Laundry Chol Hamoed

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Forum -> Yom Tov / Holidays -> Succos

Laundry Chol Hamoed

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amother

Fri, Oct 14 2022, 2:17 pm

Do you do laundry chol hamoed?
If you do, did you ask a rav?

amother

Lemonlime

Fri, Oct 14 2022, 2:18 pm

We don’t ask. Is he going to buy me new clothes? We did 1 small load with stiff that we needed (mostly baby’s Yom tov clothes and kids shabbos dresses) Also my robe. My husband learned it’s ok for children.

amother

Fri, Oct 14 2022, 2:21 pm

I don't have little kids at home.
But the piles are driving me insane!
I love doing laundry, it's so relaxing. But I don't like when the piles get bigger. Then the laundry becomes such a stress for me.

amother

Clover

Fri, Oct 14 2022, 2:23 pm

I keep the laundry sorted so it’s easy to wash after YT, and do a load of kids clothes half way through

melalyse

Fri, Oct 14 2022, 2:25 pm

I do laundry for my kids that are below Bar/Bas Mitzvah - I asked my Rav.

yidisheh mama

Fri, Oct 14 2022, 2:28 pm

I do young kids stuff as needed, and if there's any specific thing I need for Yom tov, I was told I can throw it into the kids load. I do the same during the 9 days.

BetsyTacy

Fri, Oct 14 2022, 2:58 pm

I have not asked but I do remove stains (spot clean).

tweety1

Fri, Oct 14 2022, 3:02 pm

I didnt ask but I wash what needs to be used on y"t

amother

Anemone

Fri, Oct 14 2022, 3:17 pm

I asked.

I was told for adults, it's better to buy new than to wash!

Children up to age 9 I can wash what we need for Y"T.

Between 9 and bar/bas mitzvah, if they can't keep themselves clean, we ask when in that situation. (My daughter's turning 9 right before Pesach, I just realized that this week and panicked already!)

I know what you mean, I love laundry too!

More than I love laundry, I listen to the Torah. It's not always convenient. Or "fair".

seeker

Fri, Oct 14 2022, 4:17 pm

I didn't ask because I learned that the general rule is that if you need it for yom tov then you can do it. And with a washing machine in my house B"H there is really no work involved.

If it's underwear or something then it's better to buy new. But if it's your yom tov outfit that you wore and stained the first day and now there's also a shabbos chol hamoed and two second days, what are you going to do?

Or linens. We had a rotation of guests this yom tov and I believe each one deserves a fresh set of bedding. I have bought extra guest sets in the past but somehow I can't figure out what happened to them (we sent two kids to camp this year, maybe they lost some?!) and right now it's much much easier to throw them in the washing machine than to go out and buy more. Shopping is also only allowed for minimal yom tov needs, no? And this season has stretched my wallet past the max. So I don't feel like I need to ask a rav, I think G-d can trust my judgment that I need to do a couple of loads of automated hands-free laundry and it has to be today.

Hashem_Yaazor

Fri, Oct 14 2022, 4:50 pm

If it's a significant loss, you can, but if you can afford, buying new for YT is totally muttar on Chol Hamoed vs washing which is bdi eved.

amother

Tomato

Fri, Oct 14 2022, 5:08 pm

amother OP wrote:

Do you do laundry chol hamoed?
If you do, did you ask a rav?

I do for my kids until they are 9/10, as we were told. I try to only do what they need. I also throw in here and there, as I was told I can do, if I or my husband or one of the older kids needs something.

amother

Floralwhite

Fri, Oct 14 2022, 5:13 pm

I don't.

I heard my rav say not to do laundry for children older than baby, so 2-3 (yes, he's chassidish but I'm not).

I buy a TON of underwear/undershirts/socks for the kids pesach time, and that usually works for sukkos too.

We wear less fancy clothes on the days we don't go to shul.

I do have 5 white shirts for the boys, but if they spill, they are dirty for the rest of the day.

amother

Natural

Fri, Oct 14 2022, 5:14 pm

I'm usually so good about not washing except for the kids, but this year we went away and did not calculate well especially with the hot, humid, rainy weather where we were visiting.
My rav said we could wash what we needed with the kids load, so that's what I did

amother

Brickred

Fri, Oct 14 2022, 5:21 pm

Don't you wash the new things you bought before wearing it? So buying doesn't help.

SG18

Sat, Oct 15 2022, 1:40 pm

I do laundry. It isn't work for me, and I wash what we need.
If people can go to work on chol hamoed, I can do laundry.

amother

Camellia

Sat, Oct 15 2022, 3:38 pm

I asked a rav and was told that I can wash things we need. If we're going to run out of towels, the tablecloths that we need, and undergarments (even for adults), if we will need them.

amother

Tan

Sat, Oct 15 2022, 4:21 pm

Am I the only one that needs everything washed halfway through the week?
I sometimes have to wash things overnight eg a pair of pants or skirt that goes with 2 tops. Both my boys and dh no way have enough white shirts, dh can sometimes change up to 3 times a day. My girls are teens and their shabbos clothes are expensive, they have 2 sets and robe, so definitely need to be washed between each yt.
I do have a pile of uniform that I ddint manage to wash before yt and is sitting patiently waiting.

amother

Cadetblue

Sat, Oct 15 2022, 6:28 pm

SG18 wrote:

I do laundry. It isn't work for me, and I wash what we need.
If people can go to work on chol hamoed, I can do laundry.

Work is not a personal definition, it's defined by the Torah, nobody considers turning on a light on Shabbos "work" but it's Melacha and clearly forbidden. Doing Melacha on Chol Hamoed isn't simple and one really needs to be careful. As for those who work on Chol Hamoed we should be DLKZ that they have no choice but in any case 2 wrongs to make a right.

SG18

Sat, Oct 15 2022, 6:58 pm

amother Cadetblue wrote:

I've learned (because I have looked up the halacha) that laundry would not be problematic at this point.

Chol Hamoed isn't Chag- I'm not sure what the source for melacha not being "simple" is.
Simcha is the biggest inyan on Sukkot. Mountains of laundry (not to mention having to buy a second wardrobe for every member of my family) would be super stressful, detracting from my simcha.
Having my toddler shove a bunch of clothing in the laundry and putting a pod in is not work for me, and also happens to be allowed.
Even Rav Mordechai Eliyahu, who's usually machmir, says that if you couldn't wash the clothing before Chag, it's allowed. Kids' clothes, towels, clothing you'll wear on the Chag, is allowed. You can iron for Chag, can get clothing tailored if it ripped and you need it for chag...

Working on Chol Hamoed is a much bigger issue than doing laundry is. But I don't feel the need to share sources on that, everyone can make their own decisions.

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