Passover Cleaning

Question

Last Pesach, I had what I call an epiphany. My husband had gone to bed and I was clamoring up and down on a stepladder trying to fit paper on kitchen shelves that had been throughly cleaned for Passover. After nearly falling off the ladder several times, I realized that I'm getting too old for this. I know that the shelves must be thoroughly cleaned, but do they need to be covered as well? My knowledge of Pesach cleaning comes from a variety of sources over the years and sometimes the line between Halacha, custom, and old-fashioned spring cleaning gets a little blurry. I would really appreciate some clarity on the subject. Thank you! ~ Michael's wife