Getting Your Place Ready for Pesach: Stress-Saving Tips That Actually Work

Dear homemaker, we get it: it’s not easy being surrounded by the pre-Pesach chaos—rags, papers, bags of old clothes pulled from neatly organized closets, blankets waiting their turn for the washing machine, cleaning supplies, and more and more.

Maybe you don’t need tips. Maybe you have that natural knack for organization and order that so many homemakers wish for. If that’s you, this article probably won’t add much. But if you’re one of the homemakers who “can’t find your footing” and “don’t know where to start and where to finish,” we hope this piece really will help you.

As with any big project—getting the home ready calls for advance planning, including all those small but important details that can easily get lost in the piles of disorder. Here are a few tips to bring a little order to the mess—and most importantly, to help you take on the cleaning with a genuine smile and real joy.

עושים סדר

1. Start cleaning in the far-off spots like clothing closets, built-in nooks, drawers, and any places in the house that never see any chametz.

2. Laundry—don’t leave it for the last minute; do it alongside prepping the closets.

3. Two weeks before the holiday begins - it’s best to finish cleaning the bedrooms, including the living room, before turning to the kitchen and its electric appliances.

4. Walls and windows are part of the home, too—don’t ignore them. A once-a-year clean isn’t bad at all. Admit it!

5. Buying dry goods early, including canned items and wines, will save precious time standing in supermarket lines. By the way, buying gifts belongs in this category too.

6. A week before the holiday – when, Baruch Hashem, only the kitchen and dining area are left, first prep the kitchen drawers. Then move on to prepping the electric appliances you use less frequently day to day. Clean the dining room and cover it with a plastic/heavy nylon cover—to make it the only non-kosher area that will remain in the house.

7. Three days before the holiday – clean the chametz utensils and store them in a closed cabinet or storage area. In their place, put the kosher utensils into the prepped cabinets, and at the same time begin cleaning the daily-use appliances such as: oven, toaster, microwave, refrigerator, and more.

8. Two days before the holiday – you can already start cooking—you can practically smell the holiday. At this stage, make sure to remove all remnants of chametz from the house—except for the chametz you’ll set aside for the mitzvah of bedikat chametz.

Important note: If we’ve left any chametz in the cabinets, we must seal them well with tape and attach a note labeled ‘chametz’ to prevent anyone from opening those cabinets during the holiday.

A joyful holiday to all of us—filled with freedom, generosity, and love!