Pesach Cleaning

This is for real.

No more winter cleaning. No more spring cleaning. This is Pesach cleaning.

Once the shaloch manos baskets and bags are emptied and put away, once the costumes are packed up to be stored for another year, and once the house is back in normal working order - THERE IS NO MORE SPRING CLEANING THAT TAKES PLACE IN MY HOUSE.

None.

Any cleaning that gets done is true Pesach cleaning. (My husband will argue with this statement, saying that there are still things I am cleaning that are not true areas of chametz. That the shelves in the wall unit don't have chametz and we won't be eating there, etc...) But you get the point.

There should be no organizing of closets, no flipping of mattresses, no cleaning out file cabinets. If you have a lot of time on your hands and/or you are hiring a lot of help to do this for you, by all means, knock yourself out with all of those tasks and more. If, however, you are like me and are juggling a gazillion things each day and you are wondering how Shabbos will be prepared this week, let alone sitting down to a seder in 4 and 1/2 weeks from now, head my advice -
CLEAN ONLY WHAT NEEDS TO BE CLEANED.

If you are wondering how you can possibly clean your closets for Pesach when they are so disorganized and overflowing with clothes? You can. Without that much difficulty.

Basically, the time has passed for spring cleaning. (Don't worry, you will get your time again when busy season is over. The mess will be still be waiting for you.)

Once Purim ends, you have 4 weeks. Only time for the essentials.

You have your calendar, right? If not, see last post.

Take a piece of paper and make a list of the rooms that need to get cleaned before you usher in the Festival of Freedom. Each line will be equivalent to one day's worth of work. So if it takes you 3 days to do your kitchen, give it 3 lines and break it down by specifics in that room.

My list went like this:

1. Master bedroom and bathroom
2. Girls' Bedroom
3. Hall Bathroom, "Hole in the Hall", Girls' Bathroom
4. Living Room
5. Dining Room
6. Den Couch and open shelves
7. Den Cabinets and Hallway
8. Yitzi's room
9. Guest Room, bathroom, hallway, gemach closet
10. Laundry room and Basement Hallway
11. Boys' Room and Bathroom
12. Rec Room and storage room
13. Kitchen - ovens and refrigerator
14. Kitchen - rest of kitchen
15. Turn over kitchen

You want to aim for less than 20 entries, because if you start cleaning on Monday, you have 20 days (I didn't include Friday or Shabbos as days even if you can get things done on motzsai Shabbos.)

Get your list written. Walk through your house if you need to so you don't forget any major rooms.

Tomorrow we will make your calendar.