Can I wash up my kitchen floor and bathroom?

amother

Thu, Jul 27 2023, 1:25 pm

Floors are filthy beyond. Can I wash the floors now? I'm not being home for shabbos

amother

Rose

Thu, Jul 27 2023, 1:36 pm

If you're not home for shabbes anyway, then why? it's not preparing for shabbes, it's preparing for Sunday or whenever you come back.

effess

Thu, Jul 27 2023, 1:41 pm

There’s a minhag amongst women tracing back many generations that they clean their houses spotless on tisha bav before evening in preparation of Moshiach.

amother

Thu, Jul 27 2023, 1:43 pm

effess wrote:

There’s a minhag amongst women tracing back many generations that they clean their houses spotless on tisha bav before evening in preparation of Moshiach.

I'm adapting that minhag. I must wash my floors. Ill be way embarrassed for mashiach to see my house in such a state.

amother

Thu, Jul 27 2023, 1:44 pm

amother Rose wrote:

If you're not home for shabbes anyway, then why? it's not preparing for shabbes, it's preparing for Sunday or whenever you come back.

I'm asking if that's a problem.

bebrave

Thu, Jul 27 2023, 1:45 pm

amother OP wrote:

I'm adapting that minhag. I must wash my floors. Ill be way embarrassed for mashiach to see my house in such a state.

You can't 'adapt' a minhag!
Ask a rav or get a cleaning lady to do it for you

amother

Dimgray

Thu, Jul 27 2023, 2:05 pm

Op, sorry I dont know the answer.

But Im in bed with a headache, cant fathom how you feel ok to mop!

Fastwell

Elfrida

Thu, Jul 27 2023, 2:20 pm

I always clean the floors the day before. If I'm going to be sitting on the floor, I want to know that it will be reasonably clean.

I always thought the minhag to clean the house in honour of the coming of Mashiach was a Yerushalmi minhag. It's well established there, but I have heard of it being done elsewhere.

Note. I have the very great honour of living in Yerushalayim, but I'm not a real Yerushalmi. So I don't clean the floors on Tisha b'Av. Now the fast is over, I'm contemplating what needs to be done before Shabbos.

amother

Rose

Thu, Jul 27 2023, 2:39 pm

Somehow I don't see mashiach coming into everyone's houses. I rather see everyone going out to greet him. I don't think we need to be worried about the humiliation of mashiach seeing our messy houses. JMHO of course.

amother

Clematis

Thu, Jul 27 2023, 3:19 pm

effess wrote:

There’s a minhag amongst women tracing back many generations that they clean their houses spotless on tisha bav before evening in preparation of Moshiach.

I was taught this as a child as well, in chul.
These days I live in Jerusalem, but my floors were clean today, so I didn't....

NechaMom

Thu, Jul 27 2023, 3:51 pm

amother Rose wrote:

My thoughts too. What makes you think he’s coming into every home? If you want to prepare , you should rather pack a suitcase than wash the floors.

amother

Poinsettia

Thu, Jul 27 2023, 3:53 pm

I washed my floors Tuesday night for this reason. Today I swept a little so that tonight I won't have to clean while recuperating. Who can wash floors while fasting? That takes a ton of energy.

amother

Ecru

Thu, Jul 27 2023, 4:00 pm

I remember my grand mother a'h basically pesach cleaning the house on tisha b'av afternoon in honor of moshiach too. It is not a baseless minag. But even if you do not hold of this minag there is no issur to clean your house after chatzos. The issur is on washing our bodies.

Hashem_Yaazor

Thu, Jul 27 2023, 5:28 pm

amother Ecru wrote:

There's still an inyan some hold of not washing floors as part of rechitza (like laundry) the whole 9 days. Those who are makpid will still not mop the floors even if they're doing other cleaning of the house.

amother

Offwhite

Thu, Jul 27 2023, 5:29 pm

bebrave wrote:

You can't 'adapt' a minhag!
Ask a rav or get a cleaning lady to do it for you

Why? After chatzos we can do regular housework and cleaning.

amother

Jasmine

Fri, Jul 28 2023, 12:41 am

I mopped up the watermelon juice that spilt all over. Felt weird mopping on TB but couldn't deal with a sticky floor

effess

Fri, Jul 28 2023, 1:03 am

amother Ecru wrote:

I love learning about these minhagim. Can you tell us where your grandmother is from? Where she lived? I find this fascinating