When Adar enters Mervin happily, but once Purim has passed, it is worthwhile to start preparing for Passover. In this way, we will be able to arrive at the eve of the holiday refreshed, clean, tidy – and sane. We will begin our preparations for the holiday by immediately preparing a list of activities and preparations from now until the eve of the holiday.

Elimination of chametz

Go places, get ready, go!

Go through all the rooms of the house and write down what needs to be done in each of them. It is worth making a detailed list for each room. The list will detail both what to do and when to do it. For example, in the children’s room list  , write down: bed, closet, desk, backpack (it is important to wash school bags), carpet, toy cabinet, etc. Delete anything that has already been cleaned.

Where do I start?

1. We will first perform the great cleaning in places far from the kitchen and dining area, because these will be cleaned last.
2. Work neatly and always focus only on the places you set to clean that day. Keep in mind that our goal is to do what we planned for that day and not to collapse or do the impossible. 

For work and craft

Did you know? There is no commandment  in the Torah to purchase the entire shelf of cleaning materials in the supermarket. There are definitely ways to clean in a sane and financially balanced manner using materials that you already have in your home.

Cleaning products

Washing powder

Laundry detergent is a detergent detergent (similar to soap) that exerts a friction and melting process on greasy and other stains, removing them from the fibers of fabrics. Unlike hand soap or dishes, washing powder is less affected by hard water. Other things besides washing with washing powder can be cleaned:

• The washing powder can be dissolved in a little water, spread on the rifle between the tiles, wait about half an hour and clean.
• It can be used to clean the tiles in the bath and remove mold stains.
• For stains on upholstery, carpets and mattresses, disperse powder with very little water and gently scrub with a brush.

Baking soda powder and vinegar

• A combination of baking soda, vinegar for cooking and water (you can add  fabric softener to perfume) creates a concentrate that can be cleaned:  mirrors and windows, grease can be removed from stoves,  bathrooms and toilets.
• A clogged sink can be opened by pouring boiling water over baking soda.
• Sprinkling baking soda powder in the refrigerator also helps absorb odors.

Cooking vinegar and lemon (or lemon salt)

• Dissolving limescale: Boil the kettle with  1/2 cup vinegar (5%), instead of using expensive chemicals to clean the kettle.
• Dissolving fats: The vinegar helps dissolve fats and wash carpets.
• Laundry softening: Adding vinegar to the washing machine helps soften the laundry, prevent bad odors and remove tartar whose buildup is one of the reasons the machine gets stuck.
• Cleaning the marble from limescale: Go over the countertop with a cloth dipped in vinegar to clean it of limescale, wait half an hour and pass with a clean cloth. 

Put oil on

Before buying furniture oil or handing over the furniture for painting  , use absorbent paper (tissue, paper napkin, toilet paper) soaked in olive oil. Most of the dirt will be removed, and a protective layer will also be added to the wood that will also give it a shiny appearance. The smell will evaporate after a few minutes.

Soybean oil or wax for polishing marble surfaces

After you have descaled the marble using vinegar, you can restore the marble to its shiny appearance with soybean oil which can make a natural polish for the marble. Spread the oil with a cloth and wait about two to three hours. Oil can be applied to natural marble and regular tiles and it creates a kind of protective layer.

Lemon – adds a lot

Lemon: The stickers that kids like to stick on cabinets are easily removed with lemon.
Lemon salt: The tartar from the shower stalls, which causes a turbid appearance, can be removed with the help of lemon salt. Dissolve a teaspoon of lemon salt in a cup of boiling water. After the water cools slightly, dip the solution in a cloth and wipe the glass doors. Most of the tartar will come off and the doors will return to being transparent and shiny.

That I should rub?

After you’ve used all the household cleaning products we’ve recommended, you’re welcome to complete the task and buy quality cleaning products that match exactly what you want to clean. It’s a shame to strain and rub and in the end get a mediocre result, when smearing, spraying or wiping, you can achieve better results on Passover, when we have serious cleaning tasks ahead of us, you should consider purchasing products that we might not buy the rest of the year, but before the holiday they will help us become more efficient and save time. We will add to the shopping list a package of latex gloves like that of surgeons. We want our palms to stay fresh and healthy.

We’ve reset the detergents in a basket on a high shelf so they’re available and ready.

Disaster Prevention Precaution: Cleaning Poisonings

Passover cleanliness also has a dark side – poisoning. The National Institute of Poisoning at Rambam  Hospital reports Passover as a time when there is an increase in injuries and damage to health due to inhalation and ingestion of cleaning products. About half of the cases of poisoning occur around Passover cleaning, and most of the victims are children under the age of 6.

What to do to avoid danger?

• Place detergents in a closed cabinet out of reach of children.
• Do not transfer detergent contents to drinking bottles.
• Don’t mix ingredients!
• Do not use materials in a closed room. Always leave a window open.

Pay attention to changes in children:

In the skin – pain, redness, swelling and blisters.

In the eyes – redness, pain, swelling and difficulty opening the eye.

In the gastrointestinal tract – abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, inability to eat and salivation (secretion of saliva from the mouth).

Respiratory tract – difficulty breathing, coughing, shortness of breath.

In case of poisoning (or suspected poisoning), call the National Institute for Poison Information (04-8541900). In any case, it is recommended to consult a medical professional without delay and follow his instructions, and under no circumstances treat alone or ignore until you finish cleaning.

Arrangement of the Kingdom – Do’s and Don’ts

Don’t before Passover:

The main goal of cleaning is to eradicate chametz. There are many things that you don’t have to and maybe shouldn’t do before Passover.

• Arranging and cleaning wardrobes: There is usually no leaven in them and in any case we will want to repeat the operation as spring progresses and the weather warms up. General tidying and cleaning of the cabinets is a project in itself and may be left for the end of the transition season after the holiday. Most home renovations should also be postponed after the holiday. About a month before the holiday, the professionals will be very busy – and the prices are accordingly.
• Window Cleaning: Give up cleaning your windows for now. The pre-Passover days are in the worst season for this because until the end of April and sometimes even until mid-May, there is the phenomenon of haze breaking in the rain. This sweeps up all the yellowish-brown dust in the air and glues it precisely to the blinds and windows, usually the day after we’ve polished them.
• In curtains, lampshades and the like there is no leaven. These are all things that can be cleaned up at another time.

Do before Passover:

• a. In the living room (living room) be sure to clean the library thoroughly. It is possible to dust, vacuum and flush out all the crumbs if there happen to be any. You can perform this action at the very beginning of the preparations and even hang a nice sign on the library “There is no chametz here” so that the members of the household will notice and not touch until Passover.
• In. Now is the time to wash, vacuum and clean well by any means you want the upholstery of the sofas.

Go to the kitchen

About a week before the holiday, we arrived at the kitchen. The whole house is ready and all that remains is to clean the kitchen and refrigerator, and prepare the dining area.

• Instead of toiling for hours cleaning your oven, stove and toaster, you should consider purchasing an electric stove that was used only for Passover. The same applies to the oven. A toaster oven is not an expensive appliance, and can be stored all year round in a high cabinet along with the stove and other Passover utensils.
• Any cabinet that has been cleaned or a shelf in the refrigerator will be covered with plastic wrap, or a tablecloth cut to its size, and even foil will succeed, just remember that it is more expensive.
• Go through the contents of the pantry, refrigerator and especially the freezer, and gather leaven products that should be eaten and eliminated in the coming weeks.
• Remove chametz from your shopping list. Don’t buy anything edible until Passover that isn’t really needed or won’t be eaten until Passover. You should not be tempted by the many promotions in the chains that also prefer to eliminate chametz – waffles, pasta, flours, cereals, baked goods, snacks, etc.
• It is recommended to cook what you can from the leaven that exists in the freezer and pantry, divide into disposable dishes and freeze. It is important to write down what is in each tool. When stressed, every minute counts, and this habit can benefit us all year long. A few such frozen dishes or meals will help in the last period before Passover, when there is really no time to prepare food for Shabbat or even in the middle of the week. In this way, we will help ourselves ahead of the busy days on the eve of the holiday, and we will also eat the chametz and not throw food in the trash.
• The use of disposable utensils is common in our places, especially among the religious and ultra-Orthodox populations. In the period before and during the holiday – this can be an effective and convenient solution for everyone. Prepare a stock of simple disposable plates, glasses, cutlery, tablecloths and heating molds. There is no need to stockpile equipment for five years, but enough inventory for ten days of use, and will help us in the process of preparing the kitchen.
• Throughout the year, both educationally and culturally – it is worthwhile to get the household used to eating only in the kitchen and in the dining area. As Passover approaches, especially after certain parts of the house are already devoid of leaven, it is important to be especially careful. If there are children at home, prepare kosher snacks and cookies for Passover. These appear in stores at least a few weeks before the holiday. Eat your meals only in the kitchen, if possible, and shake your clothes before you leave.

A few days before the holiday, we will remove all the remaining leaven. From now on we will eat the dishes that we froze in advance, leave us a small leaven corner where we will keep everything left in a closed box.

And don’t forget that preparing for the holiday is also about resting. Happy holiday!