Pesach, rather than being The Time of Our Freedom, is often The Time of Our Enslavement to Community Insanity and the Vacuum Cleaner.
But don’t worry. It doesn’t have to be this way. Realize that most people are insane, and that your house is perfectly kosher even if you don’t dryclean the drapes, remove your car seats, or Q-tip the seal around your fridge. Crazy people will tell you otherwise. Consider this a kindness from Hashem to know who you should not take halachic advice from.
The rabbis say that is praiseworthy to be machmir in preparing for Pesach…but instead of taking that so literally, be strict in removing the chametz within yourself: arrogance and pride. What is Pesach peer pressure except arrogance and pride that “I’m SO kosher for Pesach!” It is an Arms Race for who can be “the most frum.” Don’t buy it. You’re kosher, no matter what Frummy McFrumstein says. No one that “frum” is going to eat in someone else’s kitchen during Pesach anyway, so why does (s)he need to know how you cleaned your house? Even better, let’s all commit to not discussing the cleaning at all!
Don’t let Pesach ruin your Pesach. Please.
Chametz has a specific definition, and most of the things you’re cleaning up are halachically categorized as dust or garbage. Don’t confuse halacha with spring cleaning, and you’ll be less likely to beat yourself up when it’s totally unnecessary.
Want to learn more about cleaning out your chametz?
Destroy Your Chametz, Destroy Your Yetzer Hara! by Rabbi Lawrence Hajioff
Ridding Yourself of Your Spiritual Chametz by Rochi Lerner