Laundry:
The prohibition: It is forbidden to launder clothing during the Moed. This applies even if one is doing so for the sake of wearing the clothing during the Moed.
The cases of exception: The Sages permitted one to launder clothing during the Moed under certain circumstances. These circumstances of exception are:
- Returned from oversees:
- Freed from prison or captivity:
- Released from excommunication
- Released from vow:
May one launder his clothing on Chol Hamoed if they all became dirty? It is forbidden to launder clothing on Chol Hamoed even if all of one’s clothing have become dirty, unless one only owns one pair of that clothing [such as one jacket, or Kapata, or one pants or one shirt] or the clothing is changed on a daily basis due to becoming dirty [such as due to sweat and the like] and one does not have any more of that clean clothing remaining. Hence, one may launder underclothing, such as socks, undershirt, and underwear if they are all dirty, and one is accustomed to change them daily.
When laundering clothing that are changed daily, how many clothing may be laundered at a time? One may only launder as many clothing as he needs, such as a single shirt. Some Poskim interpret this to mean that one may launder as many clothing as he will need until the end of Yom Tov. Others however rule that one may never launder more than one clothing at a time, per day. Practically, in today’s times that laundry is done using a machine, and there is no extra work involved in washing more than one necessary garment at a time, it is permitted to wash simultaneously all the clothing that will be needed until the end of Yom Tov, if te clothing are changed on a daily basis.
If one’s clothing is dirty to the point that it is unwearable in public, may he launder the clothing on Chol Hamoed, even if it is not changed daily, and one has more than one pair? If all of a certain article of clothing have become dirty to the point that they cannot be worn in public, and one is unable to purchase a new article of clothing, then it is permitted to launder the clothing during Chol Hamoed. This applies even if one owns many pairs of that clothing, and they have all become dirty beyond wearing. If however one has ability to buy new clothing, then he must do so, rather than launder these clothing.
May one wash his single Shabbos pants that became dirty? If one does not have any other pants available that can be worn on Shabbos, then he may do so.
Is it permitted for one to wash a blanket on Chol Hamoed if he has no other blankets available? If this is the only blanket one has for him to use it may be washed.
Towels: One may wash towels during Chol Hamoed. [However, this only applies if one is accustomed to switch the towels often and one does not have any more towels available.]
May one wash floor rags on Chol Hamoed? Yes. One may do so if there are no other rags available.
Laundry for children: It is permitted to launder clothing of children that are commonly soiled.
Must one bring all their children’s clothing upon traveling elsewhere in order to avoid needing to do laundry for them during Chol Hamoed? Yes.
May one iron clothing on Chol Hamoed? Many Poskim rule that it is permitted for one to iron clothing on Chol Hamoed [for the sake of Chol Hamoed or Yom Tov]. However, some Poskim rule that the custom is to avoid doing so, as perhaps the form of ironing which was allowed to be done is a very light form.
May one clean a stain from his clothing? Some Poskim rule it is forbidden to clean individual stains from a clothing, even though one will not launder the entire clothing in the process. Other Poskim rule it is permitted to clean an individual stain and one may even use laundry detergent or stain removal in order to clean it. If lack of cleaning the stain may cause permanent damage to the clothing, then according to all one may wash the stain. According to all it is permitted to scrub the stain off using a dry brush and the like.
May one polish his shoes? Some Poskim rule it is permitted to polish shoes during Chol Hamoed. Other Poskim rule it is forbidden to polish shoes during Chol Hamoed. Some of these Poskim however permit doing so through a gentile. Practically, many are accustomed to abstain from doing so. According to all, it is permitted to clean the shoes using a brush.
