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Home and Family
Baalebusta Betterment
Home Management

by Chaya Roizy Vorhand

Q. I've heard that some women start Pesach cleaning between Chanuka and Tu B'Shvat, so they can get a head start. I've got several little ones in the house. How could I possibly keep them and their chometz out of the closet for so many months? It would be too much pressure all around!

You don't have to! Here's what you can do to get a head start without the pressure of maintaining a chometz-free environment.

Separate the concept of spring cleaning (i.e. sorting, discarding and reorganizing the closets) from the mitzva of Pesach cleaning (i.e. searching for and removing chometz).

Many women feel overwhelmed by the tremendous amount of work supposedly involved in Pesach cleaning. And no wonder. They spend precious time organizing bedroom closets and papers and end up getting sidetracked on pairing dozens of mismatched socks or reading through their old letters. Suddenly, it's a week-and-a-half to Pesach and they've run out of steam just when they need to get to the real Pesach work, like the dining room and the kitchen.

Now, don't get me wrong. Doing this deep organization is very worthwhile in itself. Every home runs more smoothly and efficiently when there's "a place for everything and everything is in its place." Just let's do it any time except in the last few weeks before Pesach.

Why not use the long winter evenings or rainy afternoons indoors to go through your closets at a leisurely pace? Slowly and steadily, work your way around the house, sifting and discarding, sorting and storing, setting aside anything that needs to be repaired.

At this point, it's too early to keep an eye out for chometz removal. The only exception might be shelves that are very high up, but who says there's chometz there, anyway?

When the real chometz searching begins, you'll be able to speed through it in a fraction of the time, arriving at Pesach full of simcha shel mitzva and energy to enjoy it!

In the next few weeks iy'H, we'll be doing a room-by- room discussion of pre-Pesach organizing. We'll talk about what to keep, what to discard/give away, and how to reorganize whatever is left.

Meanwhile, start collecting all kinds of rectangular containers with straight sides. You'll need plenty!

The following are good ones to start with and can be gotten in Israel.

* Clear plastic baskets of every size - they come with fruits, soy franks, crackers etc.

* Cardboard boxes from shoes, boots and sheitels.

* White plastic containers about the size of a shoebox are strong and inexpensive. They are widely available at grocery or disposable-goods stores. (For those who want the measurements, they are: 26 cm. x 16 cm.) These containers are available in two heights. The 10 cm. height is a good size for many organizing jobs, especially in the kitchen.

* For sorting and discarding, have on hand: a few cardboard boxes, laundry baskets or large garbage bags.

In addition, you'll need a roll of wide masking tape and a permanent marker. Rubber bands are handy for tying things together and closing things up.

Let's start organizing and have fun doing it!

Chaya Roizy Vorhand works as a Home Management Consultant. She will be happy to answer any questions, any time, or incorporate suggestions from experienced housewives. Call 02- 6510025.

 

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