Passover cleaning schedule: a 4-week Pesach declutter and cleaning plan (free printable)

Here's the secret most organizers will tell you about Pesach: the less you own, the less you clean. Every drawer you empty is a drawer you don't have to scrub, check or cover. So this Passover cleaning schedule puts decluttering first in every week, and the cleaning follows behind it.

The plan spreads the work over four weeks: about 20–40 minutes a day, plus one bigger session each weekend. Each week has two lists, Declutter and Clean, and you can print the whole schedule as a one-page checklist: free Passover Cleaning Schedule.

Note: this is an organizing plan, not halachic guidance. Questions about chametz, kashering and how thoroughly each area needs to be cleaned go to your rabbi.

Before you start: three decisions

1. Your goal. "A clutter-free kitchen" is clearer than "an organized house."
2. Your rooms. List the areas that need attention this year (kitchen, pantry, kids' rooms, car, closets, salon) and the ones that don't.
3. Your exit plan. Decide now where things go: a donation point, a local gemach, a "giveaway" post in your community group, recycling. Clutter that has nowhere to go comes back inside.

Week 4 (four weeks out): bedrooms, closets and paper

Start where decisions are easy and the payoff is visible.

Declutter

• Closets and coats: pull out outgrown kids' clothes, worn-out shoes and anything you didn't wear all winter. It's a natural moment for the seasonal wardrobe changeover too.
• Paper: recycle old school worksheets, expired coupons, flyers and junk mail. Scan anything you need to keep.
• Book or seforim shelves: edit while you're there.

Clean

• Check coat pockets, bags and closet floors as you go, then vacuum or wipe each closet once it's edited.
• Dust the shelves you've just cleared.

Weekend session: one big closet or the master bedroom.

Week 3: kids' rooms, the salon and "food in odd places"

Declutter

• Kids' rooms: declutter toys together with your kids (age-appropriately). Set a simple rule: if a new toy comes for the holiday, one old toy goes.
• The salon: clear surfaces, sort the toy baskets, return borrowed items.
• Bedrooms and offices: clear nightstands and desks of food, wrappers and mugs.

Clean

• Backpacks, cars, coat pockets, strollers: this is where snacks hide. Empty and wipe them, then decide where snacks are allowed from now until Pesach.
• Vacuum under sofa cushions and beds once the floors are clear.

Weekend session: the car, the mamad and the machsan (see our mamad guide).

Week 2: the pantry and fridge (eat down, don't stock up)

Declutter

• Take an honest inventory of open packages, pasta, cereal, crackers and baking supplies.
• Plan simple meals that use them up, and stop buying chametz in bulk. Put a "use up" list on the fridge.
• Clear duplicates and expired items from the spice drawer, the vitamins and the baking cabinet.
• Clear out the freezer, a common blind spot.

Clean

• Wipe each cabinet as soon as it's empty and edited, one at a time.
• Clean the fridge and freezer shelves once they're eaten down.

Weekend session: the kitchen cabinets. Empty, edit and wipe one cabinet at a time, and donate the gadgets you didn't use all year. Fewer things mean fewer things to clean and cover.

Week 1: the kitchen countdown and the Pesach setup

Declutter

• Consolidate the remaining chametz into as few cabinets as possible, ideally one or two, so the rest of the kitchen can be cleaned and closed.
• Plan the seder table: count chairs, linens, the seder plate and serving dishes. Find them now, not at 6 p.m. on erev Pesach.

Clean

• Work through the kitchen in the order your rabbi and family tradition call for: counters, stove, oven, sink, and the remaining cabinets.
• Bring in the Pesach dishes and set up zones for your Pesach kitchen, just as you would in any well-organized kitchen: a prep zone, a cooking zone, a dish zone and a pantry shelf.

Store your Pesach things so next year is easier

The biggest long-term win is a permanent Pesach storage system:

• Clear, lidded, labeled boxes by category: Pesach, Meat · Pesach, Dairy · Pesach, Cooking · Seder Table · Pesach, Linens.
• A packing list taped inside each box lid, with what's inside and what's missing or needs replacing.
• One storage place for all of it: the top of a closet, the machsan, or a high shelf in the mamad.
• After Pesach, put everything away clean and complete. Note on your phone what to buy next year, right away, while you remember.

A realistic daily routine

On weeknights, set a 20-minute timer. Pick one drawer, shelf or bag. Sort it into keep / donate / recycle / trash, put the "keep" items back neatly, wipe the empty space, and take the donate bag straight to the car. Small, consistent steps beat one exhausting marathon.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Cleaning before decluttering. You'll scrub things you're about to give away.
• Starting with the hardest room. Momentum matters. Start easy.
• Buying containers first. Declutter, then measure, then buy.
• Moving clutter instead of deciding. If a box goes from the kitchen to the mamad "for now," that's not decluttering.
• Doing it all alone. Assign age-appropriate jobs. Kids can sort their own toys and backpacks.

FAQ

When should I start Passover cleaning? About four weeks out works well for most families. Even two weeks helps if you focus on the kitchen and pantry.
Should I declutter or clean first? Declutter first. Every item you let go of is one less item to clean, check or store.
Is there a printable Pesach cleaning checklist? Yes. Our free Passover Cleaning Schedule puts this plan on one printable page.
Where should Pesach dishes live the rest of the year? In labeled, lidded boxes stored together: a high closet shelf, the machsan or the top of the mamad wardrobe.

Want a head start?

The Pesach Reset is a fixed-price session of about 3 hours (₪790) focused on the kitchen, pantry and storage. We declutter and organize before you clean, and set up a Pesach storage system that makes next year easier. (We don't clean or kasher.) Book 4–8 weeks before Pesach so it's done before the cleaning starts.

Book The Pesach Reset · Free printable schedule · Organizer in Jerusalem · What does an organizer cost in Israel?