As spring comes around alongside Passover, people tend to confuse spring cleaning with Passover cleaning. As much as spring-cleaning is fun, when cleaning the house for Passover, great attention should be given to places where chametz products are found. The purpose of searching and cleaning for chametz is to avoid contact between chametz and the food we prepare for Passover in addition to preventing a potential case of accidentally eating chametz.
From the 10 thousand cleaning products (ok maybe that too much) to buying brand new kitchen wear, the passover cleaning process can seem overwhelming.
Thankfully, we have created a helpful cleaning guide that will assist in putting some organization to your head.
Like mentioned previously, you want to focus your cleaning in areas where chametz is most likely to be found. And that place is….. You guessed it… The kitchen!
From your kitchen cabinets to your oven, chametz food can practically be found ANYWHERE in there.
Kitchen cabinets
Open your cabinets. Do you see Pop tarts? Oreos? Cheerios? Yes? Then these are all chametz food items. We all have that delicious snack cabinet that is full of super chametz food. If that's the case with you as well, what you will need to do is empty the cabinet from these food items and thoroughly clean the cabinet (or drawer) with a strong cleaning product, like this one.
If you happen to have a pasta cabinet/drawer, do the same there as well. We recommend following this process in every single kitchen compartment, whether chametz food is found or not.
Kashering dishes and utensils:
The next area you should start cleaning is the dishes and utensils, or in other words, kashering. The purpose of kashering dishes is to remove any flavor that was absorbed from chametz and will potentially be released into the kosher Passover food. Washing your dishes and utensils in the dishwasher is not quite enough in this case. A process called Libun, kashered by placing the utensils into fire, is used. This process has the effect of burning away any absorbed non-kosher or chametz tastes. To qualify as complete libun, the metal must be heated until it glows. Another way you can complete libun is by running the self-clean cycle on an oven (approx. 850° F).
Kashering Appliances:
In contrast with dishes and utensils, kitchen appliances such as the oven, stove top, broilers, grills, Microwave ovens, etc. should be kashered as well.
Oven: To kashere your oven, begin with a regular clean as well as a wash to the racks. Turn the oven to 450° Fahrenheit and leave on for 20 minutes. Try to avoid the self-cleaning option as it operates on extremely high temperatures and could ruin the oven.
Stove top, broilers, grills and BBQ’s: similar to the oven cleaning process, clean regularly, then turn on temperature high for about 10 minutes.
Microwave oven: Begin by cleaning the turntable and the oven regularly. Place in the oven half a cup of water with a drop of dish soap and a wooden stick (to avoid explosions) for 90 seconds.
Sinks and countertops:
You may think that because sinks and countertops are regularly exposed to food of all types (including chametz) , you may think that kashering would be required there as well, when in reality it actually isn't. Countertops and sinks don’t absorb chametz, and for that reason, do not require kashering.
Though If you still wish to achieve a kashering cleaning effect, pour steaming hot water on the countertops and wipe with a strong cleaning product, such as this. (https://kosherrus.com/collections/household/products/900-603) .
Refrigerator, freezer, warming drawers, coffee machines: clean regularly with a strong cleaning product.
Conclusion
We hope that after reading this article you feel less stressed going into the cleaning phase of passover. As much as it may seem like a tedious job, at the end of day, it is only for your own good. Nothing compares to a clean and organized kitchen. It makes your life much easier when trying to locate specific food.
If you are in need of some terrific cleaning products to assist in your cleaning, try these:
- Japanese Sponge
- Grease Remover
- Wet Wipes For General Cleaning
- 99.9% Multi Purpose Spray
- Jet Spray With Baking Soda