May One Hang a Wet Towel on a Hook or Place It Crumpled on a laundry line on Shabbos?
Question
Hi. I know that there is a prohibition against hanging wet clothing on Shabbos in order to dry. With that said, I would like some guidance regarding what I should do with my towel after washing my face on Shabbos. Is it permitted on Shabbos to hang a wet towel on a hook in the place where it is normally kept after using it, such as in the hooks found in the towel rack outside the Mikveh, or on the hook found behind the door of my bathroom, or is this considered prohibited drying of clothing on Shabbos? Likewise, may one place a wet towel on the laundry line at home if it is dropped onto the line without spreading it out in the usual manner of drying?
Answer
The prohibition against drying wet clothing on Shabbos applies only when the garment is spread out in a normal manner of drying, in a way that resembles typical weekday laundering practices and gives the appearance that the clothing was washed on Shabbos. Thus, it is permitted on Shabbos to hang a wet towel on a hook in the place where it is normally kept during the week—whether on the hooks outside a mikveh or on a hook behind a bathroom door. Likewise, one may place a wet towel on a laundry line, provided it is not spread out in the usual manner of drying clothing; rather, it should be left crumpled (or folded) on the line. Since this does not resemble the normal weekday practice of drying laundry and does not create the appearance that the towel was washed on Shabbos, it is permitted.
Explanation
Chazal forbade spreading out wet clothing on Shabbos because of mar’it ayin, as doing so resembles the normal process of laundering and gives the impression that the clothing was washed on Shabbos. Accordingly, when clothing is spread out flat or hung neatly in a way typical of drying laundry, such as on a clothesline or drying rack, this action is forbidden even if the garment was washed before Shabbos. The visual resemblance to weekday laundering is the core concern.
However, when a towel is hung on a hook where it is normally kept—such as a bathroom towel hook at home or at school—this does not resemble a deliberate act of drying laundry. Rather, it appears as ordinary storage or placement. Similarly, placing a wet towel on a drying rack in a crumpled or folded state, without spreading it in the manner one would use to intentionally dry clothing, does not follow the standard practice of drying laundry. As such, it does not create the appearance that the towel was freshly laundered.
This distinction, aside for being logical, is also evident from the consistent terminology used throughout the Poskim. Their language focuses on shetichah (שְׁטִיחָה)—i.e., spreading out a wet garment in the manner typically done for drying laundry. By contrast, the term used for merely hanging an item in its ordinary place “Teliyah” (i.e., simple placement on a hook) is not employed in these rulings, indicating that the prohibition is directed specifically at an act that resembles standard weekday drying. This approach is further supported by Admur in Shulchan Aruch (O.C. 301:58), who writes that drying wet clothing near a fire is forbidden even if one does not spread it there—implying that when drying opposite the sun, the concern is specifically shetichah, i.e., spreading it out. Indeed, this is explicitly ruled by the Mishnah Berurah (and clarified further in Sha’ar HaTziyon), that the prohibition is limited to cases in which the item is spread out in the normal fashion, as that is what creates the appearance of laundering. All of the above also serves to clarify the proper terminology in the Poskim and to negate a possible misconception that may arise from the wording used in Shemiras Shabbos Kehilchasah, which frequently uses the term teliyah (hanging) in this context rather than shetichah (spreading out). While the intent there is not necessarily to forbid simple hanging, that change in wording can be misunderstood to imply that even hanging a wet towel on its usual hook is prohibited. This is not accurate. It is also a wonderment that they omitted this clarification from their Sefer, despite it being recorded in the Mishneh Berurah. As explained above, so is stated clearly in Piskei Teshuvos, that the prohibition is specifically when one spreads the item out in the manner of drying laundry, whereas mere hanging or placement in its normal location is permitted.
In addition to the above, there are further grounds for leniency regarding hanging a towel. Even if one were to argue—incorrectly—that merely hanging a towel on its usual hook is included in the prohibition, the vast majority of Poskim limit that prohibition to a towel that is wet. Now, what is the definition of “wet”? Some sources suggest that clothing is considered wet only if it is actually soaked with water, meaning that it is very wet. However, the Poskim write that even clothing which is wet due to sweat may not be dried on Shabbos, hence implying that even slight wetness is a problem. Now, this raises an important question: how wet must clothing that is damp from sweat be in order to be included in this prohibition? Is this referring specifically to clothing that one perspired in so heavily that it can actually be wrung out and water would come out, or is a lesser level of moisture sufficient? Does it require the level of tofeiach al menat lehatfiach, or does even minimal dampness from sweat render the garment considered wet? This matter is not entirely clear from the poskim. While many maintain that any noticeable wetness classifies the garment as wet with respect to the prohibition of drying, others write that the prohibition applies only when the garment is wet to the degree of tofeiach al menat lehatfiach. In practice, many towels used to dry the body after a mikveh are not wet to this point; rather, they are merely damp, to the extent that one cannot squeeze any water from them. Such a towel may not halachically be defined as “wet” to the degree necessary to enter the scope of the drying prohibition, which does not apply to dry (or effectively dry) clothing. Accordingly, although we are stringent in this regard not to spread the towel open to dry in the same manner one would do after laundering, this very point can be added as an additional reason to be lenient with respect to merely hanging it on a hook.
Furthermore, some Poskim discuss an additional basis for leniency specific to towels: it is possible that the entire enactment applies primarily to garments that are typically hung out to dry only after they have been laundered. A towel, however, is commonly hung up after bathing (including after a mikveh), and it is generally understood that it is being rehung after use—not because it has just been washed in a laundry cycle. Accordingly, one could argue as do some Poskim, that the concern of mar’it ayin does not apply in the same way to a towel hung after a mikveh. Now, although it is best to be stringent even with towels and avoid spreading them open in the normal manner of drying, as explicitly rules the Mishneh Berurah. However, with regard to merely hanging the towel in its usual place, one may certainly be lenient, both for this reason and for all of the reasons explained above.
Reasons for Leniency (Summary)
- The primary concern of Chazal is shetichah (שְׁטִיחָה)—spreading a wet garment out in the normal manner of drying laundry—not mere teliyah (hanging) in its usual place.
- Hanging a towel on its regular hook (e.g., outside the mikveh or behind a bathroom door) appears as ordinary placement/storage, not as a deliberate act of drying laundry, and therefore does not generate the same mar’it ayin concern.
- Even if one were to (incorrectly) argue that simple hanging is included in the prohibition, perhaps a towel used after a mikveh which is merely damp and not wet enough to wring out doed not enter the scope of the prohibition.
- Some Poskim add that the gezeirah may primarily address garments that are typically hung out only after laundering; a towel is commonly rehung after use (e.g., after bathing/mikveh), so people do not assume it was just washed, further reducing mar’it ayin.
Sources
See regarding the general prohibition of hanging clothing to dry on Shabbos: See Michaber O.C. 301:45 and 47; Admur 301:56-58; M”B 301:170; Shaar Hatziyon 301:212; Ben Ish Chaiy Vayechi 1; Piskeiy Teshuvos 301:57-59; SSH”K 15:11-25
See regarding the view that this prohibition applies only when the garment is spread out in the normal manner of drying: See Michaber O.C. 301:45 and 47; Admur 301:56-58; Implication of Admur 301:58 “If a garment is soaked in water—even if there is only a small amount of moisture—it is forbidden to dry it near a fire, even if one is not spreading it out there but is merely drying it while wearing it. Although there is no concern of mar’it ayin in such a case, it is nevertheless forbidden because of bishul”; Implication of Elya Raba; M”B 301:170 “Only if he places it in a way of Sheticha”; Shaar Hatziyon 301:212 “”As it is logical that the prohibition of Maras Ayin is specifically when it is spread out, as then people will say that he laundered them”; Ben Ish Chaiy Vayechi 1; Piskeiy Teshuvos 301:57 and footnote 411; SSH”K 15:11 [says Litlos]
See regarding the definition of how wet a garment must be in order to fall under this prohibition: See Michaber O.C. 301:45 and 47; Admur 301:56-57; M”A 301:55; Elya Raba 301:77; M”B 301:163 and Shaar Hatziyon 204; Ben Ish Chaiy Vayechi 3 [even if completely dry]; Kaf Hachaim 301:257 and 273 [even if completely dry]; Or Letziyon 2:24 -9 [only if Tofeiach Al Menas Lehatfiach]; Piskeiy Teshuvos 301:57
See regarding the ruling that when a garment is placed in its normal location, even if it will dry there incidentally and it is not being placed there for the purpose of drying, the prohibition does not apply: SSH”K 15:11
See regarding the general leniencies that are specifically applicable to towels: Ben Ish Chaiy Vayechi 3; Kaf Hachaim 301:259; Divrei Yatziv 1:143 [lenient by Mikveh towels]; Minchas Yitzchak 9:23 [stringent even by towels]; Piskeiy Teshuvos 301:59
