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.
Beyond Cleaning: Why Sanitisation and Disinfection Matter
Regular cleaning removes visible dirt and reduces the microbial load on surfaces. But cleaning alone cannot eliminate the pathogens that cause illness outbreaks, healthcare-associated infections, and sick building problems. This is where professional sanitisation and disinfection come in.
The distinction is important. Sanitisation reduces bacteria to a safe level as defined by public health standards — typically a 99.9% reduction. Disinfection goes further, killing or inactivating 99.99% or more of bacteria, viruses, and fungi on a surface. The method you need depends on your environment, your risk profile, and whether you are dealing with a proactive prevention programme or a reactive outbreak response.
Optus Glean provides both scheduled sanitisation programmes for ongoing protection and emergency disinfection services for outbreak response. We use three primary methods — touchpoint disinfection, electrostatic spraying, and ULV fogging — each suited to different situations and environments.
Our Disinfection Methods
Touchpoint Disinfection
Touchpoint disinfection targets the surfaces that people touch most frequently: door handles, light switches, lift buttons, handrails, desks, keyboards, phones, taps, flush handles, and shared equipment. Studies show that 80% of infection transmission occurs through hand contact with contaminated surfaces. By focusing disinfection efforts on these high-touch surfaces, you achieve the greatest infection reduction for the lowest cost.
Optus Glean provides touchpoint disinfection as part of our regular office cleaning contracts and as a standalone service. For offices, we typically recommend daily touchpoint disinfection during peak illness season (October to March) and twice-weekly during the rest of the year. For healthcare facilities, touchpoint disinfection is performed on every cleaning visit.
Electrostatic Spraying
Electrostatic spraying is the most efficient method for disinfecting large areas with complex geometry — rooms full of furniture, equipment, or fixtures that would take hours to wipe manually. The sprayer imparts a positive electrical charge to the disinfectant droplets, which are then attracted to the naturally negatively charged surfaces. The droplets wrap around objects, coat undersides and hidden surfaces, and reach into gaps and crevices that manual application cannot.
The benefits are significant: up to 65% less chemical consumption, up to 50% faster application time, and more thorough coverage than manual spraying or wiping. Electrostatic spraying is ideal for classrooms, open-plan offices, waiting rooms, hotel guest rooms, gyms, and any space where speed and thoroughness are both important.
ULV Fogging
Ultra-Low Volume fogging disperses disinfectant as an extremely fine mist (droplet size 5 to 50 microns) that fills the entire volume of a room and settles on every surface. It is the most comprehensive disinfection method available, reaching every surface including ceilings, the backs of radiators, the insides of open cabinets, and any surface that is otherwise inaccessible.
Fogging is the method of choice for post-outbreak decontamination, periodic deep disinfection of healthcare facilities, food production environments, and any situation where complete surface coverage is required. The room must be unoccupied during fogging and for 1 to 2 hours afterwards to allow the fog to settle and the disinfectant to achieve its required contact time.
Post-Outbreak Decontamination
When an illness outbreak occurs in a workplace, school, or healthcare facility, rapid and thorough decontamination is essential to stop the spread. Whether it is norovirus in a school, influenza in an office, COVID in a care home, or a gastrointestinal outbreak in a hotel, the process is the same:
- Assessment — We identify the pathogen (or suspected pathogen), map the affected areas, and determine the appropriate disinfectant and method.
- Pre-clean — All surfaces are cleaned with detergent to remove organic matter. Disinfectants are ineffective on dirty surfaces — the organic matter shields the pathogen from the chemical.
- Disinfection — Using the appropriate method (usually electrostatic spraying or fogging), we apply an EN 14476 (virucidal) and EN 13727 (bactericidal) tested disinfectant with a validated contact time.
- Verification — ATP bioluminescence testing is used to verify that surfaces have been decontaminated to safe levels. Results are documented for compliance and audit purposes.
- Certification — We provide a written decontamination certificate confirming the areas treated, the products used, the methods employed, and the ATP test results. This document is essential for HSE, HIQA, and employer duty-of-care records.
Sectors and Applications
- Offices and corporate buildings — Scheduled touchpoint disinfection during flu season, post-outbreak response, and periodic deep disinfection. Combine with office cleaning for integrated hygiene management.
- Healthcare facilities — HIQA-aligned terminal cleaning and disinfection, post-outbreak decontamination, and scheduled fogging for high-risk areas. Part of our comprehensive healthcare cleaning service.
- Schools and creches — Regular sanitisation during term time, outbreak response for norovirus and flu, and deep disinfection during school holidays.
- Hotels and hospitality — Guest room disinfection between stays, public area sanitisation, kitchen and food preparation area disinfection, and outbreak response.
- Gyms and leisure centres — Equipment disinfection, changing room sanitisation, and swimming pool area treatment.
- Food production and catering — HACCP-compliant disinfection of production areas, cold rooms, and equipment surfaces.
- Transport — Vehicle interior disinfection for buses, taxis, ambulances, and fleet vehicles.
Products and Standards
The disinfectant products we use are selected based on their tested efficacy against specific pathogen types. All products hold one or more of the following European standard certifications:
- EN 14476 — Virucidal activity (tested against enveloped and non-enveloped viruses)
- EN 13727 — Bactericidal activity (tested against key bacterial pathogens)
- EN 13624 — Fungicidal activity (tested against Candida and Aspergillus species)
- EN 17272 — Airborne disinfection by automated processes (specific to fogging)
- BPR compliant — All products registered under the EU Biocidal Products Regulation
We do not use generic bleach solutions or unregistered disinfectants. Every product we apply has documented efficacy at the concentration and contact time we use in the field. Product safety data sheets (SDS) are available for every chemical used in your premises.
Scheduled Sanitisation Programmes
Prevention is always better than response. Optus Glean provides scheduled sanitisation programmes designed to reduce the baseline microbial load in your premises and minimise the risk of illness outbreaks. A typical programme includes:
- Daily — Touchpoint disinfection of high-traffic surfaces as part of the regular cleaning visit
- Weekly — Electrostatic spray of shared areas (meeting rooms, kitchens, reception)
- Monthly — Full-premises electrostatic spray or fogging treatment
- Quarterly — ATP testing and hygiene audit to verify cleaning and disinfection effectiveness
Programmes are tailored to your sector, occupancy levels, and risk profile. Healthcare facilities require more frequent and intensive disinfection than offices. Schools need enhanced protocols during winter illness season. Hotels benefit from guest room disinfection between every stay.
Frequently Asked Questions About Sanitisation and Disinfection
How much does commercial disinfection cost in Ireland?
Touchpoint disinfection for a standard office (up to 500 sqm): €200–€500. Electrostatic spraying: €400–€800. ULV fogging: €300–€600. Post-outbreak decontamination of a large facility: €1,000–€3,000+. Regular contract clients receive preferential per-visit pricing.
What is the difference between cleaning, sanitisation, and disinfection?
Cleaning removes visible dirt using detergent. Sanitisation reduces bacteria to safe levels (99.9% reduction). Disinfection kills virtually all bacteria, viruses, and fungi (99.99%+ reduction). For most commercial environments, regular cleaning with periodic sanitisation is sufficient. Disinfection is needed after outbreaks, in healthcare, and in food production.
How does electrostatic spraying work?
Electrostatic spraying charges disinfectant droplets with a positive electrical charge. Surfaces carry a natural negative charge, so droplets are attracted to them like a magnet — wrapping around objects and coating hidden surfaces. It uses 65% less chemical, is 50% faster than manual application, and achieves more thorough coverage.
How long after disinfection can staff return to the building?
Touchpoint disinfection: safe when dry (5–15 minutes). Electrostatic spraying: 30–60 minutes. ULV fogging: 1–2 hours, with 30 minutes ventilation before reoccupation. Optus Glean schedules services outside business hours wherever possible to eliminate disruption.
Is fogging effective for killing viruses and bacteria?
Yes, when performed correctly with EN 14476 and EN 13727 tested disinfectants. ULV fogging reaches every surface in a room. However, surfaces must be clean before fogging — organic matter shields pathogens from the chemical. Fogging is an additional layer of protection, not a substitute for regular cleaning.
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