What is the ruling on cleaning clothes that contain impurity with dry cleaning without using water?
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The questioner : The second question that arises: cleaning clothes by what is called these days dry cleaning; does it remove impurity?
The Shaykh : Excuse me, what is this dry cleaning?
The questioner : Dry cleaning is a process of cleaning clothes by a dry method; that is, there is a solution, such as gasoline, in which the clothes are placed, so that they do not lose their luster and do not touch water at all, and the garment comes back ironed and clean; and this is what is called these days and is customary: dry cleaning: cleaning by the dry method! So, if there is impurity on the garment, does this method of cleaning remove the impurity, knowing that water has not touched it at all?
The Shaykh : As for clothes that hands can reach and can be washed with water, that is the original rule, and it is not permissible to remove impurity by any other method except what is excluded; for example: the sandal is rubbed with earth and it becomes pure, and the ground becomes impure and is sprinkled with water and it becomes pure, laundry ropes, for example, can be purified by wiping with water and exposing them to the sun and the air.
As for anything else that hands can reach by washing, it is not permissible except washing with water.
The questioner : Even if exposing the laundry to water would ruin this piece.
The Shaykh : Ruin it?
The questioner : Ruin it; meaning, there are some pieces of fabric on which a warning is placed: that it must not be washed with water; because water ruins it in one way or another.
The Shaykh : By Allah, this returns to looking at this garment or clothing; why was it purchased of this type? If there is a valid medical necessity or something like that, then here it can be said from the perspective of not wasting wealth: it is permissible to clean it by this new method. But if there is a possibility of doing without this type of clothing by wearing fabric that water does not ruin, then it should not be used, and we should then try to get rid of the ruling of washing it by the Sharia method.
The Shaykh : Excuse me, what is this dry cleaning?
The questioner : Dry cleaning is a process of cleaning clothes by a dry method; that is, there is a solution, such as gasoline, in which the clothes are placed, so that they do not lose their luster and do not touch water at all, and the garment comes back ironed and clean; and this is what is called these days and is customary: dry cleaning: cleaning by the dry method! So, if there is impurity on the garment, does this method of cleaning remove the impurity, knowing that water has not touched it at all?
The Shaykh : As for clothes that hands can reach and can be washed with water, that is the original rule, and it is not permissible to remove impurity by any other method except what is excluded; for example: the sandal is rubbed with earth and it becomes pure, and the ground becomes impure and is sprinkled with water and it becomes pure, laundry ropes, for example, can be purified by wiping with water and exposing them to the sun and the air.
As for anything else that hands can reach by washing, it is not permissible except washing with water.
The questioner : Even if exposing the laundry to water would ruin this piece.
The Shaykh : Ruin it?
The questioner : Ruin it; meaning, there are some pieces of fabric on which a warning is placed: that it must not be washed with water; because water ruins it in one way or another.
The Shaykh : By Allah, this returns to looking at this garment or clothing; why was it purchased of this type? If there is a valid medical necessity or something like that, then here it can be said from the perspective of not wasting wealth: it is permissible to clean it by this new method. But if there is a possibility of doing without this type of clothing by wearing fabric that water does not ruin, then it should not be used, and we should then try to get rid of the ruling of washing it by the Sharia method.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.