While some say a basement is a critical refuge during a tornado, I have discovered that the true value of our basement is its natural ability to accumulate stuff.

In our family “stuff” is something we:

a) want to save because of the memories associated with it.

b) don’t need or use right now, but we might someday.

c) have no clue why we are storing it.

The items in the last category include our own possessions, those that belong to our grown children (and their friends) and a few things we have no recollection of ever having seen before.

Cold, rainy weather pushes me to clean out the basement. But the task is daunting, demanding a certain mental discipline – where to start, what to keep, what to toss out. It also requires sturdy boxes, marking pens, shelves and, of course, trash bags.

Knowing where to start is often a dilemma since many basements combine spaces that serve as a workshop and a play area amidst the general collection of miscellaneous clutter. Fortunately, it isn’t necessary to clean out all areas of the basement in one fell swoop. Just pick a place and begin.

Start with the area having the most urgent need. If you need the workshop for an upcoming project, start there. If the kids can’t see the forest for the trees of toys, begin to organize that first. If merely sorting through the heap of accumulated clutter would make the greatest improvement, arm yourself with the courage to tackle that head on.

By and large, you have three choices :quot; toss out, save and store, and donate or sell. The toss-out items will be those things that are truly useless, such as broken toys, parts to things that have long since been missing and the like. With trash bag in hand, begin the process.

Why continue to store an old radio that no longer works? (And don’t say you’re saving it for parts.) Or a car seat that has been recalled? If you are getting rid of years worth of old magazines, plastic grocery sacks are ideal. You can put in several magazines, but not so many as to make the sack too heavy to lift.

If you can’t decide whether to toss out an item or keep it, put it aside and decide later.

Items with strong sentimental value or that will be used in the future :quot; either by you or by future generations :quot; are worth saving. Make sure clothing or linens are clean before you box them up. Label the boxes before putting them on a shelf or one corner of the room.

A word of caution about saving things for future use by others. While a few really may come in handy, many more likely are the victims of your fanciful illusion that others will cherish your hand-me-downs. For nearly a quarter of a century I saved old curtains from a home I once lived in thinking that my children would want them in their homes once they became adults. It didn’t happen.

Have other boxes handy for items you want to donate or sell at a yard sale. The same rule applies for things you want to donate as for those that you store. Make sure they are clean and useable. Box them up and deliver them as soon as possible. Set aside items that you want to sell at a yard sale.

The workshop requires more physical labor than mental. Put back tools, vacuum up all the sawdust, organize leftover lumber, screws, nails and the like. Be sure to dispose of old paint cans, paint thinner and other hazardous products safely.

There, you’re almost done. Just one thing left. Now that you’ve found that stationary bike, you must decide: start pedaling or sell it?

:quot; Carol Boncella is education coordinator at Lawrence Memorial Hospital and home and garden writer for the Journal-World.