Growing up, I associated April with kitchen cleaning. Passover generally falls in April, and my family prepared for the holiday by cleaning out the fridge and freezer, wiping down cabinets and appliances and going through the food pantry to toss expired foods. Canned food or packaged goods that were still good but that we had no desire to eat were donated to a food bank. Inevitably, we would find still-good food items that we were never going to eat: think wrong brands, changing of taste buds, products bought in bulk on sale to try but that we ended up not liking and so forth. Our Passover spring cleaning reminded us to give those foods away to those who could use them, rather than letting them spoil and go to waste.
Even if you are not Jewish or do not follow Passover tradition, deep-cleaning your kitchen annually is a great idea. Cooking in a clean kitchen is easier, more relaxing and healthier for you, your family and guests. Emptying out fridge and freezer and scrubbing them down also ensures that your fresh food gets stored properly, while lessening the waste from food “lost” in the freezer or at the back of the fridge. The same is true in your pantry: cleaning and reorganizing once in a while helps make sure spoiled food is tossed and also prevents additional food waste. It’s easier to see what you have in a clean, organized pantry so you can use it up in a timely manner. It’s also takes much less effort to keep a clean space in good shape than to try to clean a messy space, so setting aside some time to do serious cleaning once in a while can save you cleaning time for weeks, or even months to come. As always I can help with organizing this department as well.
For people celebrating April holidays, I wish you a happy Passover and Easter.
I enjoyed reading your comments about deep cleaning. My mother and grandmother would do the same the week before Easter. I can still hear my grandmother saying, “We need to clean the house for Jesus!”
Thanks Nancy, for sharing this. The plus side is the kitchen is clean after deep serious cleaning!