Schita – Squeezing Fabrics: Applications 2

Wearing Wet Clothes on Shabbos

Became wet whilst wearing: One whose clothes became wet on Shabbos when wearing them may continue to wear them without being concerned that one will squeeze them through the normal act of wearing them; however, one may not shake out the water that is absorbed in them, nor, as we will see below, may one sit with them near a radiator etc where they could be heated to 45 degrees (SA 301:45, BHL D”H Ve’eino Choshesh, SSK 15:18).
Socks: Specifically in relation to wet socks, it would be preferable to remove them when one is home – these are the item of clothing that one places the greatest amount of pressure on when one is walking, so are most liable to be squeezed.
Putting on wet clothes: If one does not have any other clothes to wear, one is even permitted to wear wet clothes – in such a case, the prohibition against moving wet fabrics is waived (MB 301:162, SHT 203, SSK 15:92).

If a garment has become wet due to the rain, or falling into water:
- It is forbidden to shake it out vigorously on Shabbos due to the prohibition of schita, squeezing fabrics (R 302:1, MB 4).
- It is forbidden to shake even in a gentle fashion if the garment is still somewhat new; given one is normally particular that such clothes don’t get wet so that they do not shrink, even this more limited shaking becomes forbidden under the prohibition of squeezing. The same also applies to older garments if one is particular that they do not get wet, as is normal with smart or more expensive clothing, such as Shabbos clothing (R 302:1, MB4, Dirshu 1, SSK 15:36, fn117, OS 13:27).
Raincoats and plastic covers: Raincoats which are made from woven fabrics would be treated as garments that one is not particular about, as they normally get wet. If the coat is made entirely from a sheet of plastic without any absorbent threads mixed in, it may even be shaken vigorously as there is no prohibition of squeezing out plastic as it does not absorb liquid at all. The same would apply to shaking out a fully plastic hat or pram cover which are made from a sheet of plastic (but not of woven threads, even if they are synthetic) (SSK 15:37, fn122).

If snow has landed on one’s clothes on Shabbos without yet melting into it, one may gently shake it off, as one is not drawing out moisture from the fabric. One may not, however, shake the clothing vigorously unless it is made entirely from a sheet of plastic, without absorbent threads mixed in, as above (BH”L 302:1 D”H Min Hatal, SSK 15:39).

There is significant debate in the poskim about whether one may use wet wipes on Shabbos to clean surfaces, a baby etc, given the concern that one may squeeze liquid out of the wipes whilst using them. The factors discussed include the materials that the wipes are made of (older wipes seem to have more commonly been made from a paper material, with modern wipes more commonly made from cotton) and how moist they are. One should consult a Rav for practical guidance (see SSK 14:37, OS 13:46)

There is a Rabbinic prohibition against squeezing water out of hair on Shabbos, which is one of the reasons given to refrain from. SSK rules that this prohibition does not apply if the water is being immediately absorbed into a towel so is neither visible nor being used and thus permits drying hair in a normal fashion.
- Other poskim disagree with SSK’s leniency and one should consult a Rav for practical guidance, for example if a woman is going to mikva on Friday night (MB 320:55, 326:21, SSK 14:22, fn66, Dirshu 320:47).