The ‘9 Days’ begin Sunday evening, August 4th at sunset. During this time the following activities are forbidden: Home improvements, laundering, buying or wearing new clothes, eating meat, drinking wine, and bathing for pleasure. We will discuss the details of all these restrictions below.

Home Improvement and Gardening: It is forbidden to do any home improvements such as painting, building, adding extensions. 

One may not hire a non-Jew to do this type of work either. If one hired a non-Jew before the Nine Days one should make every effort to have them not build during this time. If they are unsuccessful, one may allow them to continue. 

One is allowed to build for a Mitzvah. Therefore construction on a shul may continue during this time. 

If something is broken and needs to be fixed it may be done during this time. 

Light housework, such as sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, and basic cleaning is permitted. 

In terms of gardening, basic upkeep such as mowing the lawn, watering plants and flowers is permitted. Planting new seeds or flowers is not allowed.

Laundering: Included in the prohibition of laundering during the Nine Days is ironing, or sending any clothes to the dry cleaners (even if they will be ready after the Nine Days).

One may put a load in the laundry machine on the eve of the Nine Days even if it will only be ready after nightfall. 

One may wash clothing for children aged six and under. There are some who permit washing clothing for children who under Bar and Bat Mitzvah. This second opinion can be relied upon until the week of Tisha B’av. 

If one has no clean clothing for Shabbos one may wash clothing on Thursday and Friday so that they will have clean clothing for Shabbos.

Spot cleaning is permitted.

During the first days of mourning for a loved one, one may not wear freshly laundered clothing. The same holds true for the Nine Days when we all mourn the destruction of the Batei Mikdash. The definition of freshly laundered clothing is clothing that has not been worn since it has been laundered. This does not mean that one must wear dirty clothing. Rather, once clothing has been worn prior to the Nine Days it can be worn during the Nine Days. The prohibition of wearing freshly laundered clothing is limited to outer garments as opposed to undergarments and pajamas.

The amount of time it has to be worn is a matter of debate. Some say an hour, others say a half hour, and others say 15 minutes. Some even allow one to wear clothing that was worn even for a moment. 

One may also place the clothing on the floor and step on it,  or laundry basket with dirty clothing ensuring that it gets a little dirty and wrinkled in the process. 

One is allowed to wear freshly-laundered clothing on Shabbos.

For all you clever people out there, this may seem to indicate a loophole of sorts. If one can wear new clothing on Shabbos then perhaps one need not wear clothing before the nine days in order to take away their freshness. Instead one can wear them for the first time on Shabbos and ‘break them in’ that way. The problem with this idea is that it violates another prohibition – one may not prepare on Shabbos for the week to come. Therefore one would not be able to ‘prepare’ clothing that they only want to wear during the week by wearing them on Shabbos. Instead,

If one runs out of clothing that was pre-worn before the Nine Days, one may cause the clothing to be considered not fresh by putting them on a floor that is dusty, removing the creases by stepping on the clothing, or by placing the clothing in a laundry basket with dirty laundry. 

As opposed to the Three Weeks when buying clothing of significance is forbidden, during the Nine Days buying any article of clothing is prohibited. (As a practical tip – before going Nine Days without laundry, it’s worth double checking that you have enough clothing! Also, don’t forget to buy non-leather shoes before Tisha B’av.) If there is a major sale that will be over before the Nine Days have passed it is permitted to buy a new article of clothing.

It is forbidden to make any new clothing (sewing, weaving, knitting, etc.) but it is permitted to sew up a tear or a button etc.

It is forbidden to eat meat/poultry or drink wine through the Nine Days. There are two reasons why this is so – 1) meat and wine increase happiness 2) it serves as a reminder of the meat of the sacrifices and the wine libations that are no longer.

One may use meat utensils but may not eat food that was cooked with meat (like eating a potato from a meat chulent).

There are no restrictions on meat and wine on Shabbos.

One may eat meat for health reasons. Best to eat poultry if possible. 

Included in the prohibition of drinking wine is drinking grape juice. However, any other alcoholic beverage is permitted. Wine that is used for cooking is allowed provided that there is no distinct taste of wine in the food.

Drinking wine/ grape juice on Shabbos is permitted. Havdallah poses a challenge as it is after Shabbos. For Havdallah, one should not use beer in place of wine. Rather, if there is a child between the ages of 6 and 9 available they should drink the wine/ grape juice. If not, the one who made Havdallah should drink it. Many prefer this second approach. As is the case every Saturday night, one should drink the majority of the cup. 

One may attend a siyum and eat meat/ wine. 

Bathing: If a person is accustomed to taking regular showers and would be very uncomfortable not doing so, there is what to rely upon to take a quick shower using water that is not very hot with soap and shampoo. 

During the Nine Days, it is forbidden to swim, be it for pleasure or for exercise. If one must swim for medical reasons, please feel free to contact me to discuss further.

One should try not to be involved in a court case during the Nine Days if possible. Similarly, one should try not to schedule medical procedures during this time. This is specifically if one is able to postpone it with no physical or financial harm. 

The custom is to push off saying Kiddush Levana until after Tisha B’Av because Kiddush Levana is supposed to be said in a state of joy.

The custom is not to cut nails the week of Tisha B’av. 

There are different opinions about setting and washing a sheitel during the Nine Days. It is best to avoid. 

Shaving legs and plucking/ waxing hair can be done until the week of Tisha B’av. If going to the Mikvah one can do so even on the week of Tisha B’av.