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cleaning chizzuck!
Topic Started: Mar 16 2009, 08:35 PM (898 Views)
zuncompany
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Hugs!!

Its been a weird year. A lot of people are feeling this way.
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npl
Bala Buste
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Other years, I've found it hard to get started while it's still snowing. That's not an issue this year, although it's still pretty cold. When it's sunny, I feel like it's time to start cleaning. But, between the psychological "hump" of getting started and getting discouraged by how much there is to do, and the physical issue of feeling tired and achy really quickly, it's just so hard. I'm way too stressed out about getting it all done.
I changed tack today, and started work on the kitchen - I started consolidating my parev stuff that I know I won't use. I hope that if I break up the work, it will be easier to do the kitchen, which is really the most important room to do. Other places I can delegate - even my 7yo can pull all the stuff out of the coat closet and check all the coat pockets (a parent will double-check), and some stuff dh will do (I'm dreading the laundry room, because of the stuff that got dumped there by cleaning help, and the fact that the tablecloths shed crumbs everywhere, but it is hard for me to shlep the stuff out of the room because there is a step, so I'll get dh to do that room).
It really isn't so complicated, and there is no reason that it shouldn't all get done in time, except that I'm having trouble with stamina, and with getting others to cooperate. Grrr!
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npl
Bala Buste
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B'H, the Rav "talked me down" this morning, and I am no longer panicking so much. Really, I have to focus on the kitchen, laundry room (lots of crumbs from tablecloths) and dining room table. I'll vaccuum the sofas, and sweep the floors. He said that I can get by with just regular cleaning in the bedrooms and playroom, although it would be best if the kids could check the boxes of toys (but I don't have to double-check, because really there should not be any food in that room). And the piles of "stuff" everywhere shouldn't freak me out that they might be harbouring chametz, because we don't actually eat over them. Kitchen is also easier than I usually do. He told me to put the kitchen cupboards on my mechiras chometz form, and just seal them up without cleaning them at all. That already saves me a lot of time and energy, because it is physically hard work (so many go into blind corners) and I usually empty one cupboard into another to make space for my Pesach stuff, so I can just pack it all in tightly without worrying.

I'm not sharing this so that others can take it as a hetter for themselves. You do need to ask your own hetter for your own particular situation. But, I felt that if I shared what I learned, it would maybe encourage someone else who is having trouble, that it is really OK and helpful to talk to their Rav.
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realeez
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I had to cough up the cash to hire a lot of help because physically I can't do it this year. Now at least I know my basement, bedrooms and office are done. Kitchen and dining room will be for next week and the Sunday before Pesach. Now I see it's not such an urgency to turn over the kitchen since I most likely will not be cooking for the first days. This is definitely the wrong time of year to get so sick!
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Zeesachaya
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npl
Mar 25 2009, 09:36 AM
He told me to put the kitchen cupboards on my mechiras chometz form, and just seal them up without cleaning them at all.
This is exactly what my bubbe did for years on approval from our rav as well. Such a relief!!!

It has been beautiful Spring here and with daylight savings it is bright out until 7:30. I throw open the huge sliding glass doors and let the air in to invigorate me (and it dries the floors quickly after mopping.) Now the truth is that I know I am going to have to mop everything again so it is a bit disconcerting that as I clean, some of it will have to be redone but I figure that as long as I keep it up to a super high level of cleanliness it won't be any big deal to make a quick chametz elimination run throughout during the week right before. No food allowed in the living room or the bedrooms and I just bought a fabulous barbeque so we'll be doing as many meals out on the deck as possible. As long as this weather holds, the kids are happier to eat outside anyways! Obviously we can't do all meals like this but it does keep my house cleaner :)

Oh and a quick tip - Walmart (yes I know they are evil but they are only twenty minutes away whereas other fabric stores are about an hour away) has a lot of great fabrics on sale for a dollar a yard. I picked up a bunch of great "tablecloths" for about five bucks a piece. I simply run a stitch along the edge and wallah - quick tablecloth and it looks nice too. So much easier to wash all these and always have an extra clean one. They have pretty lacy fabric too!
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zuncompany
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ZC- nice!

I always just sell my cabinets. When we bought the house Rocker came up with this idea to keep one set pesadick and I keep everything in there all year. This way, I sell all the other cabinets and than just open my pesadick one up (its really a double cabinet) when my kitchen is turned over. This way I don't even have to unpack anything for the kitchen but my millions of cutting boards and sink liner. When I close up shop I wash and dry and put it all back in the cabinet ready for next year.
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npl
Bala Buste
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Zun, ZC, it's great to hear that this is accepted custom wrt closing cabinets, because it's not my normal way of doing things, but then again, I do need to use some of them. My parents have such long countertops that they basically leave everything out on the counter, and only clean one or two cupboards for the food, etc.

Zun, I like your idea of a Pesach cabinet. I don't have space in my kitchen, but I saw an advertisement for a pantry cabinet on sale for about $50, and I think I'll measure to see if I have space for it, and then try to convince dh that it would make his life so much easier not to have to repack the boxes and shlep them downstairs every year!
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zuncompany
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yeah, its made a huge difference in my life. I only have room in my cabinets cause we have a fleish kitchen so I really have all my milchic stuff packed away in the basement for now since its never touched.
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shortcake
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my mother sells all her cabinets as well- she has the pesach stuff in one closet and just leaves everything out on her counters through-out yomtov.
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Bas Melech
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How goes everybody's cleaning??? I've done half the kitchen, half the lounge. Need to do the boys room and a few little things here and there all over the house. I think we're going to be ready on time without a problem...
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npl
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Finally got ds (age 7) over his "I can't, I don't want to" objection to cleaning the den, which is the only place with toys that actually has a good chance of chametz. He's doing great, and having a lunch break right now, but we should be finished within the hour. He finds sorting and organizing much easier than I do, once he puts his mind to it, and I keep having to tell him that he did enough wrt dusting out boxes. And he loves using the vacuum cleaner, so it should go pretty easily from here. Keeping the chametz out will be harder. There is no door, just a doorway, and it's right next to the kitchen, so there are always stray crumbs. I'll have to be really on-top of sweeping after meals for the next week.
I did the coat closets today - checking pockets, bags, etc, and sweeping out the floors (we have two that become general dumping places). I'm going slowly, so as to avoid burn-out and it's attendant stress.
Next job, after the den, is the laundry room, which I have been avoiding as long as possible, but I can't wash/kasher my table linens for Pesach until I get that room done.
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zuncompany
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AHHHHHHH! We are behind. Not surprised but frustrated big time.
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hallie_ari_mom
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If the kids never ever, eat in their bedrooms, do they need to be cleaned as well? (more than the usual, I mean) Bathrooms, I understand the sink, but aside from the normal stuff my cleaning lady does, food never goes up there.. and I shake the kids clothes off after meals in the kitchen all the time. If a room doesn't ever get food in it, does it need the same attention to detail as the kitchen?
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zuncompany
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My kids don't eat in their rooms but boy was I surprised to find a box of noodles in the boy's room hidden and a box of crackers (I was wondering where it went) in Frei's room. Frei said it was for her babies and the boys still can't explain the noodles. I was seriously surprised to find this!
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hallie_ari_mom
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:) Kids will be kids.
I know for sure there isn't any food. My fear would be crumbs left on clothing that would have made their way up, but I'm pretty anal about that as well. We also have an unwanted visitor (or more) right now.. *squeak squeak* so I can say 1000% there is no food anywhere food does not belong. Except for in those traps....
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