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 Ireland 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.

What is the difference between PAYE and casual cleaning contracts?

A PAYE-employed cleaner has a contract of employment, statutory annual leave, paid sick leave under the Sick Leave Act 2022, employer PRSI, pension auto-enrolment, and a fixed weekly schedule. A casual or self-employed cleaner has none of those. The risk of a missed clean sits with the buyer in a casual model and with the provider in a PAYE model. Optus Glean is structured so that the risk sits with us.

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 Ireland 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 Ireland?

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.

Flood Damage Cleanup & Water Extraction Ireland

€6.5M Public Liability

€13M Employer's Liability

Garda Vetted Staff

24/7 Emergency Response

Industrial Drying Equipment

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.

Flooding in Ireland: A Growing Problem

Ireland experiences significant flooding events with increasing frequency. The OPW (Office of Public Works) estimates that over 34,500 properties in Ireland are at significant risk of flooding. Winter storms, heavy rainfall, river overflow, coastal surges, and urban surface water flooding affect communities across the country every year. The storms of recent winters — from Storm Desmond through to the events of 2025 and 2026 — have caused millions of euros in property damage.

But flooding is not only a winter problem or a river problem. Burst pipes, water tank failures, washing machine leaks, blocked drains, and flat roof failures cause water damage year-round in properties of all types. A burst pipe in an unoccupied commercial building over a weekend can flood multiple floors. A blocked drain during heavy rain can back up into a ground-floor apartment. A leaking water tank in an attic can saturate ceilings, walls, and floors before anyone notices.

Whatever the cause, the response needs to be fast. Every hour that water sits in a property, it causes further damage: plasterboard swells, timber warps, flooring delaminates, electrical systems corrode, and mould begins to colonise within 24 to 48 hours. Optus Glean provides 24/7 emergency flood response to minimise damage, accelerate recovery, and get your property back to normal as quickly as possible.

Understanding Water Categories

Not all flood water is the same. The water category determines the health risk and the remediation approach:

Category 1 — Clean Water — From burst supply pipes, water tanks, and rainwater ingress. Poses minimal health risk. Requires extraction, drying, and monitoring. If left untreated for more than 48 hours, clean water can deteriorate to Category 2.
Category 2 — Grey Water — From washing machines, dishwashers, aquariums, minor sewage overflow, and stagnant water. Contains bacteria, chemicals, and organic matter. Requires extraction, sanitisation, and drying. PPE required for handlers.
Category 3 — Black Water — From river flooding, sewage backup, storm drain overflow, and any water that has been standing long enough to develop microbial contamination. Contains dangerous pathogens including E. coli, Salmonella, Cryptosporidium, Hepatitis A, and leptospirosis bacteria. Requires full decontamination, affected porous materials must be removed, and air scrubbing is necessary. Full PPE mandatory.

Most natural flooding in Ireland is Category 3. Even if the water looks relatively clean, river and surface water carries agricultural runoff, sewage, road contaminants, and microbial pathogens. Professional assessment and remediation is essential.

Our Flood Cleanup Process

Emergency Response — Call +353 (47) 37428. We dispatch a team with industrial extraction equipment. For most locations in Ireland, we can be on site within 4 to 8 hours. In flood event situations affecting multiple properties, we scale our response with additional crews and equipment.
Assessment and Documentation — Before any extraction begins, we document the damage with photographs and video for insurance purposes. We assess the water category, measure the extent of the flooding using moisture meters and thermal imaging, and determine which materials are salvageable and which must be removed.
Water Extraction — We deploy industrial submersible pumps capable of extracting up to 5,000 litres per hour, truck-mounted extraction units for large volumes, and wet vacuum systems for residual water. The goal is to remove standing water as quickly as possible to prevent further damage.
Content Removal and Protection — Salvageable contents (furniture, documents, electronics, personal items) are removed, catalogued, and stored. Items requiring specialist drying or restoration are separated. Non-salvageable items are documented for insurance and disposed of.
Strip-Out — For Category 2 and 3 water, contaminated porous materials must be removed. This typically includes plasterboard (cut to at least 300mm above the visible waterline), saturated insulation, carpet and underlay, and any timber that shows signs of rot or irreversible swelling. Strip-out is documented photographically for insurance.
Sanitisation and Decontamination — All surfaces that have been in contact with flood water are treated with broad-spectrum antimicrobial agents. For Category 3 water, this includes fogging with hospital-grade disinfectant, surface application of biocides, and ATP testing to verify decontamination levels. This step is critical — skipping it leads to mould, bacterial contamination, and ongoing health risks.
Structural Drying — Industrial dehumidifiers and air movers are positioned to accelerate the drying of walls, floors, subfloors, and structural timbers. Moisture levels are monitored daily using pin-type and capacitance moisture meters. Drying continues until all materials reach their target moisture content (typically below 15% for timber, below 5% for masonry). This phase takes 5 to 14 days depending on the building construction and the extent of saturation.
Clearance and Handover — Once target moisture levels are achieved, we conduct a final inspection, produce a clearance report with moisture readings, and hand the property over for reinstatement works (replastering, flooring, decoration). We coordinate with contractors as needed.

Insurance Support

Flood damage claims are among the most complex and disputed in the insurance industry. Having thorough documentation from day one makes the difference between a smooth claim and a protracted dispute. Optus Glean provides:

Pre-cleanup photographic and video documentation of all damage
Written assessment of water category, damage extent, and scope of works
Daily moisture monitoring logs throughout the drying period
Itemised inventory of removed and disposed materials
ATP and microbial test results for decontamination verification
Final clearance report with moisture readings confirming safe levels
Itemised invoicing compatible with insurance claim formats

We liaise directly with loss adjusters and insurance assessors. Our documentation is designed to meet the standards that insurers require, reducing the risk of claim disputes and accelerating settlement.

Residential and Commercial Flood Response

Optus Glean provides flood cleanup for all property types:

Homes and apartments — Burst pipes, appliance leaks, roof failures, and natural flooding. We understand the personal impact and work to restore your home as quickly as possible.
Commercial offices — Water damage to IT equipment, documents, flooring, and furniture. We prioritise critical areas to minimise business disruption.
Retail units — Stock damage, shopfront flooding, basement flooding. We work outside trading hours where possible.
Hotels and hospitality — Guest room flooding, plant room leaks, basement flooding. We coordinate with your operations team to minimise guest impact.
Healthcare facilities — HIQA-aligned decontamination. Medical equipment protection. Priority response for patient-facing areas.
Industrial units — Large-volume extraction for warehouses, factories, and workshops. Our industrial cleaning team handles large-scale flood events.

For properties that have suffered flood damage and are now vacant, our carpet and floor cleaning services can restore flooring that has been affected by water but not beyond repair.

Preventing Secondary Damage

The flood itself causes the initial damage, but secondary damage — mould, rot, corrosion, and structural weakening — causes the long-term problems. Every day of delay increases secondary damage exponentially:

24 hours — Mould spores begin to germinate on wet surfaces
48 hours — Visible mould growth begins on organic materials
72 hours — Mould colonies establish and release spores into the air
1 week — Timber begins to warp, swell, and show early signs of rot
2 weeks — Plaster crumbles, metal corrodes, adhesives fail, and structural integrity is compromised

Professional flood response within the first 24 to 48 hours can prevent the majority of secondary damage and reduce total restoration costs by 40 to 60%. This is why speed of response is critical, and why Optus Glean operates a 24/7 emergency line.

Frequently Asked Questions About Flood Cleanup

How much does flood cleanup cost in Ireland?

Flood cleanup costs €800 to €10,000+ depending on severity. Single room with clean water: €800–€2,000. Full ground floor from river flooding: €3,000–€8,000. Severe cases with sewage contamination or multi-storey damage: €10,000+. Most flood damage is covered by insurance. Optus Glean provides detailed documentation for claims.

Does home insurance cover flood damage in Ireland?

Most comprehensive policies cover sudden water damage (burst pipes, storms). River and surface water flood cover varies — some policies exclude high-risk areas or carry higher excesses. Check your policy wording carefully. Optus Glean provides insurance-grade documentation and liaises directly with loss adjusters to support your claim.

How long does it take to dry out a flooded house?

With professional industrial drying equipment, 5 to 14 days depending on the building materials and extent of saturation. Without professional equipment, natural drying can take 6 to 12 months, during which mould, rot, and secondary damage develop. Professional drying is always recommended to prevent long-term problems.

What should you do immediately after a flood?

Ensure safety first — turn off electricity before entering. Contact your insurer. Call Optus Glean on +353 (47) 37428 for emergency extraction. Document damage with photos and video before cleanup. Do not use domestic vacuums, heaters, or fans — they are ineffective and can create hazards.

Is flood water dangerous?

Yes. Most natural flooding is Category 3 (black water) containing dangerous bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Direct contact can cause gastroenteritis, leptospirosis, hepatitis, and skin infections. Even clean water damage (Category 1) deteriorates to Category 2 within 48 hours. Professional decontamination is essential for any flood involving grey or black water.

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