Is it Permissible to Do Laundry on Chol HaMoed?

Hello and blessings,

Since the details are numerous, I will copy the main points from the book of the Rishon Lezion, Yalkut Yosef

Siman Tashb - Laundry on Chol HaMoed

A It is forbidden to wash clothes on Chol HaMoed, even for the purpose of the festival. The reason is that the Sages decreed lest one wash his clothes before the holiday and enter the festival in shabby clothing. However, one who has only one garment is permitted to wash it, even if he did not wash it before Yom Tov out of negligence.

B It is permitted to wash towels that are used for drying hands and get dirty often, as well as towels that absorb after washing. There are those who say that nowadays one should be stringent on this since they are usually only replaced from Shabbat to Shabbat throughout the rest of the year.

D It is permitted to wash sheets and bedding in hotels and hospitals, and certainly the clothing of doctors and medical staff.

E Pregnant women who need to wear rubber stockings on their legs, if it is possible for them to buy several pairs to be able to change them during the festival, it is proper to do so, and if it is not possible and they become dirty during the festival, they may wash them.

A woman who is in the seven clean days of her counting, who needs to wear white and clean undergarments and place white and clean sheets on her bed, and other bedding items, if she requires them, may wash these clothes on Chol HaMoed.

It is also permitted to wash children's clothing because they tend to get dirty with mud and dirt. However, if washing them by hand, one should wash them one at a time, as needed. But when washing clothes and diapers of small infants who use them and have accidents, it is permitted to wash them even several at once, since many are needed at all times. Even for children's clothing up to three years old, one may be lenient.

In our times, where many have the habit of changing the white clothing that is close to the body almost every day due to constant sweating, especially in hot places, and they were washed before the festival, and one has no other clothing to change into during Chol HaMoed, it is permitted to wash them [in a washing machine] during the festival.

It is permitted to wash the clothes of small children during Chol HaMoed in a washing machine, together with the diapers of infants, as long as the washing is done for the purpose of the festival. However, not for the purpose of the festival, one should not be lenient, even if everything is done at the same time with the diapers that may be washed. And adult clothing should not be combined with children's and infants' clothing for washing in the washing machine.

A stain that fell on Chol HaMoed and soiled the garments may be cleaned with cleaning materials, as this is not considered laundering prohibited by the Sages.

Wishing you success,

Benjamin Shmueli