Share your best Pesach tips!

zaq

Wed, Jan 25 2017, 9:05 pm

Just want to point out that organizing closets is so NOT part of Pesach cleaning. Not saying you shouldn't keep things organized but be honest about it. Organizing closets is simply a part of running an organized home, which is an excellent thing but not a religious imperative. Don't make like it is. If the KBH were concerned about the organization of your closets, there would be a commandment to the effect of "Thou shalt not hang a kid's jacket in his mother's closet."

And if you find your closets and drawers somewhat discombobulated a few weeks before Pesach, just leave them be. Clean them if you have reason to think there might be hametz in there, but leave the organizing for another time.

Last edited by zaq on Wed, Jan 25 2017, 9:09 pm; edited 1 time in total

amother

Bronze

Wed, Jan 25 2017, 9:07 pm

Wow, thanks everyone! Loving these tips.

(Marina, the very fact that this thread is in the Pesach forum in January should be enough of a trigger warning.)

imasinger, I will (bli neder) post the article once it's done. (Even though it will mean outing the fact that I'm on this site to those who know me...) I'm also interviewing some personal organizers and a "time management coach" so the tips I am getting here won't be the only information included... but I want to use as many as my word count allows!

zaq - there's no commandment that we shalt organize our coat closets, but it's a good idea so that we don't find Cheerios in the pockets of the aforementioned coats on a chilly Pesach day...

Thanks again and please keep 'em coming!

amother

Royalblue

Wed, Jan 25 2017, 11:21 pm

the crockpot is my best friend.
erev pesach suppers its a quick wash in the tub or some ppl have the crockpot liners so literally no cleanup and very quick prep.
for chol hamoed - put up something in the morning, go out and have fun with the family and come home to delicious food. I always hated that my mother didnt come along on trips because "who else will make supper?". this is my solution fo rmy family.

as for cleaning, I work backwards. what do I want done a week before pesach, two weeks before, then I know when to start. I usually do one room per week finishing the week before. kasher and cook the last week.

amother

Blush

Thu, Jan 26 2017, 2:03 am

I can't spend 3-4 months worrying about 1 week. Yes, if I have a day off from work during the winter I might clean a room or do a closet but Pesach cleaning happens after Purim. I also don't empty out drawers and cabinets in my kitchen. This is one week. I use plastic storage shelves and containers that are brought up from the basement. For the same reason I am not planning a Purim theme up now. A week before Purim we will head to the local stores and come up with great costumes and mishloach manos.

essie14

Thu, Jan 26 2017, 4:41 am

amother wrote:

NO FOOD IN THE BEDROOMS EVER

That doesn't work with older teens, but as one of the posters said above, their rooms are their responsibility. My cleaning lady will do basic cleaning of all kids rooms once a week so I am fairly certain there's no moldy food under beds and things like that all year round. My kids know that they are responsible for making sure their rooms are kosher for Pesach.

amother

Puce

Thu, Jan 26 2017, 11:27 am

I spring clean and sort out closets and drawers first. Clothes that are outgrown, are given away, if not in good enough condition, tossed. This makes room for the new Yom tov clothes, and also helps me compile a list of what each child needs for the spring and summer. (This is a great way to make sure I don't overbuy, and also helps me keep my eyes open for good deals over the months leading up to summer.) I personally love organizing, and this makes me feel like I'm on my way. I also clean out the basement freezer so I can begin stocking up.
Immediately after Purim, the upstairs, basement, living room and entry hall are cleaned. This is relatively easy, just basic cleaning, a bit heavier than regular cleaning. I also turn over the break front, then seal it until pesach. I now have space for all dry goods and paper goods etc for pesach.
I turn over the kitchen about one week before pesach (depending on what day of the week pesach falls out.) I can now buy refrigerated items, and start cooking/baking for pesach. My dining room table is left chametzdig, and I move a toaster, microwave, and crockpot in. We eat in there until 2 days before pesach, then vacuum up the floor, cover the table, and house is pesachdig.

amother

Powderblue

Thu, Jan 26 2017, 11:31 am

aaaaaahhhhhh, I just love pesach. no matter how hard we work before hand, there's nothing like the incoming spring, the clean and organized closets, the fresh clothes. thanks for giving me hope that this wonderful time is coming soon.

amother

Wine

Thu, Jan 26 2017, 1:21 pm

No. Pesach cleaning doesn't mean organizing. But if ur cleaning say your junk drawer ( think pens papers sticky notes etc) located directly under nosh cabinet and high traffic counter, then there are definitely crumbs. If its organized ahead of time, pesach cleaning is a breeze. ( b'H thanks tiny baby unloading pantry and some other cabinets we are starting spring cleaning/ organizing!) So that's my tip!
Also, learned this from mil, make a master list of all things needed to get done, break up tasks most possible. Then make a grid with a schedule, each box put in a task with approximation on how long this should take. Start with breakfast! Include other must do's and breaks. For instance feeding baby, picking up kids from school etc. And give yourself a schedule you'll enjoy. Like my mil will put random tasks for one day, one kitchen cabinet, a bookcase, and bedroom drawer. Me personally- prefer going room by room. mil divides tasks in order of less likelyhood of chometz gets done 1st. ( she cleans EVERYTHING!!!) Hatzlacha in however you get it done!

esther malka

Thu, Jan 26 2017, 11:36 pm

Erev pesach suppers can be pesachdik.
I haven't taken out my notebook yet but
Hot dogs, buy buns
Chicken and potatoes come to mind.
Also the grill is great if it's not raining or freezing.
If the weather is decent we can eat outside, if not then at the kitchen table on disposable tablecloth.
For lunch I have taken the Chofetz urn outside and served instant soups, not something we regularly eat, but it works.
I have also moved my microwave outside and microwave pizza, pizza bagels.
Can also scramble eggs and kids can have that with bagels outside.

I am not so good about charts but Last year I made one and my children asked me to do it again. It's a simple table with their names on top of the columns and boxes going down. When they help they earn filled in boxes. After completing a row they earn an ice cream or slurpee. I try to reward everyone together when possible, gives the added break of getting out for a little.

For potatoes, I bought a big Rubbermaid container and an electric apple peeler (found it at home goods). My children peel potatoes, both by hand and machine and put them in the container with water in the fridge. I usually have a steady supply of potatoes.

Also, I keep chocolate in the pesach kitchen and macaroon that they enjoy, getting a little treat when they come to help or even to visit while I cook.

Looking forward to your article, good luck!

cheeseaddict

Fri, Jan 27 2017, 7:43 am

This obviously doesn't work for most people, but my tip - DON'T START CLEANING TOO EARLY.
I hate pressure, so I've had many years when I started cleaning Rosh Chodesh Adar, but what happens after cleaning for a month straight (even leisurely pesach cleaning)... Burnout.
Not a good thing to have two weeks before Pesach.
Now I start going through the rooms to declutter/organize drawers and closets around Tu Bishvat (because organizing is not cleaning for Pesach, but makes cleaning for Pesach a million times easier).
This way I can also get out anything that needs to go out to the gemachim before they stop accepting.

Best tip: From Rosh Chodesh Nissan - Gluten free noodles and bread in the house. Kitniyot snacks and cereal.
And have the kids help with whatever they can. It keeps them entertained and makes the job easier (sometimes).

cheeseaddict

Fri, Jan 27 2017, 7:46 am

Oh yeah, and between Chanukkah and Purim I freeze enough dinners for the last two weeks and Shabboses before Pesach - that way I don't need to worry about cooking at all.
Also it means I've spread the $$$$ of those meals over the past two months, which is crucial for us when the current monthly bill includes the Pesach shopping.

amother

Lavender

Fri, Jan 27 2017, 7:52 am

On organizing- we made YT for the first time two years ago and seder last year, so we had a lot of new equipment. I took about a week to put it away this last time to make sure everything was recorded in an Excel file- number, location, etc.

On a funnier note, the main impetus for organizing this thoroughly was discovering upon opening the Pesach boxes that I already had the exact same 5 spices I'd just bought Smile

joss3

Fri, Jan 27 2017, 9:34 am

I make extremely detailed menus and corresponding grocery list and clean my extra fridge weeks early.
The day pesach stuff comes to my grocery I stock up on everything. Spices, baking stuff, poultry, even grape juice. Put it away in the cleaned fridge/freezer, pantry items stay sealed in a box in my garage.
That way the day my kitchen is kashered I can start cooking.

amother

Powderblue

Fri, Jan 27 2017, 9:41 am

make notes to yourself regarding cleaning and cooking. things that did work well and things that didn't work well I.e. cook compote before soup so you can reuse the pot without lingering odors and anything about cooking amounts. or clean X room before X room because.... lists of what gadgets you need to buy (that you wont remember otherwise till last minute)
leave the notes in strategic places where you'll find it next yr when you're up to this stage.
it helps a ton.

amother

Wheat

Sun, Feb 12 2017, 12:49 pm

When you are cooking
Especially peeling and cutting wear gloves.
First lather your hands with your favorite lotion or oil, a new one for Pesach
I like to use coconut oil.
Then put on the gloves.
This way your hands get a mini spa treatment while your cooking.d

amother

Natural

Wed, Mar 15 2017, 4:01 am

I have a pessachdig crockpot- my lifesaver

I start 2 weeks before pesach and every night I cook a dish: bbq brisket, gulash, chicken wings, roast chicken with orange sauce, saurkraut beef, meetballs with tomatosauce, beef and chicken stock...

every night for 7-9 hours the food cooks. next day when I return from work the dish is cooled, I put it in plastic disposable containers, label and freeze. I rinse the crockpot and toss another load.... repeat this 14 times and your freezer is packed with yummy pessachfood.

this way I only have to make fresh salads, seder plate, fish and maybe a sidedish on erev pessach itself.

also we have guests chol ha moed and we like to go on trips- I hardly ever cook during the pesachweek- I just defrost and heat up- honestly, if served nicely with fresh herbs, lemonslices etc... it tastes just like fesh out of the oven.