May one fold clothing on Chol Hamoed?

One may fold clothing on Chol Hamoed without restriction, even though folding clothes on Shabbos is prohibited unless certain conditions are fulfilled. Folding clothes is not a meleches uman and thus permitted when folding for Chol Hamoed or Yom Tov. [1]

May I fold clothes that will only be worn after Chol Hamoed or Yom Tov?

Clothes should only be folded when they are to be worn on Chol Hamoed or Yom Tov. If however putting clothes into a cupboard and storing them in a tidy manner will appease one’s mind, one may do so as it is also tzorech hamoed.

Is ironing permitted on Chol Hamoed?

Before we address this issue, it is important to note that washing clothes on Chol Hamoed is prohibited save for extenuating circumstances, as will be”H be explained.

Ironing clothes is permitted on Chol Hamoed when the clothes are to be worn on Chol Hamoed or Yom Tov. [2] Ironing is not a meleches uman and permitted when done l’tzorech hamoed. [3]

Starching shirts and introducing permanent creases is forbidden on account of being a meleches uman. [4]

May one launder clothes on Chol Hamoed?

The Shulchan Aruch writes that it is prohibited to launder clothes on Chol Hamoed and the Mishna Berura explains [5] that one must wear clean clothes to honor Yom Tov and not rely on the possibility to launder on Chol Hamoed. If one were permitted to launder on chol hamoed , given that erev Yom Tov is very hectic, one might be tempted to wear any clothing at hand and launder on Chol Hamoed. Therefore Chazal prohibited laundering on Chol Hamoed.

We find a similar concept regarding haircuts and shaving.

Where does it say that one must wear nice clean clothes on Yom Tov?

The possuk says that Yom Tov is î÷øà ÷ãù – and Chazal explain that one must ‘make it holy’ with food, drink and clean clothes.

I can understand that clean clothes might have a connection to holiness, but food and drink?

This can be explained on different levels.

Holiness means separation and difference. When we declare that Hashem is Holy it is because he is separated from everything and is not associated with anything we can fathom. Our food and beverages and the manner we eat and drink on Yom Tov (and Shabbos) must be different to weekday food.

A deeper meaning is to realize that the food we eat on Shabbos and Yom Tov is compared to eating from the mizbeach. Shabbos and Yom Tov are higher spiritual realms than weekdays and the food we eat on Shabbos and Yom Tov is associated with eating from Hashem’s table. [6]

What is included in the issur of laundering?

Basically everything. [7] One may not launder on Chol Hamoed for the last day of Yom Tov even though one does not have fresh clothing. One may not hand it to a gentile to launder, even if he will launder for free, nor may one hire a Jew who needs money for Yom Tov expenses. [8] It is immaterial whether one launders by hand or in a washing machine or if one was unable to launder clothes before Yom Tov due to a hectic schedule.

The only shirts I own are stained and cannot be worn on Yom Tov. I would rather stay home and not go to shul than wear such a shirt. May I wash it?

The poskim say that if possible one should purchase clothing, if the expense is not too great, rather than launder. [9]

What if all the hand towels are used up, may I launder them?

Chazal permitted laundering items that constantly become soiled, because the reason for the above g’zeira does not apply. As mentioned, Chazal did not want us to rely on Chol Hamoed laundering and our clothes must be freshly laundered for Yom Tov. This does not apply to items constantly used and dirtied, because even when you launder them before Yom Tov they must be laundered again during Chol Hamoed.

Which items fall into this category?

Baby’s and children’s clothing may be laundered on Chol Hamoed because they dirty constantly. [10] One may wash these items in a washing machine and many of these items may be placed into the machine at once. [11]

The Oruch haShulchan [12] says that one may launder children’s clothing in public because everyone knows and sees that they are children’s clothing and do not cause any suspicion that one is laundering clothes on Chol Hamoed. This may not be applicable nowadays as we B”H don’t have to wash clothes in a river, but it would apply to hanging wet laundry outside to dry in the sun.