Hanging Wet Clothing on Shabbos

Halachos are based on the rulings of Mishna Berura (MB) and Shmiras Shabbos Kehilchasa (SSK)

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Where the Clothes Will Be Heated

It is prohibited on a Torah level to hang wet clothes in a place where they will be heated to the point of Yad Soledes Bo – 45 degrees Celsius (c110 Faranheit) on Shabbos. This is forbidden both due to the melachos of bishul (cooking) and libbun (cleaning). It is therefore also prohibited to stand in wet clothes by a fire, radiator etc in a place where they could be heated to this point. (SA 301:46, MB 169, SSK 15:11, 1:1)

There is a Rabbinic prohibition against hanging up wet clothes in the place one normally hangs washing to dry, out of ‘Maras Ayin’ – lest an onlooker suspect that one washed them on Shabbos. This applies even if one is hanging them up in a place which is not visible to others – whenever Chazal prohibited an action lest one be suspected of transgressing a Torah prohibition, they forbade doing so even in private (SA 301:45, MB 165, SSK 15:11).
This restriction applies even if the item of clothing is only wet due to sweat or only part of it is wet. However, it does not apply to items that one was permitted to soak in water (such as leather, which may be soaked but not subsequently rubbed with one’s hand as we saw previously) (SA 301:47, SSK 15:12, 13).
Clothes hung before Shabbos: This prohibition only applies to clothes one actively hangs up on Shabbos – there is no problem leaving clothes hung there from before Shabbos (SA 301:45, MB 167, SSK 15:16).

It is, however, permitted to hang a wet item (assuming it is not muktza per our discussion in relation to schita) in its normal place such as on a hanger in one’s cupboard, unless its normal place is one where one also hangs things to dry, such as on a clothesline in the bathroom (SSK 15:15, 14 fn74).

When it is clear that an item is wet from a cause other than it being washed, it may be hung up on Shabbos in a place where one normally hangs clothing to dry – for example, if a towel or handkerchief has visible dirt on, they may be hung up as normal, as the dirt makes it clear that they have not been washed.
Hanging Wet Rain coats: There is also room to be lenient to hang up a coat which is wet due to rain in such a place if it’s a coat that it is not normal to wash. As above, one must ensure not to hang these items on a radiator etc where they can reach 45 degrees (Celsius, c110 Farenheit) (MB 301:164, SSK 15:38, fn39).

If one had hung clothes up to dry before Shabbos, they are muktza if, when Shabbos came in, they were wet enough that if one were to touch them and then another surface, the latter surface would become moist.
If they were not this wet when Shabbos came in, they are not muktza and may be taken down on Shabbos if one wishes to use them on Shabbos, or even to prevent them getting wet if rain is expected (MB 308:63, SSK 15:19, 21).

There is significant discussion about whether wet clothes that were muktza at the start of Shabbos will remain muktza if they dry out over Shabbos, especially if one had fully expected them to do so, such as in a hot and dry country. One should consult a Rav for guidance (SSK 15 fn63; Dirshu 308:29).

One should note that if the clothes were hung on a line which is directly attached to a tree (such as if an end of the line is tied round a branch), one may not take them down, due to the prohibition of making use of trees on Shabbos (lest one break off branches). If the line is only indirectly attached to the tree, for example to a hook nailed into it, this restriction does not apply (SSK 15:23 per SA 336:13).

One should further note that a washing clip used to clip clothes to a washing line is considered a kli shemelachto le’issur (an item used to perform forbidden acts on Shabbos) and is muktza. Given kli shemelachto le’issur is a type of muktza which can be moved if using the item for a permitted purpose or to use its space, one is permitted to unclip clothes from the line. However, once one has let go of the clip or if it falls on the floor, it may not be moved (SSK 15:22).