Some Methods to tidying the basements

We have learned on how to clean the basements in the other articles, now it is come to the last part before we close the basement for the next time cleaning. CARPENTRY TOOLS. In a household of putterers no items of equipment are more elusive than carpentry tools.

Screwdrivers, small hammers, and such items apparently have a life of their own, migrating according to the dictates of fancy to locations ranging from the attic to the basement This is why so many women have learned to use hairpins, knives, and kitchen scissors for an amazingly wide variety of minor repair jobs. However, if you can achieve it, there is nothing like a well organized carpentry bench in the basement-with jars for nails, tacks, and screws of various sizes, and racks for tools, neatly arranged. Tools can be kept from rusting by rubbing off spots of corrosion with emery cloth, and wiping the metal parts with olive oil or Vaseline. Store sharp tools safely in racks or on their sides to protect the cutting edges. There are wall racks with adjustable pegs that encourage the neat disposal of small tools and you might want to try one of those. The problem, though, is to get members of the family to put the tools back into place after using them.

FIREWOOD stacked in the basement should be arranged, if possible, in a place that has a cement rather than a dirt floor. This is because the wood may possibly contain termites, which need a contact with the moisture contained in earth to survive. Other insects likely to be hibernating in firewood may emerge in the warmth of the house but are not likely to cause damage or to survive very long. If you are squeamish about them, spray the walls and floor of the wood storage area and the inside of your wood box with 5 per cent DDT.

Spraying the wood itself is not desirable. THE PRESENCE OF TERMITES is sometimes indicated by mysterious little piles of wood dust on window sills, accum¬ulations of insects' wings, or strange little earthen tubes extend¬ing from soil to wood. If you notice these, call for help from an exterminator. DISPOSE OF ALL TRASH. And now, in words anyhow, the work centers of the basement have been straightened up. Put all the trash you have collected into suitable containers, to be taken away by the collector next time he comes.

When you get rid of all the old papers and rags, wood shavings, and litter that accumulate in the neatest of basements you are safeguarding your home against fire. DUST DOWN THE WALLS and ceiling now, with brush or broom, also any water and heating pipes that may be exposed. Sweep the floor clean and let's call it a day.

IN SWEEPING THE FLOOR you may want to use a sweeping compound to keep the dust down, or to dampen your broom with water. Should you have a floor drain, make sure it is free of litter and in good working order. If the basement floor is cemented and you want to wash it, follow the directions that have already been given for the best and easiest way to do it. IS IT TOO DARK IN YOUR BASEMENT, even with the 100-watt electric bulbs? Even after wiping the windows dust-free with a dry cloth or washing them? Have you ever thought that whitewashing the walls might make it much lighter? Whitewash is better than oil paint for a basement inclined to be damp.

And, now let's get out of here-clean up, and have dinner in some nice restaurant. Arrange the firewood on a clean cement floor. spray the walls and floor of the wood storage area and the inside of your wood box with insecticides.

Dispose all the trash from the basements. Dust down the walls and ceiling and last touch by sweeping the floor. Check the light in the your basement before you leave it.

Mitch Johnson is a regular writer for http://www.kitchen-plans-n-designs.com/ , http://www.closetorganizerforu.info/ , http://www.closetorganizerguide.info/