Garage Dust Collection: How To Keep Clean
If your home is like most homes, chances are there are a few areas of your residence that are a little bit dustier than others. Some of them may be so dusty, they look like the creepy attic in a horror movie, or maybe an Egyptian tomb. It’s not a surprise that many homeowners have garage dust collection problems.
However, if you’re among the living, and you’re not trying to sell your home to paranormal enthusiasts, you probably don’t want the rooms in your house looking like they haven’t been cleaned since FDR was president (that’s almost 75 years ago, just FYI).
Your garage is actually one of the zones in your house that may be particularly hard to keep dust-free, but here are a few ways you can keep it clean.
Seal the Gates! Er…We Mean the Concrete
If you can picture the dust as an army of orcs about to stampede the castle than shout out the command to seal their gateway to filling your attic with the dust-mite horde: your concrete.
That’s right, one of the leading causes of dust in your garage is actually concrete that’s not properly sealed. Concrete that hasn’t gone through a good sealing process will start to decompose when moisture, oil, and grease start to get all up in its business (and if you know anything about motor vehicles, those are some things that can definitely work their way into the concrete under or around a car).
The process of decomposition results in some cannibalistic concrete that starts to consume itself, in a manner of speaking, producing a side effect of rock and cement dust that becomes airborne every time you drag items across the floor, move stuff or even just walk around your garage.
The solution here is to seal the concrete with a good quality sealant that will go into the concrete, and not just float around on top like some dude in the lazy river sipping on a shatterproof bottle of bud light and soaking in the sun. Good sealant that gets into the concrete will stop the progress of any moisturizing agent like water or oil, preventing the breakdown process from occurring, while also filling hairline cracks and prolonging the life of your floor.
Change the Filter on Your HVAC
If you have some sort of heating and/or cooling system attached to your garage, take a look at the filter. The number one job of the filter is to pull unwanted particles out of the air that could otherwise damage the HVAC system, but from time to time, the filter will need to be retired—to the garbage bin (if it’s disposable, which, chances are, it is).
When the filter becomes clogged, it can’t assist in filtering the air properly, and the dust particles can start to build up all over your junk. And by the way, if the HVAC isn’t working properly because the filters are stuffed and clogging the vents, then the whole system will be overworked, and probably costing you a lot of money with higher bills.
While it’s easy to notice filters inside of your home, it’s easy to overlook the ones in less frequently inhabited areas such as your garage, so take a look in the old carport, storage unit or man cave (whatever you’ve deemed it) and see how things are going out there.
Clean it
This one may seem obvious, but we figure it’s worth mentioning in case any readers overlook this suggestion in favor of some magical alternatives.
Just like your home, your garage can acquire dust particles from the normal activities of daily life that occur in your home. After all, the biggest causes of dust (in general) are pet fur, fabric, human hair, and dead skin. Pretty gross, but important to understand when it comes to dust: it has to be cleaned up regularly, otherwise it will build.
Wipe down your counters with microfiber cloths, or perhaps some of those handy wipes they sell at the store in ten different varieties like lemon, lavender, bleach, and lemon-lavender-bleach. Microfiber cloths are especially good for wiping down surfaces because they will trap the dust, rather than just push it around like a broom.
Make sure the concrete is not creating dust, and that it’s properly sealed before cleaning it, also with some sort of microfiber mop. There are a variety of cleaning fluids that geared towards specific uses, but whatever you use, make sure it isn’t corrosive because you don’t want to start breaking down the concrete again.
Alkaline cleaners are best, but good old-fashioned bleach and water are good options to lift away dirt and oil. Make sure you wear something that can get splashed and splotched, because you may end up looking like a modern art painting after cleaning the floor.
Protect the Space Around the Door
Another culprit in the dust pile-up happening within your garage may be coming from the small space between the garage door and the door frame. Dust, dirt, leaves, and other dirt-carrying elements such as rain and the runoff from snow and ice can potentially find their way into your garage if your garage door is not properly sealed.
Consider attaching some good weatherstripping to the door, on the bottom, and around the sides too, so that you can keep unwanted debris out…not to mention potential bugs, which can make a gnarly fossilized addition to the dust piles in your garage space.
Another thing you can do to minimize dust and dirt entering your garage is to utilize a floor mat. You would wipe your feet when entering your home, so why not do the same when you enter the garage? Keeping a mat three or four paces thick in front of the garage door can minimize dirt and dust getting carried in by foot and even by tire. Emptying the mat out by shaking it or washing it every week will really go a long way in keeping potential dust out of your garage.
Clean the Air
Consider getting an air filtration system to remove particles from the atmosphere inside your garage. These machines are manufactured by a number of well known, reputable companies, and work on filtering the air and pull out particles (similar to a dehumidifier that pulls water particles out of the air).
This option is especially appealing and useful if you repeatedly engage in activities such as woodworking in your garage, which create large amounts of dust and debris, or if your pet calls the garage home. If there’s no alternative place for these activities or residents, then your garage will be sure to have a steady stream of new dust necessitating regular cleanups unless you make a serious effort to preemptively clear the air.
Conclusion
Whether you need to seal the garage floor, clean the air with an air purifier, weatherproof the door, put down mats, change the air filter, or just give the garage some good old fashioned elbow grease, there is a solution for the dust-bunny buildup.
You might find that a mix and match approach of all these tactics is the surefire way to beat the dust-bunny invasion, but really even just one or two of these options will yield some serious improvement in the appearance of your garage.
Keep Your New Custom Garage Clean
If your garage is old, moldy, or in need of a serious upgrade, get a free quote with Danleys for your next custom-built garage. Get a free quote with Danleys and see why over 100,000 homeowners in the Chicagoland area trust us.
