For more than 100 years, the commercial cleaning industry has judged its work based on a simple binary standard: “Does it look good, and does it smell good?” A “yes” answer meant success. Now we know that it is the invisible threats, such as indoor air quality (IAQ), fine particles (PM 2.5), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and other environmental exposures, which matter most to human health.

Thankfully, modern buildings and maintenance operations have access to a wide range of relatively inexpensive indoor environmental sensors to track exposures in real time and dynamically, empowering professional cleaning organizations to transition from a rigid calendar-driven process (“Zone A gets vacuumed at 7 a.m.”) to a Total Integrated Measurement of the Environment Framework (TIME Framework™); i.e., moving away from rote cleaning routines to Localized Applied Science Environmental Routines (LASER™) based on actual environmental needs.

This is timely as the profession needs a LASER-focused plan to realize its potential to protect the health of workers and customers, and reap related rewards such as:

• Healthier workers, resulting in higher productivity and less absenteeism.
• Customers that are part of the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), WELL, and Fitwel ecosystems and willing to pay a premium for healthier indoor spaces with intrinsic business benefits.
• Client retention due to specialized expertise available nowhere else.

‘Just in TIME Framework’ cleaning model

View the building as a patient that needs targeted treatment by:

1. Mapping facility needs and installing the sensors. Just as doctors prescribe ECG (electrocardiogram) patches, CGM (continuous glucose monitors), and CBP (continuous blood pressure) monitors to track patient health, LASER-focused companies embed environmental and occupancy sensors in areas prone to environmental issues:

• • High-traffic areas: Classrooms, lobbies, cafeterias, conference rooms, and main corridors.
  • Stagnant air zones: Conference rooms, office cubicles, mail and copy rooms.
  • Pollutant pathways: Near HVAC vents, exterior entryways where contaminants get tracked in.

The goal is to track IAQ—e.g., particles, total volatile organic compounds (TVOCs), humidity—and real-time occupancy or traffic.

2. Setting numeric environmental thresholds. Define clean and dirty in an exposure context. Become familiar with environmental health thresholds, such as RESET^® (Regenerative, Ecological, Social, and Economic Targets) or WELL standards, to establish baseline thresholds that trigger an investigation into sources and a cleaning or operational response.
3. Integrating data with dynamic dispatch software. Connect sensors to software that tracks environmental conditions and can dispatch workers with the skills and experience to mitigate a problem and/or adjust procedures.
4. Applying LASER-focus. A “Just in TIME Framework”-trained cleaning technician does not just push a broom. They deploy Localized Applied Science Environmental Routines (LASER) as countermeasures based on the data:

• • For dust/particle spikes: Deploy HEPA-filtered, well-maintained vacuums and damp microfiber cloths to capture rather than scatter dust.
  • For high-occupancy areas: Focus on sanitizing high-touch vectors (doorknobs, elevator buttons, shared desks, and counters).
  • For VOCs: Identify the source (e.g., VOCs from printer toner or a chemical spill) and use air-scrubbing equipment that includes activated carbon to remove gases.

5. Validating results and providing feedback to customers. The beauty of the LASER-focused TIME Framework is built-in quality assurance. Once the cleaning technician completes the targeted work, real-time sensors should reflect a drop in airborne particles or VOCs within minutes. This data validates the effectiveness of cleaning intervention, providing a digital receipt of health.

The business case for a TIME Framework

If changing your entire cleaning system sounds daunting, look closely at the huge strategic and financial advantages that the LASER-focused TIME Framework provides.

1. Radical resource gains. Traditional cleaning wastes massive amounts of labor when janitors spend hours vacuuming relatively clean floors in lightly used parts of a building just because it is “on the schedule.”A busy conference room may remain dirty until its next scheduled cleaning. The TIME Framework reallocates labor to where it is truly needed, since with LASER, you stop both over-cleaning and under-cleaning.
2. Improved health and employee productivity. Indoor dust is not just unsightly; it is an unhealthy cocktail of skin flakes, pollen, outdoor pollutants, and microscopic hitchhikers. When foot traffic drives dust into the breathing zone, cognitive function drops and absenteeism rises. By addressing IAQ dynamically, employers see a direct correlation between fewer sick days and more effective, focused workers.
3. Verification over appearance. In the past, management relied on visual inspections or complaints to judge cleaning quality. The TIME Framework shifts the paradigm from subjective opinion to LASER-focused validation.
4. Sustainability and longer asset life. Effective cleaning reduces environmental impact and unnecessary chemical use in a building by using specialized products only where needed. Also, removing abrasive dust particles from carpet and finishes as they accumulate prevents them from embedding into fibers and surfaces, greatly extending the lifespan of costly flooring and furniture.

The new age success story

The “sensor-fication” of buildings is not a passing fad; it is the new standard of intelligent building design and operations. The professional cleaning organizations that continue to rely on mindless schedules and visual guesswork will find themselves phased out by leaner, smarter competitors.

By mastering the Total Integrated Measurement of the Environment Framework (TIME Framework) with a LASER focus, professional cleaning elevates itself from a commoditized expense to a data-driven partner in corporate and employee wellness. It’s time to stop cleaning by the clock. It is time to clean using a just in TIME Framework.

The 501(c)(3) Indoor Exposure Index (INDEX) provides information, education, and training to manage and index indoor exposures with the aim of improving indoor environmental health. Through partnerships with key organizations such as ISSA, INDEX strives to achieve its mission and make a significant impact on public health. The Indoor Health Council (IHC) is the voice of INDEX, serving to educate and enable consumers and professionals in adopting better strategies that protect health. The information for this article was prepared exclusively for ISSA Today by the INDEX Board of Directors and its Executive Director, Allen Rathey.