doing laundry on chol hamoed

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Forum -> Yom Tov / Holidays -> Succos

Doing laundry on chol hamoed

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greenfire

Mon, Oct 01 2007, 5:58 pm

hey moshedovid ... as having a new baby ... could be you are potor for sure ... you should check ...

MrsLeo

Mon, Oct 01 2007, 6:04 pm

Is sending something to a goishe cleaners better than washing it yourself? cuz from wat I understand its not that you're not allowed to wear clean clothes its that you can do work on chol hamoed.

greenfire

Mon, Oct 01 2007, 6:07 pm

Kitzur Shulchan Oruch 104:13
"It is forbidden to do any laundry at all on chol hamoed, even to wash clothes that one needs for the festival itself, unless one did not have the opportunity of doing so before the commencement of the holiday. Similarly, a child's diapers may be washed, since a child frequently soils his clothes and many diapers are needed. They should however be washed in private. Based on the shulchan oruch, oruch chayim 534:1, the Rabbis explain that the leniency I not limited to diapers, but applies to all clothes that become soiled frequently and are needed for the remainder of the festival."

mumoo

Mon, Oct 01 2007, 6:45 pm

From Hilchos Chol Hamoed by Rabbis Dovid Zucker and Moshe Francis of the Chicago Community Kollel:

If laundering by machine one may wash an entire load of children's clothes
...When washing children's clothes, garments of an adult may not be added to the washing machine...
If the supply of a particular item ...becomes depleted...usually the only recourse is to purchase whatever is needed for the festival..
women's support hose and nursing bras are exceptions ..and may be washed on chol hamoed...
a woman who becomes niddah...is permitted on chol hamoed to wash the white underwear that she will need for the seven days that will occur during the festival.
..if a person stains his suit on chol hamoed... he may not have it dry cleaned for festival use
...spot cleaning is permitted if he does not have a suitable change of clothing.
..drying in a clothes dryer is permitted on chol hamoed..
..ironing clothes.. for the festival is permitted, but making new folds, such as pleats, is not permitted.
..one may not launder towels, linens, tablecloths or curtains on chol hamoed.
...it is forbidden to shampoo or steam clean carpets...
...brushing or steaming a hat is permitted, professional steaming, blocking or reshaping is prohibited

Last edited by mumoo on Mon, Oct 01 2007, 6:54 pm; edited 1 time in total

greenfire

Mon, Oct 01 2007, 6:48 pm

can we shampoo our hair ... What

chocolate moose

Mon, Oct 01 2007, 7:28 pm

MrsLeo wrote:

Is sending something to a goishe cleaners better than washing it yourself?

uh-uh. but if you have a specific need, you should ask a rov.

mumoo

Tue, Oct 02 2007, 12:46 am

MrsLeo wrote:

Is sending something to a goishe cleaners better than washing it yourself?

It's not a matter of [gentile] or Yid. The cleaners are a maaseh uman (skilled)
We can sew a button, e.g., because it is a maaseh hedyot (unskilled task) but not send to a tailor for alterations.

A maaseh uman is permitted in case of davar ha'aved (substantial loss) -like ink spilled on your husband's only yontiff suit -which is why CM recommended talking to your Rov

Mommy3.5

Tue, Oct 02 2007, 1:28 am

chocolate moose wrote:

you can also search this site. that might be a better idea for you, since we 've discussed this inyan time and time again. one thread even got locked!

although, it's really a ques. for a rov, you understand....

A whole post on what she could do to find your old post....why not just type the sefer name instead?

mali

Tue, Oct 02 2007, 3:57 am

There are different opinions on this, as with any other Halachic question. My Rav said that since the Melacha in our day and age is pressing the button, or turning the knob, once you're at it doing your kids' laundry, you can add other things into the same load. (As opposed to the nine days, when the Issur is having clean stuff, so if you're desperate you can wash the few things your children need).

I'm surprised to hear about someone doing 10 loads. You really need all ten loads for Yom Tov?!

mumoo

Tue, Oct 02 2007, 10:11 am

Mommy3.5 wrote:

chocolate moose wrote:

A whole post on what she could do to find your old post....why not just type the sefer name instead?

whoa- the suggestion for searching the site was to find the many threads on the subject- in order to get lots of new information- not a mysterious clue to find a singular post

greenfire

Tue, Oct 02 2007, 10:19 am

with new Imamothers constantly joining old questions are new questions ... new posts take it from a current angle with the current Imamothers ...

mumoo

Tue, Oct 02 2007, 10:40 am

mali wrote:

I would never contradict your Rov, and as there are certainly different opinions- indeed many of these inyuns are d'rabbonon...

but I would like to clarify that it is not, as I understand, a matter of melacha, but one of preparedness.
The gemora says we have to prepare in advance of the chag, haircuts, nails, laundry, etc, in order to have the time to be b'simcha during the entirety (and at one time the chag was the entire week).
There is the worry that if we do not prepare fully before, we might come to put off bdavka until chol hamoed.
This is why, e.g. spot cleaning a suit that became stained during the yontiff is muter, because that could have not been prepared for.
So adding adult clothes that should have been washed (or purchased) in sufficiency before the yontiff is not permitted.

drumjj

Tue, Oct 02 2007, 10:43 am

so one should go out and spend money that one doesnt have on lets say about eight different outfits for each adult so they shouldnt add it to the washing already being on yom tov.

mumoo

Tue, Oct 02 2007, 10:50 am

drumjj wrote:

so one should go out and spend money that one doesnt have on lets say about eight different outfits for each adult so they shouldnt add it to the washing already being on yom tov.

can't wear anything more than once?

anyway, we spend money we don't have on a sukkah and arba minim and food; and on Pesach pots, dishes and more food, and on tuition and camp and vacations....

and tablecloths and silver lechters and jewelry and dining room tables and computers and china and appliances and cell phones and matching linens

mali

Tue, Oct 02 2007, 11:02 am

mumoo, the Mishna uses the words מחלל את המועדות - desecrating the Moed, just like the term used with Shabbos and Yom Tov. Clearly, there are MELACHOS which we cannot do on Chol Hamoed, like writing (which has nothing to do with being prepared in advance) or cutting nails. Chol Hamoed is definitely more lenient than Yom Tov and Shabbos, but we still honor it by refraining from doing Melacha.

chocolate moose

Tue, Oct 02 2007, 11:52 am

I understand the reluctance to spend $$ on more clothes. On a regular Shabbos you need only one outfit, and now we have three days' yomtov; times TWO !

mumoo

Tue, Oct 02 2007, 12:32 pm

mali wrote:

I hear about the writing, but not doing laundry is not from avoiding melacha but from the preparedness factor (I mean we drive cars, and run the dishwasher and take showers and play music and use the computer, phone, vacuum, blender, lights.......

greenfire

Tue, Oct 02 2007, 12:42 pm

mumoo wrote:

and take showers .....

hey man some of us don't Twisted Evil

Marion

Tue, Oct 02 2007, 4:04 pm

Cutting nails is not always a matter of preparedness! I have to cut DS's nails at least twice a week or he hurts people (and himself) with them. Mine too...I'm afraid to cut them too short, as I've had ingrown nails often, but they need to be short enough that they don't scratch him.

chocolate moose

Tue, Oct 02 2007, 4:21 pm

I'm with Marion, I cut my nails pretty often too!

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