THE PROBLEM IN THE BASEMENT, unless it is a deluxe edition, is dust, grit, cobwebs, and clutter, the job-to sweep, arrange, and firmly discard. Here we are likely to encounter a type of junk altogether different from that found in the upper reaches, especially if the family includes boys. There will be garden tools in various conditions, old brushes and brooms, disembowled and dissected mechanical gear which has yielded desired parts, or is allegedly being persuaded to "work"; and cans of paint in different stages of decomposition.



Since the value of many of the mysterious and assorted items found in a basement is difficult for a mere woman to assess, you are in a real jam down here. No boy ever wants to part with hardware, whatever its condition. If you consult about it you will be lost. And, if you do not consult and blithely toss out the stuff you will be riveted with an icy glare and informed that the rusting, ancient pump, the beat-up dicta?phone, or wheezy radio was either on the verge of yielding im?portant parts or its troubles approximately diagnosed. Again, if you attempt to store the stuff in boxes, you will find that you have solved the problem only temporarily. In less than a week somebody looking for something will have it out and scattered all over the place again. So this is a problem you will have to solve yourself.

GOOD ORGANIZATION is perhaps the foundation for keeping the basement under control. In other words, work centers must be established?places for garden equipment, paints, woodworking tools and so forth.

WHEN YOU CLEAN YOUR BASEMENT, tie a cloth around your head to protect it from dust, wear work gloves, and descend toting your next-to-best broom or floor brush.

BEGIN WITH STAIRWAY, cleaning it as you go. Base?ment stairs, often poorly lighted, should always be kept in good repair and clear of objects that might trip someone in a hurry and send him headlong in a nasty fall. Before you start straightening the place, why not unscrew any penny-pinching electric bulbs you may have been using and replace them with 100-watt numbers that will provide really good light.

IF YOU GO IN FOR HOME CANNING, you might start with the shelves used to store jelly glasses and fruit jars. Thor?oughly dust and clean the shelves and arrange the empty jars and glasses neatly according to their size. Sort over jars of home-canned foods and remove any that may have spoiled. This is one organization, or work, center.

PAINTS AND PAINTING EQUIPMENT may comprise another. If you have a small cabinet that can be used for paint storage that will be fine. Place all paints that you have on hand on the shelves and provide for the brushes on the inner side of the doors. Steel wool, sandpapers, emery cloth, thinners, scrapers, rollers, and all other equipment that may have to do with painting, can be kept together here so that it will never be necessary to waste time hunting them. This cabinet, or shelf if you do not have a cabinet, should be located away from any source of heat as a precaution against fire. Oily or paint-stained rags used in a painting job should be discarded after use, never saved to be used again.

Make sure that you don't leave anything on the stairways to constitute a safety hazard. If it is difficult for you to remove the un-used equipment, you can organize them in the boxes as per their used, function and size.

When we go to clean the basement, protect your head with the cloth to protect it from dust. Check the stairs and make sure that they are in good condition to avoid fatal accident. Store the paints and painting equipment on the inner side of the doors to make it easier for you to find them when you need them and they can be kept together.