Bicycle Mechanics - 4 Dawgs, 2 Bikes and a severe dust problem!

I have a 100 year old garage, with a small workshop attached. The workshop is sealed off from the 2 car garage with a wall and a door. I keep my 4 dawgs in the workshop at night. Because they're in the yard all day, they bring dirt into the workshop, and there's alot of dust on the floor. Dust is over everything, my bike tools, my bikes, my bike photos on the wall. I should clean the place once a month, but due to time and pure laziness, I do it once every two years. The workshop had old boards for a floor, with major cracks between the boards. You could see the dirt underneath, and I thought the dust was coming up through the cracks, not from the dogs' paws. So I spent a considerable amount of time installing a tight-fitting plywood floor. No difference in the outcome! Still very dusty, so I have to conclude it's the dogs paws that are bringing the dirt (which becomes dust) in.
Does anybody know about some kind of filter mechanism I can install in my shop which filters out the dust? (without spending a fortune). I would like my shop to look as clean as a NASCAR Winston Cup team shop.

I can't get rid of the dogs -- they're family. Thanks for your input.

PS: I could put my bikes in the two car garage side, but it's a real pain to get the bikes down from the hooks with the cars in there. Also, there's so much stuff in the garage, there really is no room for the bikes. I have more stuff in my garage than I have in my house. (Don't tell me to get rid of my stuff -- I'm a clutterbug, and never throw anything out).

I wouldn't bother with filters, they are a hassle to change and a significant expense.

I would try two things: more air flow and eliminating the dust at the source. You could promote air flow in the shop by installing large exhaust fan(s), or failing that you could probably pick up a couple of used ceiling fans and open the windows from time to time.

You can eliminate dust at the source by planting grass or ground cover, using pea gravel or other stone where grass is not practical.

Dirt floors can be treated with oil or salt water to keep dust down.

As a last resort you could train the dogs to use feather dusters, this would give them something useful to do when hanging around the shop. :)

Dan

The real answer is very inexpensive. Get a broom & sweep on a fairly regular basis. :D

I have four dogs and they stay inside, most of the dust is not dirt but dander. You need to brush them a lot to keep it down. One of them is a Husky and he produces dander that keps his coat waterproof, that boy can dust up a room in a day. He also sheds enough hair to fill a dustbuster EVERY day.

Right Reverend: Thanks for the input, but the dust is tan colored, like dirt. Can dog dander be this color? By the way, are you an Episcopalian priest?

More than likely if your dogs are like mine, they lay in the dirt to stay cool, then come inside and shake. Now you have airborne dirt!

Do you have any windows in your shop? You can get one of those fans that fit in the window frame, but mount it so it blows out, and acts as an exhaust fan. If there are no windows you can get a relatively inexpensive exhaust fan used in bathrooms and vent it to the outside. They pretty easy to install and can be wired to the light switch.

L8R

Spiritual Humanist, they were the only ones that would take me.:D
It is probably mostly dirt then, dander just looks grey and, well, dusty.

vacuum the dogs.

no kidding there is a brush attachment for vacuum cleaner.
I used to have one when I worked with Golden Retriever
Rescue.

Marty

Thanks for your tips on my dust problem. I like the exhaust fan idea, and I will try it. I went to Lowes and looked at air cleaners. They have one for $148 that has the capacity to take care of the square footage, but it has disposable filters which cost $40 each! That's almost more than I spend on dawg food all year! :D