In the aftermath of COVID-19, surface hygiene surged into the spotlight, but the air around us remains a largely invisible risk. For facility managers, in-house teams and commercial cleaning providers, airborne pathogens, allergens and pollutants present a growing threat that cleaning regimes can no longer ignore.
Indoor air quality has a direct impact on health, safety and productivity, especially in sealed environments like offices, classrooms, aged care homes and transport hubs. Yet unlike a spotless floor or gleaming handrail, clean air leaves no visible trace. This makes it harder to monitor and even harder to maintain, particularly without a cohesive strategy.
“We’ve spent decades defining ‘clean’ by what we can see, smell and touch, like shiny floors, sparkling restrooms or the sweet fragrance of a cleaner,” ISSA senior director Dr Gavin Macgregor-Skinner says. “But air has always been the invisible variable. Even after COVID-19 made airborne transmission headline news, the industry largely fell back into old routines. Surface cleaning is easy to audit visually. Air hygiene demands new metrics, a shift in mindset and often a different skill set, and that makes it easier to sideline.”
From surfaces to spaces
A growing number of cleaning providers are beginning to shift their attention upwards. Portable air purification units, UV-C air sterilisation and real-time CO₂ monitors are entering the cleaning toolkit, not as nice-to-haves, but as essentials.
“You don’t need a full-scale HVAC retrofit to start improving indoor air quality,” says Macgregor-Skinner. “Simple steps like placing portable HEPA units in high-use areas, regularly cleaning and inspecting ventilation systems, and using low-VOC cleaning products all make a difference. Even something as basic as coordinating cleaning with ventilation cycles by increasing airflow during and after cleaning can significantly reduce airborne exposure.”
In high-traffic or high-risk settings, air hygiene cannot remain a separate consideration. Cleaning and HVAC teams are beginning to collaborate more closely, with data creating the link. Smart systems now provide live feedback on air quality, helping teams adjust cleaning schedules, ventilation settings or even occupancy in real time.
Redefining what ‘clean’ means
This shift signals a deeper change in how cleanliness is defined. Visual cues no longer tell the full story. Hygiene must be traceable, measurable and increasingly breathable.
“Real-time indoor air quality monitoring is doing for air hygiene what ATP testing did for surface cleanliness. It’s making the invisible visible,” Macgregor-Skinner says. “As monitors become more affordable and integrated into smart buildings, I’m seeing air quality metrics appear in contracts, audits and ESG reporting. Facilities are not just saying the air is clean, they are proving it with data to back it up.”
With rising expectations and tightening regulations, air hygiene is emerging as a point of competitive advantage. Service providers who can deliver total indoor environmental health, with air and surfaces working in sync, are setting a new benchmark.
As awareness grows, one message is becoming clear. Clean air is not the sole concern of HVAC contractors. It is a hygiene imperative.
A version of this article first appeared in CMM.
