The first part of the review summarizes the problem of air pollution and related air-cleaning technologies. Volatile organic compounds in particular have various effects on health and their abatement is a key issue. Different ways to couple non-thermal plasmas with catalytic or adsorbing materials are listed. In particular, a comparison between in-plasma and post-plasma coupling is made. Studies dealing with plasma-induced heterogeneous reactivity are analysed, as well as the possible modifications of the catalyst surface under plasma exposure. As an alternative to the conventional and widely studied plasma–catalyst coupling, a sequential approach has been recently proposed whereby pollutants are first adsorbed onto the material, then oxidized by switching on the plasma. Such a sequential approach is reviewed in detail.