Baile Rochel #3 Pesach Cleaning

Baile Rochel’s Back! #3
The 2nd of Nissan
April 11, 2005

Pesach* Cleaning

Some things will never change; I’ll always hate Pesach cleaning. Simply, it’s because I’ve never liked to clean. And Pesach cleaning is the most dangerous.

Yes, in all seriousness, the emergency rooms of Israeli hospitals fill up with people who are a bissel too enthusiastic and generous with the cleaning materials. And there are the little kids, nebich, who try to help or sometimes even sample magic liquids and pastes. And don’t forget the sprays, if they can soften and remove that baked in, inedible yuch from the ovens and stove tops; I hate to think what it does to eyes, lungs and sensitive, and even not so sensitive, skin.

So, I’d say that it’s “pikuach nefesh,” life-saving, not to obsess over Pesach cleaning. Besides the human health issue, it’s not very safe for the appliances either. Did you know that people who clean very well have to replace expensive appliances more frequently? No joke. The more you clean, the more chance you’ll get liquid into places it shouldn’t be, or remove screws that can’t be replaced by mere mortals. A damp cloth, how about one of those agunah sports socks, with mild dish soap wiped on your appliances and tiles cleans fine and makes the any microscopic chametz inedible, therefore non-chametz. It’s really not that hard. If I can do it, anybody can!

I’ve heard that electricians make a good portion of their annual salary on pre-Pesach emergency repairs. Every year there are actually people who steam-spray their kitchen walls, including the electric sockets. Just remember, seriously, water and electricity are a dangerous combination, and home repairs are the minor accidents.

When I was young, I once cleaned my kitchen sink so well that the drainpipe detached, and I had to wash dishes in the bathroom, until I could find a plumber. If it could happen to me, it could happen to anybody.

And to put you in a better mood, we can sing along to famous show tunes rewritten specially for the season:

“I’m Going to Wash That Ch’metz Right Out of My House”
“Thank G-d for Rubber Gloves”
“Schmutz”
“If I Were A Rich Gal, …I’d have a house specially for Pesach”
“I Could Have Cleaned All Night”
“Get the Chametz Burned on Time”
“Shall We Eat?”
“There’s No Knaidlach Like My Knaidlach!”

Chag Kasher, Bar’i v’Sameach,
Have a Happy, Healthy and Kosher Passover,

Baile Rochel
Copyright©2005BatyaMedad, Contact me for publication permission; private distribution encouraged.

*Passover holiday