold Safe Pass certification and receive site-specific induction. Additional measures include COSHH assessments, manual handling training, working at height certification, confined space entry training where applicable, PPE compliance monitoring, and near-miss reporting. All documentation is available to your safety officer on request.
Do you clean pharmaceutical factories?
We clean all facility areas surrounding cleanroom environments: warehousing, corridors, changing rooms, welfare, offices, loading docks, and external areas. For ISO-classified cleanroom maintenance, specialist operators are required. We offer enhanced documentation including cleaning validation records and batch traceability. See our pharmaceutical cleaning page for details.
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