Yael Wiesner, home management consultant and author of “How Does SHE Manage?” (Feldheim Publishers)
At this point in our Pesach cleaning, we shouldn’t be washing windows or filing papers or even painting. We need to clean for chometz, and that’s it. Decluttering and spring cleaning are only going to slow us down. If you don’t have clarity on what’s necessary and what’s not, check with your rav.
I like to finish the bedrooms during the first week of Nisan and then move on to the living room and dining room (Pesach cleaning only). We’re able to move quickly through all these areas because we’ve already cleaned cabinets, closets, and other areas. I make my meat and chicken order and put it in my freezer, which has already been cleaned. When the groceries arrive, I store them in a room that’s already Pesachdig.
Since the children are often around, I make sure to schedule in activities for them, like arts and crafts projects, so I won’t get frazzled by their boredom. I also plan where and what to feed them (for example, pita sandwiches, which make less crumbs than bread, and potato or kitniyos-based meals, with lots of vegetable sticks). I arrange for the younger set to be out when I want to do my heaviest cleaning. When my children were small, some friends and I organized a round-robin for the week before Pesach. Each of us took a turn watching the kids, and the remaining mornings we had free babysitting.
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