How to Prepare A Home for Pesach
The preparation leading up to the Pesach (Passover) period is a crucial contributing factor towards the carrying out of all the mitzvot (commandments) of the festival. This is a complicated procedure and must be followed carefully.
The first step is to have a separate set of pots, cutlery and crockery for Pesach. These are kept in a cupboard of their own and are never used at any other time.
If it is not feasible to have a separate set of utensils, the ones used for the rest of the year may be re-kashered (re-koshered) for use during Pesach. This implies soaking of all pots, dishes and cutlery in boiling water according to the laws of Kashrut.
All food preparation surfaces must be scrubbed down and covered with a non-porous cover. The refrigerator, sink and eating table must be thoroughly cleaned, so as to be rid of any traces of chametz (leaven). The eating of only unleavened bread (bread without any rising agents such as yeast) is an integral part of the Pesach period. The oven and stove are cleaned according to the methods used for kashrut. Some people also cover the tops of the stove (except for the burners) with aluminium foil.
After the kitchen has been adequately prepared, all items of food that enter the area from then until the end of Pesach must have the ‘kosher le Pesach’ (Kosher for Passover) label on them, where appropriate.
One must try to eat all remaining food containing chametz prior to Pesach, otherwise this food must be sealed and placed in a completely separate cupboard.
It is customary to sell all products containing chametz to a non-Jew before Pesach. This custom is called mechirat chametz. Once Pesach has finished one can buy back the food, reinstating it as one’s own property. Any item containing chametz that is not removed from the home before Pesach commences, cannot be eaten at all.
The entire house must be cleaned from top to bottom. This includes clothes, couches, cars and handbags. One should concentrate particularly on those areas where chametz is most likely to be found.
Cleaning and preparing a home before Pesach can be an all-consuming task. One must remember that the whole point of the exercise is to rid the house of chametz and not just to ‘Spring clean’.
Links
Aish haTorah: Pesach Cleaning Made Easy
Aish haTorah: 10 Tips for Reducing Pesach Pressure
Ohr Somayach: Pesach Cleaning Primer
Orthodox Union: Hints for Pesach Cleaning
