I’ll never clean for Passover without thinking of my friend Goldy’s washing machine. Goldy pretty much adopted my friend and me during our time in Israel, so it was only natural that we helped her prepare for Pesach. And while everyone knows that dirt isn’t chometz, Goldy is like many women who clean every inch of their apartments with a fine tooth comb–even under the washing machine. So when we pulled out that machine, I was astounded by one thought: If all of this dirt accumulated under here in just one year, the bowels of my house (where we grew up without cleaning for Pesach) must be atrocious.
And now that I own a house where we really do only clean away the chometz (and not necessarily all the dirt!), I am definitely not going to be the one to peek behind any old appliances. I’ll be busy enough peeling cheerios off of every deranged place my baby stuck them.
It’s a good thing all of our cleaning products are safe enough to eat–not that I would recommend it. I’ll need all the help I can get over the next few weeks.
ALL PURPOSE CLEANER
1/4 cup Castile Oil Soap (available at Target and Trader Joes)
1/4 cup Baking Soda
1/4 cup white vinegar
1t lemon juice (optional)
A few drops of Tea Tree Oil (optional, available at Trader Joes)
Add all ingredients to an empty spray bottle and fill with warm water. Shake and use all over the house. Use this as a glass cleaner by wiping with newspaper instead of a rag.
OVEN & STOVE CLEANER
3/4 cup Baking soda
1/4 cup salt
1/4 cup water
Make a paste and apply it liberally. Let it sit for several hours before scouring.
FURNITURE POLISH
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup lemon juice
Shake well and apply a small amount to a flannel cleaning rag or cleaning cloth. Spread evenly over furniture surface and be sure to dry it.
WOOD FLOOR CLEANER
Oil
Vinegar
Almond Extract (optional for smell)
Combine equal parts oil and vinegar and rub in well.
SILVER CLEANER
Scrub with toothpaste. Or line a pan with aluminum foil and fill with water. Add a teaspoon of baking soda and salt. Bring to a boil and immerse silver. Polish with a soft cloth.
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