Do you really not do laundry in the 9 days?!

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Forum -> Household Management -> Cleaning & Laundry

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out-of-towner

Wed, Jul 22 2015, 1:04 am

Normally I wouldn't do laundry. Maybe for Shabbos and for the kids but not for me. BH I have enough clothing for the time, maybe not clothing I usually wear, but stuff I can pull from the bottom of my drawers.

This year though, I am working at a place where I need to wear a specific shirt, of which I only have two. Since I have gotten very dirty and sweaty while wearing them (even over a shell) I washed them so I would have clean ones.

Normally I try to take few showers and slightly cold ones during the 9 days (except Erev Shabbos) but since I am working outside in the heat a lot, I sweat buckets every day. Also, if I was working in a Frum environment where being a bit smelly during the nine days would be excusable, that would be one thing. But I work in a secular environment, so it's a no go.

DrMom

Wed, Jul 22 2015, 3:19 am

One of my kids just wet the bed. Laundry time...

Rutabaga

Wed, Jul 22 2015, 3:51 am

I've done 3 loads of laundry so far. I'll definitely need to do one more, but hopefully that's it.

imasoftov

Wed, Jul 22 2015, 7:08 am

4sons wrote:

My dh knew a yerushalmi in meah shearim who didnt change undergarments for 9 days...evidently it is a diff of opinion if you can change "bigdei zeya" Puke

May HKBH bless such people and keep them next to the Czar ...

abby1776

Wed, Jul 22 2015, 12:12 pm

One of my children consistently wets their bed, so every morning I need to wash their sheets and their soiled pjs, and then I throw in some other things.

amother

Denim

Wed, Jul 22 2015, 1:08 pm

I get major anxiety about this no laundry rule. Is it a minhag? Derabbanan? D'oraisa?

But I can barely do it.
We have very few clothes, my husband works in the heat every day, my kids are kids, my baby...
Just the logistics alone- how do you set aside dirty clothing for all of your family members? Do you make a 9 days pile beforehand? In a place other than where your clean clothing is stored?
Are you all literally putting dirty clothing back on your body for 9 days?
Even the tableclothes, towels, and sheets thing....do you start with dirty stuff? If it becomes unbearable, do you dip in to your second dirty reserved item or do you then use clean?

amother

Pewter

Wed, Jul 22 2015, 1:30 pm

My DH also works outside in the heat and comes home very sweaty. Plus he changes his clothing between work and shul every day.

He has at least 6 T-Shirts for work - which is enough for the 9 day workday. he typically bikes during the week also and change his shirt after biking before work. So he has a few t-shirts (I buy them at Kohls for $5-7 on sale or used from Deja Nu for $1 so it isn't a big deal).
His nicer shirts he wears 2 days in a row most days anyways because it is just to shul and he doesn't really sweat than. And it costs to dry clean them so we try to stretch them year round.
So 6 work t-shirts. Approx. 4-5 dress shirts (all bought used) and 2 shabbos shirts (he has 2 for 2 day yomim tovim) are what I think he will go through. It isn't so insane. I think with pants he will be a bit tighter.
Before the 9 days he did try on everything. He shirts about 1/2 hour every morning or evening around the house and then folded next to his bed. When he is done it goes into the laundry. I'm not finding it the hugest deal, but maybe that is me.

He is more organized then me. The clothing I tried on is piled high on my dresser.
I probably will repeat 1 or 2 tops - not the biggest deal. I often wear tops without washing in between - especially if there is a shell under that I do wash. Or I end up wearing a few older tops, outdated, and older stretched slinky skirts. (I'm working from home now, if I had to go into an office it would be more difficult, but if someone works in a workplace I would think they have more then one outfit for each day of week).

We tried to use a few hand towels before the 9 days. I then refolded on a shelf and we are using from there.

bfc chat

Wed, Jul 22 2015, 1:45 pm

this year for Sephardi they are allowed to do laundry and take haircuts because of shabatt ShelhalBo since fast comes on on shabbat it is pushed off to Sunday just like back in 2012.

heidi

Wed, Jul 22 2015, 2:17 pm

OK, this is really radical and bad, so feel free to report me.
Not doing laundry during the nine days is a minhag. It is not, I repeat, NOT a halacha.
Yes, Orthodox Jews do feel that minhagim are important. And no, I am not telling people to go on a laundry binge, but I think there needs to be a happy medium here.
Wearing clean clothes nowadays isn't really something special and exciting. We are long past the once a month trip to the river to scour the clothes. So I'm not sure wearing clean clothes gets anyone that excited.
If not doing the laundry during the nine days makes you nervous, depressed, anxious etc. Ask your LOR. Maybe you're taking it too far.
Now eating meat on the other hand, even in our day and age, is something expensive and special-- think Yom Tov when you make that fancy roast. . . just something to think about.

curlyhead

Wed, Jul 22 2015, 10:13 pm

No laundry yet. Told my kids they have to wear their clothess and pjs 2 days in a row unless dirty from food . Younger kids have had enough clothing till now. Think we are starting to run out of socks and underwear will probably have to do a load. Hope we have enough for shabbos.

amother

Hotpink

Thu, Jul 23 2015, 6:18 am

amother wrote:

I don't try on clothing or even throw them on the floor but I don't wash any clothing during the 9 days. Except for my baby/little kids.

I know I should try on clothing but I.just.can't.

gp2.0

Thu, Jul 23 2015, 7:26 am

I thought trying on clothes (or stepping on them) is just a camp/yeshiva thing. Wink

Is there mesorah for this in your family? Do your parents do it? Your grandparents?

tigerwife

Thu, Jul 23 2015, 8:13 am

We don't do laundry, but that's for the adults and older children. I didn't think it was a even a question for small children- and definitely not for an issue like bed wetting!

DH tries on his shirts before the 9 days- he wears each one for around twenty minutes or so. My father actually does the same. For myself- well, my clothes are not really freshly pressed so I don't think it's an issue...

amother

Beige

Thu, Jul 23 2015, 8:29 am

Wearing the clothing before is only a minhag for certain ppl.

sky

Thu, Jul 23 2015, 9:52 am

My in-laws also wear all their clothing before the 9 days.

Chayalle

Thu, Jul 23 2015, 10:15 am

My father and my DH wear all their outer clothing - shirts and pants - before the 9 days.

I do too theoretically.....practically speaking I don't always get to it, and if I need the clothes I didn't wear I just put it on the (carpeted) floor and step on it a bit.

I leave it to my teens to make decisions that they feel comfortable with. One opts to wear some of her shirts a bit, and one is not up to that point.

I washed all my 7 year old's dresses the other day. She's sensory and gives me a run for the money if her favorite, comfortable clothes are not available. On an annoying note, the paint did not wash out of her favorite dress. Why can't the daycamps use washable paint for their projects? She's just going to wear a painted dress this summer. Too bad.

debsey

Mon, Jul 27 2015, 5:00 pm

And - let the laundry marathon commence.......

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