The t-shirt of the week isn’t just a schmatte, it’s spring cleaning gone crazy.

I may have mentioned that housekeeping is not one of the Yenta’s strongest attributes (see “Mold, Diarrhea and Escargot,”) so the Passover custom of cleaning out one’s cupboards and “selling” all the leavened items for safekeeping for the duration of the holiday would never be listed as one of my favorite chores.

Even so, I feel obligated, even though I’d never heard of this tradition until a few years ago. Though my mother never had so much as a bialy in the house during Pesach, I don’t recall anyone cleaning out the pantry (I’m fairly sure the same box of Grape Nuts has been there since I was 12.) Neither the congregation I grew up in nor the one I belong to now ever mentioned this crumb hunting frenzy, so either I haven’t been paying attention (a veritable possibility — the minute someone mentions “cleaning” I start to drift) or the Reform Jewish world has abandoned this ritual.

So, as usual, I’m making it up as I go along. Aish.com’s Passover site has been very helpful, of course, but I’m certain the neighbor I asked to take our boxes of food for a week is going to feed the Ritz crackers to her dog.

But at least I know I’m not alone: Even Modern Jewish Mom, who’s obviously seasoned in the art of a chametz-free home, feels the pressure.

Guess it’s just a crummy part of being a Jewish mother. (Ba-dump bump.)