Washing "what you need" during Chol Hamoed

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chocolate moose

Thu, Oct 12 2006, 12:56 pm

When we buy towels, shirts, socks, etc., I always have in mind the 9 Days and Chol Hamoed in order to have "enough". Inevitably we don't.......things get lost or ruined or whatever.

So - what do people do, when they aren't "supposed" to wash? Do they wear an outfit more than once? Do they wear less dressy clothes And what about robes, nightgowns, etc? You can't make a load of just a few things that you are out of!

chen

Thu, Oct 12 2006, 2:58 pm

SaraG wrote:

You can't make a load of just a few things that you are out of!

why not, except for the fact that it's a waste of water, energy and detergent?

Raisin

Thu, Oct 12 2006, 4:23 pm

That's great if you can afford it, but what if you are pregnant - do you have to buy 9 overpriced outfits, or even shirts? Never mind if you have a few kids, you're not going to be able to fit all that stuff anywhere.

chocolate moose

Thu, Oct 12 2006, 4:33 pm

If you're a family with a few kids, and not 9 outfits each, chances are excellent that you will have enough for a load of both lights and darks in the washing machine !!!!!! So this doesn't really apply to you!

My previous machine wouldn't spin properly with just a couple of things in it.

Mommastuff

Thu, Oct 12 2006, 4:41 pm

I was told (not by a Rabbi but by a friend) that you can stuff adult clothes in the machine with babys clothing. Their stuff will inevitably need to be washed within the week. You probably don't need to do all the babys clothes to get through the rest of the week so there should be room for adults clothes too.

Marion

Thu, Oct 12 2006, 4:50 pm

If my hampers are overflowing, I do laundry. End of story. We don't have anywhere to store a week's worth of dirty laundry.

mumsy23

Thu, Oct 12 2006, 5:01 pm

SaraG wrote:

My previous machine wouldn't spin properly with just a couple of things in it.

now the truth comes about, good thing I didn't buy it from you! Exploding anger

Crayon210

Thu, Oct 12 2006, 5:08 pm

Mommastuff wrote:

I was told by a rabbi that you CANNOT add adult clothes to the machine with babies' clothing.

ASK A RAV.

amother

Thu, Oct 12 2006, 5:09 pm

I was told by our LOR thAt I can only wash what I need for YT, or what I think I will need, and for kids ONLY - not for over Bar-Bas Mitzva - & cannot fill up the load. Spot cleaning for adults is OK, as is washing expensive specialized items (such as pressurized pantyhose I was wearing). He said if you run out of socks/underwear, to buy new. If
I has unusual sitch, such as needing to change undies 3x a day, or frequent leaking while nursing, I would ask, but think it would be OK to wash.
As far as washing cuz you don't have room - can't you stick it in a trash bag under your bed or something? Did you ask about doing laundry, or just assume it's ok?

mummy-bh

Thu, Oct 12 2006, 5:27 pm

I was told that you can wash for kids only, and then only what they need for that day and the following day, I.e. it would be okay to wash tonight for tomorrow and the 2 days of Y"T.
For adults I learned you may only wash if you only own one shirt, but I think undies are ok.

Mommy3.5

Thu, Oct 12 2006, 7:18 pm

Mommastuff wrote:

If you already are washing you are allowed to fill up the load.

Crayon210

Thu, Oct 12 2006, 7:24 pm

PLEASE STOP PASKENING. NOT EVERYONE HOLDS THAT WAY.

ASK YOUR OWN RAV!

chocolate moose

Thu, Oct 12 2006, 7:59 pm

Mumsy, it was a great machine...it was a great BIG machine! Family sized!

shalhevet

Sat, Oct 14 2006, 7:06 pm

SaraG wrote:

So - what do people do, when they aren't "supposed" to wash? Do they wear an outfit more than once? Do they wear less dressy clothes And what about robes, nightgowns, etc? You can't make a load of just a few things that you are out of!

Why the "supposed"? The halacha is that you can't do laundry on chol hamoed. Period. For exceptions ask your rav. Children's clothes are allowed to be laundered - to what age, ask your LOR.

Yes, I wore the same two Shabbos outfits the whole week and today I wore a winter outfit even though it was hot, because I didn't have anything else.

I haven't heard of it being allowed to wash underwear, or to put adult's clothes in with children's, or to wash "what you need." I think underwear etc shouldn't be a problem for anyone to have enough for 8 days. If people ask a rav, like some of the posters, fine; but on this thread most of the posters seem to think they can decide what they like.

This is a halachic issue and like any other halachic issue is not for people to decide according to what is comfortable or convenient for them.

Marion

Sun, Oct 15 2006, 12:25 am

mummyof6 wrote:

SaraG wrote:

Actually, I believe it is the minhag not to do laundry on chol hamoed. And therefore it is open to both personal and rabbinical (as in, ask your Rav) interpretation.

shalhevet

Sun, Oct 15 2006, 4:49 am

Marion wrote:

mummyof6 wrote:

SaraG wrote:

Actually, I believe it is the minhag not to do laundry on chol hamoed. And therefore it is open to both personal and rabbinical (as in, ask your Rav) interpretation.

There's a whole siman in the Shulchan Aruch devoted to the topic (Orach Chaim, 634) and as far as I know the Shulchan Aruch and the Mishna Brura are sources of halacha and not minhagim. I'll just quote the beginning - most of the rest of the siman is devoted to the exceptions.

Quote:

אין מכבסין במועד ...
אין מכבסין במועד. אפילו לצורך המועד והטעם כדי שיכבס מעיו"ט לצורך יו"ט ולא יכנס למועד כשהוא מנוול. משנה ברורה שם

You are not allowed to wash clothes on Chol Hamoed. (Shulchan Aruch 634,1)

Even for what you need for yomtov/ chol hamoed. And the reason is so that people will launder on erev yomtov for yomtov and not enter the yomtov dishevelled. (Mishna Brura, 1)

raizy

Sun, Oct 15 2006, 11:50 pm

if u think that I didnt wash laundry on chol hamoed you got anther thing coming. whatever I used the first half was all dirty and I hate dirty clothes. so sue me. I want the kids to look clean. and I hate dirty laundry lying around. what with the no washing whatever . forget it . tell me who u are so I will not come near you at all!!!!

and everyone who did not do laundry do u really have 9 of everything for every kid and adult???? or u just dont change for 9 days???

Crayon210

Mon, Oct 16 2006, 12:13 am

Raizy, why are you proudly announcing the fact that you've ignored a halacha? Do whatever you want in private, why does everyone need to know? Confused

Marion

Mon, Oct 16 2006, 12:13 am

To me "ein m'chabsin b'moed, afilu l'tzorech hamoed" means you don't wash on yomtov, even if you need it on yomtov. But CHOL hamoed is not yomtov, it's chol, and so I can do laundry. And my Rav doesn't have a problem with that.

Crayon210

Mon, Oct 16 2006, 12:19 am

That's odd that the SA would say that we don't do laundry on YT even if you need it on YT: obviously we don't do laundry on YT, it's YT!

If your rav doesn't have a problem, kol hakavod. But your own interpretation? Where does that fit in? Confused

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