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Forum -> Yom Tov / Holidays -> Pesach
How do I make Pesach??
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amother
Fuchsia


 

Post Wed, Feb 13 2019, 11:34 am
I've been married for 2.5 years, no kids yet. My husband is in very full-time graduate school and is busy after school with work. I work 40 hours a week, and often don't end my day until 6. We live hundreds of miles away from both of our families due to his program. As of now I am going off of birth control at the end of this month.

How do I make Pesach?? Can everyone please tell me their hacks, their schedules, etc.? We're only in a 2 bedroom apartment, but the thought of potentially being pregnant and working 40 hours and cooking and cleaning is mind-boggling. I'm someone with a sensitive composition who needs to be well rested. So waking up at 6 and going to bed at midnight is not the answer.

Words of encouragement are also welcomed Smile
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ra_mom




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Feb 13 2019, 11:43 am
You can do it! It's really not bad and you'll get to enjoy the special holiday with your husband.
Remember that organizing is not pesach cleaning and dirt is not chometz.
We can help you break things down easily and simply.

One question - is your oven self clean? That will help us figure out how to give you even easier tips.
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mother for one




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Feb 13 2019, 11:43 am
this cleaning schedule worked great for me while working late hours and hard work. never did cooking yet though
create a list of your rooms listing every detail that needs to be cleaned closet shelf one, shelf 2, shelf 3, dresser drawer 1 dresser drawer 2 etc also try putting a time to each task. If you start early enough you can do 10 min of cleaning every day and get done in time with no effort at all
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amother
Fuchsia


 

Post Wed, Feb 13 2019, 11:48 am
ra_mom wrote:
You can do it! It's really not bad and you'll get to enjoy the special holiday with your husband.
Remember that organizing is not pesach cleaning and dirt is not chometz.
We can help you break things down easily and simply.

One question - is your oven self clean? That will help us figure out how to give you even easier tips.


OP-yes, oven is self clean.

My main concern is, how do I clean in advance if that means I can't bring chametz into those areas (I.e. home office, bedroom). What timeline is best?
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ra_mom




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Feb 13 2019, 11:50 am
amother wrote:
OP-yes, oven is self clean.

My main concern is, how do I clean in advance if that means I can't bring chametz into those areas (I.e. home office, bedroom). What timeline is best?

Just eat food in the kitchen and dining room areas starting now. That way as you naturally clean the rest of the house on your regular schedule for general maintenance, you will know there's no "pesach cleaning" to do, except in the kitchen and table areas.


Last edited by ra_mom on Wed, Feb 13 2019, 11:52 am; edited 1 time in total
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mha3484




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Feb 13 2019, 11:51 am
I find its easiest to do a room each Sunday. Start with your bedrooms, living and dining and finish with the kitchen. As I get closer to the eating areas I start buying kitnios snacks like corn chips, rice cakes etc so that if there are crumbs I know they are not chametz.
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southernbubby




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Feb 13 2019, 11:52 am
Clean only what you are required to clean to get rid of chometz. Schedule cleaning help for your day off and make sure that you reserve in advance.

Buy some small appliances so that you don't have to kasher the oven.

Keep the guest list small or see if Chabad or other local frum shuls are hosting community sedarim.

Log onto OU and other kashrus sites for a list of items that don't need special Pesach certification so that you can start purchasing these items. There are also sites that tell you how to kasher things and some big communities may set up vats of boiling water for that purpose.

Decide how you will cover your countertops and buy what you need for that.

There is a site, I think that it's called kashrus.com that has all of the advice in one place.

There is no lack of ready made KLP food and carry-out and as long as it's a reliable hechsher, don't feel bad to use it in place of the cooking.
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Sebastian




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Feb 13 2019, 11:57 am
Start with the closets (vaccum and check for food) and the bedrooms. Do you have an eat in kitchen?
If you do, I would clean everything but the kitchen and then after Purim start consolidating cabinets and food. Even if you get pregnant on your first cycle, morning sickness doesn't start until 6-8 weeks so I wouldn't be so concerned about that.

It's easier to clean with no kids.
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amother
Olive


 

Post Wed, Feb 13 2019, 12:02 pm
I work full time plus very long commutes (leave home 6 :30 am come back 5:30 pm), unable to take any days off before Pesach if I want to take Chal Hamoed off (which I do, I want to spend Pesach with my family), have tweens and teens for whom I need to drive carpools to their after school things almost every day (extends day to about 7 pm), and get no extra cleaning help for Pesach (My regular cleaning lady comes every other week for 3-4 hours, I have no financial means to increase her hours before Pesach, since it takes a lot of extra resources to make Pesach as it is). It's hard, but somehow it works out every year, B'H. The key is to do only what's necessary, and make a list of what is being done on what day. That way you don't get overwhelmed. I don't do spring cleaning for Pesach. As someone mentioned , dust is not chametz, and you don't have to organize. I am also someone who needs at least 8 hours of sleep, but 2 weeks before Pesach, I get by with 5-6. It's not a fun time to feel sleep deprived for 2 weeks straight, but I get encouragement that I am doing it so that my family can have kosher Pesach, and during Pesach itself, I am able to fully enjoy the holiday by taking the whole week off and being with my family, and the sleep gets caught up with during Pesach itself as well. I don't stress over food. Although we usually host for every Shabbat and Chag, Pesach seders we don't , so I make it simple, as long as it's enjoyable food that everyone in the family likes. I only cook before Pesach for the seders. Chal Hamoed gets cooked on Chal Hamoed, as well as the last 2 days. That way I at least don't have to worry about food too much before Pesach starts. I create menus and shopping list about 5 days before Pesach, and once shopping is done, I don't go to the stores anymore. If something essential is forgotten, I send DH to buy it, otherwise it can wait until Chal Hamoed, or we just get by without it. You can do it!
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amother
Cerise


 

Post Wed, Feb 13 2019, 12:03 pm
Hi. I've been making Pesach since the first year I was married and although it is a lot of work, you will gain such a sense of accomplishment from getting to the finish line. Keep reminding yourself that you can do it!! Here are a few tips that I hope will help:

Cleaning - I know it's been said many times but for most ladies it does not really sink in so I will repeat: DIRT AND MESS ARE NOT CHOMETZ. Start with getting your apartment chometz-free, other than the kitchen and eating area. No reason you can't take care of all other areas now, taking only 20-30 minutes out of your evening a few nights a week, or a marathon cleaning session on Sunday (which I find easier). That way you only have to focus on the kitchen the week before Pesach. Also, there really is no need to clean out linen closets or other places where there is no chance chometz has entered. Without little kids around to sneak cheerios into strange places, this part or the preparation can be done way in advance so it is much easier.

Shopping - once you have an area of your apt. chometz free (not the kitchen), put up a plastic shelving unit and start buying kitchen equipment (I'm assuming you don't have much since it's your first time) and non-perishable groceries. This way when you do "turn over" your kitchen, you are stocked and do not have to spend a lot of time shopping/shlepping, which is exhausting.

Sedarim - focus on preparing the foods necessary for the seder, e.g. marror, charoses, etc. rather than on Shulan Oraich. It's really okay for the "meal" part of the meal to be simple. Don't exhaust yourself with anything fancy or complicated.

Other cooking - build your menu around foods that are easily prepared fresh before you eat them, such as roasted vegetables instead of kugels. This will allow you to spend less time cooking in advance and you can prepare what you need on Yom Tov for each meal. Other than soup and baking (if you choose to bake) which should be made ahead and frozen, its much easier if your menu consists of chicken, roasts, roasted or mashed potatoes, roasted veggies and fresh salads. These don't need advanced preparation.

Hatzlacha and may you and your husband enjoy a beautiful Yom Tov together
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amother
Emerald


 

Post Wed, Feb 13 2019, 12:04 pm
Her house is too small to start buying. BH that its small so it less cleaning. I buy what must be bought early. Like matzos -very early, checked lettuce of my prefered hechsher about a week before out of fear of not having later, maror, ask your grocer fish meat store how late you can order. Some go by order. I clean my freezer before the meat delivery and put a tape on it with "Pesach". If I remember more I will add to this. Any fridge thing I buy like letuce I keep in a knoted bag. After I clean fridge and get rid of the rest I open the bag and keep normally. I find that fridge freezer and others is a good idea to preclean well once which would be clean the hard to reach spots where we dont give attention a whole year. Soak the fridge pieces in the bathtub and scrub with brushes, tooth brushes Qtips etc. (lukewarm water so not to make kashrus shaalos). Then a few days before pesach I redo. But the redoing is much easier because it's no longer dirt under the fridge rubber from a year. Its simple dirt from usage from maximum a month.
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amother
Emerald


 

Post Wed, Feb 13 2019, 12:08 pm
I also have a chometz box very early. As I go thru closets I see chometz I start filling up. It works for me. Makes me feel more in control. Being that there are no babies reaching the box, everyone knows that if they dont find the chometz cereal they need look in the box (its only adults here now). It also trains some less carefull people that pessach is coming and they will need to cooperate.
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allthingsblue




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Feb 13 2019, 12:20 pm
Once you're cleaned (it's easier to make pesach with two adults, no children to run around with crumbs!), keep your menu simple. I do chicken/meat that can be roasted in a pan in the oven (I add liquid for the Seder meat/chicken), so no cleaning pots involved. I make vegetable sides. I make one-pan cookies/cakes, with no mixer needed. Fresh fruit.
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southernbubby




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Feb 13 2019, 12:30 pm
One good thing about the internet is that she can order much of the stuff online and have it delivered. The biggest time waster is shopping.
Also book all routine doctor and dentist appointments for either well before or after Pesach.
File taxes as early as possible.
If you wear a wig that needs service, book that well in advance so that your sheital macher isn't booked.
Nail salons also get crowds due to both Jews and non-Jews celebrating holidays so book in advance.
Don't forget to buy Haggadahs.
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ra_mom




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Feb 13 2019, 1:02 pm
You'll be fine. Next week go through all rooms and make sure there is no chometz there. Done.

Then make a list of all things that need to be done within the kitchen, dining and couch areas, and working backwards on the calendar, starting from the day you want to kasher and bring out the pesach stuff, fill in each day with items from the list so you know what needs to be done each day without worrying about falling behind.

Slow and steady, one thing every day. No rushing. Nothing frantic.
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ra_mom




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Feb 13 2019, 1:03 pm
In terms of cooking:

Buy a pot, frying pan, measuring cup, measuring spoons, knife, peeler, potato masher, soup ladle, spatula, mixing spoon, can opener, corkscrew, small hand grater, blech, crockpot, hot water urn.

If you can, order all from a place that will deliver it all to you already toiveled.

Think about a tablecloth, kitchen towels and counter covers plans now.

Buy lots of disposables and cook as much as you can in the self cleaned oven in disposable pans. If you plan on baking, just use a bowl and spoon for no mixer recipes.
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imasinger




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Feb 13 2019, 1:27 pm
Start by making lists.

What rooms need to be cleaned and checked? Bedroom 1, home office, all closets, bathrooms, living room, kitchen. It's wise to also list all the areas of DR and kitchen ((cupboards, fridge, stove, etc).. That's the first list.

Next, a calendar. Work backwards. There are currently a little more than 9 weeks till Pesach. How long will you want for cooking? If you're up to it, you could plan a basic menu, and when and how you will cook or buy.

If you've never made Pesach before, you'll need at least a few pots, pans, and utensils, so you'll need a list of what you'll want to buy.

Let's say you will order a few sides, and want 2 days to do a couple of mains. That means you'll want a functional kitchen by Tuesday or Wednesday. When will you kasher? When is DH available to help with that?

Now, review your list of spaces that need to be cleaned, and, working with the calendar, plan a time to do each. Start with the rooms less likely to have chametz.

You asked when to stop bringing chametz into the bedroom and home office. I'd suggest you implement that immediately. It saves so much stress! There are plenty of foods that you can still take in and not have to worry about.

If you did the master bedroom this Sunday, the clothes closets next, then the office, then the linen closet so and bathroom(s), you will basically just have the LR/DR and kitchen left by Purim time. At that point, give 15 minutes per day to a task (cabinet, opening couch, whatever), saving the ones you use the most for last. You can line fridge shelves after cleaning, and keep chametz sealed. The day or 2 before kashering will probably require more like an hour (plus) per day.

By lining up the tasks and the days, you'll be able to see your progress, and know you'll get it all done!
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amother
Burlywood


 

Post Wed, Feb 13 2019, 4:37 pm
amother wrote:
OP-yes, oven is self clean.

My main concern is, how do I clean in advance if that means I can't bring chametz into those areas (I.e. home office, bedroom). What timeline is best?


You are in the easiest stage!!!! No toddlers walking around with cereal, crackers, pasta, pretzels...
Stop eating in the bedroom, and limit the office to non chametz - fruits, veg, and drinks
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tichellady




 
 
    
 

Post Wed, Feb 13 2019, 5:12 pm
Feel free to ignore me but honestly I would not be able to make pesach in my first trimester. Everyone is different and there are no guarantees you Will be pregnant but just something to keep in mind. Is takeout an option where you live if you are unable to cook?
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amother
Pumpkin


 

Post Wed, Feb 13 2019, 5:49 pm
From 2 weeks before pesach- only choose one spot where you eat. Take 1 day to kasher your oven and bake+cook anything that you cant make on y"t. Buy an extra freezer, and load it up.
Night or 2 before- 1) cover counters with marble contact paper (so pretty!) 2)kasher sinks, or buy an insert, and only eat on/cook with disposables. Or get takeout. 3) night before- kasher oven and stovetop.

Pantry- move all non-chometz-gamur food items into a big box and LABEL IT and put it away. In your fridge- dedicate your door to non-chometz-gamur items and cover with butcher paper and label.

Spray the shelves in your fridge, and then cover with clear contact paper.

Put down liners on all your kitchen shelves.
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