Is It Permitted to Take Down Laundry on Shabbat?

Greetings, It is permitted to take dry laundry down from the clothesline on Shabbat if one intends to use it on Shabbat. In that case, it is also permitted to remove the clothespins by hand. However, if he has no need for the laundry on Shabbat, it is forbidden to take it down because of preparing from Shabbat for a weekday. And if there is concern that rain will fall and the laundry will get wet, it is permitted to take it down even if he does not intend to use it on Shabbat. In that case, however, he should pull the laundry down without touching the clothespins. 

Sources: Indeed, the view of the Mishnah Berurah (siman 308, seif katan 63) is that if the garments were wet to the extent of tofeach al menat lehatfiach during bein hashmashot, then even if they dried during Shabbat they are forbidden to be moved, because of miggo d' itkatzai lebein hashmashot - and as stated above in the words of the Rema in siman 301, seif 46 - itkatzai lechulei yoma. His intent was to what the Rema wrote there, that it is forbidden to move garments soaked in water on Shabbat if he is particular about their water, lest he come to wringing. However, many of the later authorities wrote that it is permitted to move garments that were wet during bein hashmashot and dried during Shabbat when he has need of them on Shabbat, for two reasons: 

1. Based on the words of the Beit Yosef, Orach Chaim (siman 310) in the name of the Kol Bo regarding dates on which water was placed in a tub on erev Shabbat and which were not fit, but on Shabbat became fit and are permitted on Shabbat, because this is a completion by human action, like that which is stated in Beitzah (daf 27a), that a pot is ordinarily boiling during bein hashmashot, etc. From there it is learned that since it will be fixed on its own, it is called a completion by human action. This is brought in the Mishnah Berurah there, seif katan 19. Accordingly, here as well, if it is clear that the wet garments will dry throughout Shabbat, the principle of miggo d' itkatzai does not apply to them (see Responsa Igrot Moshe, Orach Chaim, part 5, siman 22, letter 26; Responsa Minchat Yitzchak, part 1, siman 81, letter 3; Responsa Mikveh HaMayim, part 3, siman 48; Responsa Shevet HaLevi, part 1, siman 62, letter 3, and part 3, siman 33, letter 1; Responsa Be'er Moshe, part 2, siman 24; Responsa Even Yisrael, part 9, page 80; and the book Or HaChamah on the Mishnah Berurah there. See also Responsa Minchat Shlomo, part 1, 2005 edition, page 91; Responsa Az Nedaberu, part 1, siman 5, and part 3, siman 42; and Responsa Mishneh Halachot, part 6, siman 65, where they explained the view of the Mishnah Berurah, who holds that this is not included in the category of completion by human action. And see Minchat Yitzchak there, who wrote that perhaps the Mishnah Berurah is speaking of a case where it is not certain that it will dry on Shabbat, and even if it dries by the sun it is like figs and raisins, whose completion is by Heaven, since there is doubt whether the sun will be present). 

2. Because apparently a wet garment was never in the category of muktzeh, since the Magen Avraham (siman 301, seif katan 58) wrote that it is permitted to move a wet garment by means of ten people, since they will remind one another and it will not come to wringing. According to this, since there is a possibility of moving this garment by several people, it follows that even during bein hashmashot it was not in the category of muktzeh, and consequently if it dried during Shabbat it is permitted to move it. According to this reason, even if it was not clear that the garments would dry during Shabbat, they are permitted to be moved and used (see Responsa Minchat Yitzchak there, letter 4; Responsa Minchat Shlomo there, note 5; Shevet HaLevi in the two places cited above; and Ohr LeTzion, part 2, chapter 26, note 5. See what was written to reconcile the view of the Mishnah Berurah in Responsa Be'er Moshe there at the end of the responsum, and in the book Ashrei HaIsh, part 2, chapter 17, seif 15 in the name of Rav Elyashiv zt"l. And see there, seif 41, that Rav Elyashiv rules in accordance with the Mishnah Berurah). Also see further in the book Gנזי שערי ציון (page 28), where it is brought in the name of Rav Ben Tzion Bamburger zt"l that he asked the Chazon Ish zt"l about laundry hanging on a line that had been wet during bein hashmashot, whether it was permitted to take it down on Shabbat, and he replied: For a need, it is permitted. Rav Chaim Kanievsky zt"l wrote, and these are his words, that the master differs here with the Mishnah Berurah. And so wrote Rav Ovadia Yosef zt"l in his books Levit Chen (letter 37), Halichot Olam part 3 (pages 220-222), and Chazon Ovadia, Shabbat part 3 (pages 87-89), permitting the use of laundry that dried during Shabbat on the basis of the two reasons above. He also ruled briefly in Responsa Yabia Omer part 7 (Orach Chaim, end of siman 39) and part 9 (Orach Chaim, siman 108, letter 153). In any case, if he has no need for the garments on Shabbat, it is forbidden for him to take them down because of the prohibition of preparing from Shabbat for a weekday. And if there is concern that rain will fall, he is permitted to take the garments down. So wrote in the book HaShabbat VeHilkhotah (siman 28, seif 9 and in the note there) in the name of Rav Ovadia Yosef zt"l. Likewise, it was ruled in Responsa Machazeh Eliyahu, part 1 (siman 55, letter 2). However, it appears that in such a case it is forbidden to remove the clothespins by hand, because they are considered a Kli Shemelachto LeIssur, and it is permitted to move muktzeh of this type only for its place or use, and not from the sun to the shade, as written in the Shulchan Aruch (siman 308, seif 3). Therefore, he should remove the laundry by pulling the garments without touching the pins, and then it is permitted, like any indirect movement for the sake of a permitted item, as written in the Shulchan Aruch (siman 311, seif 8). Likewise, see in the book Ohr LeTzion (there) which wrote that if he does not need the laundry on Shabbat, he should remove the laundry by pulling the garments without touching the clothespins. It must be said that this refers to a case where there is concern that rain will fall on them, for otherwise it is forbidden because of preparing from Shabbat for a weekday. 

With blessing, Hillel Meirs