Have you started Pesach cleaning yet?

chaimsmom

Wed, Mar 07 2007, 1:33 pm

I started going through my refrigerator. I also started going through my cabinets to see what needs to be used up and what I don't have to buy any more of. Even though we sell our chametz, I really don't like selling food and try to not have too much on hand. I start buying Pesach items as soon as it's out in the stores. I find by spreading out the expenditures easier than getting hit with it all at once.

TzenaRena

Wed, Mar 07 2007, 2:23 pm

jewishmamathebest wrote:

I just feel why stress yourself out especially when you have young children, you can have the house Pesach cleaned a month before Pesach and you then spend the rest of the month screaming at the kids for taking Chomatz everywhere. By the end of it both you and the kids and of course dh are totally fed up and wishing Pesach was over. Relax, as they say we will all be there at the Sedra night ready just some of us will be more relaxed then others.

jewishmamthebest good luck. Confused

It's really too much for 1 1/2 weeks, I can testify, because defacto, that's the schedule I did for many years, and it will not help you avoid stress. Shaking

on the contrary. what I've learned from all these years is that there really ARE certain things which can be done somewhat more ahead, meaning after Purim. I agree that doing it before Purim is just going to be repetitive (for me).

But after I finish my Purim baking, and stop transferring flour all over the place, there's a fighting chance to get some inner recesses of my house pesachdik. The sooner after Purim I begin, the more ready I'll be down the line to transfer my kitchen to Pesach mode on time, without the panic and pandemonium I'll have otherwise.

Even when the kids were babies, I controlled the chometz at that time by keeping careful watch, feeding them in the high chair which controls the crumb fallout, and by wiping down the children, washing their face and hands before they left the kitchen. This wasn't harsh for the children, and they learned to be careful.For the babies, I'd use a bib, and remove it carefully, and sometimes I'd change the outfit to a clean one if they got very shmeared up, before they left the kitchen.

I aim to be in the kitchen by Rosh Chodesh Nissan. That gives me about one day per room, not counting Shabbos for the other rooms, hardly enough.

All this MUST get done before we head into the kitchen and DR.

Plus, jewishmamathebest, your children are very young, I don't know how much they can help you, and you need to devote a large part of the day to their care, so at best you can probably manage to do Pesach for only a few hours a day.

I would advise anyone NOT to relax now if they don't want to go crazy later on. If at all possible get started on drawers, closets, cabinets, bookcases, shelves, NOW, and get into the kitchen by Rosh Chodesh.

shalhevet

Wed, Mar 07 2007, 2:37 pm

TzenaRena wrote:

I would advise anyone NOT to relax now if they don't want to go crazy later on. If at all possible get started on drawers, closets, cabinets, bookcases, shelves, NOW, and get into the kitchen by Rosh Chodesh[].

TR, we went to the same Pesach cleaning school (of experience). I agreed with every word (although - at this time of the year I can say - B"H, my apartment is much smaller!).

It is also my rule about the kitchen too.
1-13 Nissan = 13 days (less 2 Shabboses)
You need to leave say 2 days at the end for cooking, laundering and all the odd bits and pieces (and I leave my living room too).
So that leaves 9 days.
During which you also need to put food on the table, shop, launder, fold laundry, fix the clothes which need it, iron, get haircuts, get your sheitel done, bathe the kids, be counsellor, nurse, teacher, answer the phone, make 2 Shabboses, eat, and even sleep occasionally.

Help

raizy

Wed, Mar 07 2007, 11:32 pm

I am not going crazy yet. but I will be in the kitchen on monday before peashach. I will change over. how I dont even know but I will be there because I said so...

help. help help.....

stmom

Thu, Mar 08 2007, 12:35 am

I b''h had a cleaning lady yesterday and today she accomlishes alot which im glad

Mama Bear

Thu, Mar 08 2007, 12:59 am

Every year, I start around tu bishvat. I do the 2 bedrooms between tu bishvat and rosh chodesh adar. from rosh chodesh adar to purim I concentrate on teh seforim shanks and dining room. After purim, the next 3 - 4 weeks I'm in the kitchen. I do one drawer/ cabinet a day. In between of course there's clothes shopping etc. I hope this year to kasher wednesday before pesach,and cook on Thursday. We hope to go to a shabbos hagadol program in a hotel, so the house is chometz free on shabbos hagadol, and then continue cooking on Sunday....

rainbow baby

Fri, Mar 09 2007, 11:26 am

TzenaRena since readingyour response to my last post I have got really panicky that I am going to be leaving it all to the last minute and will not be able to cope. So I have now devise another plan. Next week I'am going to do upstairs and BH I've got a stairgate so when it is the Uphsher I'am going to close it and right a massive sign reading, "PESACH CLEANED DO NOT ENTER UNLESS YOU WANT TO COME BACK AND RECLEAN IT FOR ME," I think that should stop people from going upstairs what do you think? Wink

Once upstairs is done it will be really easy after that. Downstairs I've got a through room I'll probably do that on the Thursday before Pesach. The kitchen only needs a clean down and covering over as we have a Pesach kitchen B"H. Cooking I'll probably start the week before Pesach. After that I think I will be pretty much sorted out.

TzenaRena

Fri, Mar 09 2007, 11:43 am

Quote:

"PESACH CLEANED DO NOT ENTER UNLESS YOU WANT TO COME BACK AND RECLEAN IT FOR ME,"

LOL, that's the spirit! B'hatzlacha, and mazal Tov on the upsherenish be"h!

chanab

Fri, Mar 09 2007, 1:41 pm

Tzena urena, Shalhevet, you´re my kind of gals! I also start early. Even if kids do eventually track some chometz into a room, its not the same type of cleaning as you already did.Motek, I don´t think it has anything to do with competition. I think ladies who have been super stressed out because of starting late and then discovered the better easier way of starting earlier and see the difference want to share that, that all.

bashinda

Sun, Mar 11 2007, 10:08 pm

I'm doing the basic cleaning because
a) I have a weekly cleaning lady
b) I have one tiny child running around to watch over

how big of a job is it to go over a bookshelf especially if the seforim won't be put on the table? the main siddurim and bentchers will be put away for one...

I plan to also tape up as much of the kitchen & pantry as possible without cleaning it first

downsyndrome

Sun, Mar 11 2007, 10:44 pm

Tzena Rena - I see we do the same type of Pesach preparations! Motek, do you see why such a thread IS beneficial? It helps so many women who are new to this 'Pesach thing'. I know that the first few years of my marriage making Pesach was very difficult; I just didn't know how to get my act together. I was also a perfectionist, so at the last minute everything had to be just so and that stressed me to no end! Now I already do my Pesachs in a much more orderly fashion and I understand what can and what can't be left for the last minute, regardless of perfectionism. But yes, if you are bringing the Pesach into your home full force, then the kitchen needs at least two weeks, if it is a full-sized kitchen, with all the cleaning, then kashering, covering, unpacking Pesach dishes, and only then bringing in all food orders, unpacking them, and then THE COOKING, which is endless!
We are home for all Pesach and the food needs are tremendous KA"H!!! Hatzlacha everybody! Remember to take your vitamins!!!

MyKidsRQte

Mon, Mar 12 2007, 1:19 am

This is the first year that I am starting now. Till now, I started 2 weeks to Pesach and finished 3 days before. This year I have less help then I had till now, so I started tonight, by doing most of one bedroom. I hope that by tomorrow night, I will have 2 full bedrooms done. Tonight I did the clothing in both bedrooms, my cleaning lady will wash the walls, windows and woodworks, and vacuum tomorrow. I know I have to organize and pace myself alot more properly. Help

chocolate moose

Mon, Mar 12 2007, 1:17 pm

That's b/c in LUb we only clean for Pesach; not like other cmmunities that do a full spring cleaning.

shalhevet

Mon, Mar 12 2007, 4:38 pm

chocolate moose wrote:

That's b/c in LUb we only clean for Pesach; not like other cmmunities that do a full spring cleaning.

Raisin

Mon, Mar 12 2007, 5:13 pm

Quote:

That's b/c in LUb we only clean for Pesach; not like other cmmunities that do a full spring cleaning.

I didn't know there were any differences between lubavitch and others regarding Pesach cleaning. The only difference I know about is that we can sell any chametz, even actual bread - apparantly not everyone does.

However this is more than made up by the fact that most lubavitchers are extremely strict on Pesach about what they eat - peeling all veg, no manufactured food other than matza and wine, etc etc so all cooking takes a long long time.

rainbow baby

Tue, Mar 13 2007, 5:46 pm

Hurry I've started, On Sunday I started my room all I've got to do is the three wardrobes in my room and I've finished one room. The problem is I've hit a wall and need encouagement to do more. I'am shattered working 4 mornings a week and doing Pesach cleaning is exhausting. I was thinking what is wrong with me why am I finding it so hard this year. Then it dawned on me last year I was not working. I can tell you working really makes a difference. Well I think before I go to bed I'am going to do those wardrobes, then I can say that I've finished one room. Then tomorrow I'am going to start on one of the boys rooms. To twll you the truh there is not that much to do, two wardrobes and two bedside tables and the book case. I hink after school I'll get the boys to help me. Ok I'am feeling better by just writing this down. Sorry for boring you all.

raizy

Fri, Mar 16 2007, 11:31 am

report I am not going crazy yet!!

I am up to the kitchen not bad . for a neatinik working mom. I even started my kitchen with my cl lady yesterday.

and if I am on imamother today that means I am not really paniking yet. by next friday I will be finished the kitchen in time to kasher after havedalah. if all goes well.

now all I need is tons of money to pay for the food matzas. shoes. new stuff. and meat...

why is peasach soo expensive.???

DefyGravity

Fri, Mar 16 2007, 11:33 am

I haven't started yet.

Raisin

Sat, Mar 17 2007, 5:43 pm

I am not pesach cleaning, I am decluttering. Once I have done that, cleaning will be easy!

I spent the entire week doing my kids playroom. (I also have a cleaner who is helping me with the rest of the house.)

I got so fed up with having numerous toy boxes filled with all sorts of junk, I went out and bought lots and lots of plastic boxes with lids in two sizes, big for train sets etc and small for jigsaws, toy food etc

Then I set about sorting out all those boxes of mixed up toys (my cleaning lady's idea of tidying the playroom is throwing EVERYTHING into a large toybox. It looks tidy at the end but the toys are not really usable.) I threw out 2 large black bags of stuff, old and broken toys, papers, misc. pieces, about 4000 felt tipped pens without a lid.

Then I put the toys in the plastic boxes. They all stack on top of each other, and it is so much easier to keep it tidy. And my kids have rediscovered all the toys they never knew they had.

Next job: bookcases.

chocolate moose

Sat, Mar 17 2007, 9:18 pm

Decluttering - as well as Spring cleaning - can and should be done at a diferent time in the year. It is unfair and unreasonable for a Jewish woman to spend time on that at this point in the year!