I am by no means
or stretch of the imagination a professional organizer. Occasionally, I pretend
to be one as organizing, thank G-d, is something that has always come easily to
me. Ask my childhood friends about the way I used to enter their
hurricane-wreckage bedrooms and leave them spick-and-span – as if Mary Poppins
herself had paid a visit. As someone who is tidy by nature, I am here to offer
some suggestions, recommendations, and advice related to the oh-so-daunting
holiday prep that is Pesach.
De-Panicking Pesach
Something about Pesach
induces panic in many women. What to do first? Step back and take deep,
cleansing breaths. Break tasks down into small, manageable steps. Picture
yourself successfully completing your to-do list and then take that first step.
Do the tasks that
annoy or frustrate you the most first. Once they have been done, the other jobs
seem more manageable. Create a timeline for yourself, starting backwards from erev Pesach. Put priority items at the
very top of your list (e.g., decluttering, cleaning, menu planning, shopping, and
cooking). Choose one room at a time and focus on that before moving on to
another room.
Delegate tasks as
much as you can. Please be mindful that an untidy area or dirt is not chometz,
so do not refer to that as Pesach cleaning, which adds more and unnecessary
pressure. Rather, consider that general cleaning. A good practice for during
the year is to have designated eating areas, like a dining room and kitchen, so
that you can concentrate mainly on those rooms when searching for and removing chometz.
I am well aware of
the challenge this poses with small children around. Somehow, the smallest and
youngest among us have the ability to create the biggest messes. They are
swift-moving crumb magnets. Honestly, cleaning up while raising children can
feel like brushing your teeth while eating an Oreo. Just do the best you can.
Equip Yourself for Battle
With any job,
large or small, one vital first step is making sure you have the necessary
supplies to complete it successfully. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Some
helpful items to have on hand when faced with Pesach preparation are as follows:
·
Painter’s
tape,
which can be used to mark off chometz areas
without worrying about leaving sticky residue or damaging that surface.
·
Basic
cleaning supplies,
including a mop and bucket or Swiffer-like product, rags, sponges, cleaning
sprays, vacuum cleaner, and garbage bags.
·
Magic
Erasers.
I highly recommend this cleaning staple; they are – well – magic.
·
Old
towels or tablecloths to cover non-Pesach areas. These can be held in place
with large binder clips.
Leave a note to
yourself where you keep Pesach-specific items to remind yourself of what is
needed for the coming year and what worked or did not work to implement or
alter for next Pesach.
Having Fun
Pesach cleaning
can be made fun, especially when involving younger children. Enthusiasm is
contagious. Positive core memories can be created during a time that might
otherwise be extremely stress inducing. Change the perspective, and the
attitudes change with that. I have one such pre-Pesach memory that I have always looked back on fondly. The last Motza’ei
Shabbos night before Pesach, my parents would have us kids change into our
bathing suits and then sudsy, warm water would be dumped on the dining room floor.
Fun would immediately ensue as my brothers and I scrubbed down the floor with
gusto. We were rewarded for this “work” with a pie of pizza, eaten huddled
together in the last chometz-free
area of the house.
Fridge and Stove Tricks
For some reason, I
find cleaning the fridge the most intimidating of all the cleaning tasks. A
hack that I have been implementing over the past few years is purchasing
plastic placemats from a dollar store in place of shelf-liners. This makes
cleanup a more manageable task since the plastic mats easily wipe down in the
sink throughout the year and can be inexpensively replaced when Pesach rolls
back around.
The stove is
another big job. In the dishwasher, I tested washing small, removable parts of
my stove that looked like they had undergone a catastrophic oil spill. After
finding success with the dishwasher, which put in more elbow grease than I
possess, I put larger stove pieces in, leaving them clean and sparkling for Pesach,
only waiting to be covered with that Pesach necessity: heavy-duty foil.
Pre-Pesach Meals
In the weeks
leading up to Pesach, before buying or bringing more chometz food items into the home, shop your own fridge, freezer,
and pantry to create meals out of what you already have. This is especially
important if your family does not keep chometz
in the home over Pesach. It creates less waste, and you will be clearing out
space as you eat through your supplies.
With the weather
turning into those pleasant spring days, take advantage and give your family
porch picnics or, better yet, go on an actual picnic in a park to reward
yourselves for all the effort put in for the upcoming holiday. Squirrels and
rabbits will be happy to assist with those food droppings.
As Pesach creeps
closer, consider meals that can be prepared in a toaster oven or sandwich maker
to allow larger appliances, like the oven, to be kashered earlier. For those who use real dishes during the year,
consider using disposable just for those last few days leading up to Seder. Erev Pesach is also a great time to
replace toothbrushes, which, as a daughter of a dentist, I know should be
replaced every three months regardless.
Plan a hearty meal
to be served on erev Pesach. Shulchan Orech is late, and drinking the
wine of the “four cups” with some food lining your stomach is just a good idea.
I recommend that this last meal, when you are no longer permitted chometz food or matzah, include filling proteins, such as tuna, eggs, or a crockpot
stew. Serve with chopped fruits and veggies. Children pretend to nap so that
they can stay up late for the Seder, but you, as an adult, can try to nap for
real. Even a quick, 30-minute snooze can make a difference and prevent nodding
off into the salt water.
Things to Remember
To summarize: Dirt
is not chometz, do the best you can,
slow and steady wins the race, and spring cleaning is not Pesach cleaning. Consider this your
reminder to empty out all coat pockets and replace your vacuum bag. And do not
feel guilty about eating all your leftover mishloach
manos. You are just doing your part to clean for Pesach! Hatzlacha!
Keep an eye out for a follow-up article on general
decluttering and organization tips.
