654. Laundering
Laundering clothes on Shabbos is a subordinate labor of bleaching, for which one would be liable. Wringing water out of a garment is considered the same as laundering and one would be liable. This is because wringing out a garment is necessary for laundering just as stirring a pot is necessary for cooking. The restriction against wringing water out does not apply to one’s hair or to leather.
One who beats wool, linen, silk or any similar fabric is liable. The minimum amount for which one would be liable is enough to make a thread four handbreadths in length. If a person beats animal sinew until it becomes like wool and can be spun into a thread, he would be liable for performing a subordinate labor of beating.