How does one clean a soiled tallit?

Question:

How does one clean a soiled tallit? It is made of wool and is quite old, and has never been cleaned.

Answer:

A wool tallit needs to be hand-washed with a delicate soap, like Woolite, which is especially designed for delicate, wool garments. Soak it for several hours or overnight and then hand wash. If necessary, repeat more than once.

A tallit can also be dry cleaned. However, it might not be advisable to give a tallit to your local dry leaning establishment—as the ones not familiar with tallitot (i.e. most cleaners that are not situated in areas with orthodox Jewish populations) don't always know how to handle them and can cause damage.

By Chana Weisberg

Chana Weisberg is the editor of TheJewishWoman.org and host of the Ordinary People, Extraordinary Stories podcast. She lectures internationally on issues relating to women, relationships, meaning, self-esteem and the Jewish soul. She is the author of six books. Her latest book, Shabbat Delights, is a two-volume series on the weekly Torah portion.

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46 Comments

Don Lively Philadelphia, PA USA November 6, 2024

Shalom. What does one do if one’s tallit has a couple moth-type holes in it? Is it still wearable?
Thank you Reply

Dov Stein for Chabad.org November 12, 2024

in response to Don Lively:

A tallit with small holes may still be considered kosher for use, especially if the holes don't affect the tzitzit (fringes) or the overall structure of the garment. If the damage is extensive or you're uncomfortable using a damaged tallit, you may consider repairing or replacing it. Reply

AIS Philadelphia February 10, 2022

It is preferable to hand wash over dry cleaning. The reasoning being is that the dry cleaners will not get out the yellowing after years of wear or just laying around. You will also need to be specific as to wine and other stains, etc. It is best to do a soaking in cold water with Woolite or a good brand laundry detergent over night. If it is still dingy looking, drain the water and quickly wash out the tallis, and re-soak in a fresh bucket of a Woolite mixture or detergent for another few hours. Wash out and till water is clear of soap. I know some of you still have those ancient clothes lines, so hang the tallis (tzzizt going downwards) along the long crease of the tallis so that the crease is maintained. Let it drip dry on a sunny day, yes I know it's winter. Do not use a dryer, it will shrink the tallis and kill the tzzizit. Washing machines on gentle cycle but you would have to put the whole tallis in a really large sock bag and the tzzizit will get tangled again only cold water. Reply

Barry Friedman Ottawa January 1, 2024

in response to AIS:

I recently successfully machine washed an aging tallis on gentle cycle and wanted to add that in order to keep the ends of the anafim from fraying you should first bundle up each tzitz and secure it with rubber bands (elastics) or Magen tzitzit before washing. My question is whether it is mehudar to trim the frayed ends or just leave them as is. Reply

AIS Philadelphia January 2, 2024

in response to Barry Friedman :

With an aging Tallis you took a risky chance as it could've just fallen apart even in a gentle cycle as I've seen with someone else's Tallis that did fall apart. Yes, you can trim the tzzizit from the frays but you have to put these pieces into the Shamus bag or box preferably into a very small plastic bag so that they don't scatter everywhere. You can also use a medium sized net bag and your Tallis will still come out clean and Tzzizit won't unravel upon washing. There is no Mehudar here but Kosher. The Tzzizit are still Kosher L'Hatchila B'Hatzlacha Reply

Yehudah Yerushalayim April 17, 2024

in response to AIS:

But tzizit trimming always requires a non-metal (e.g. ceramic or sharp plastic) knife, yes? Reply

Frank Davidson Jr Salisbury March 8, 2021

All these comments are helpful. However no one addresses cleaning a Tallit with a silver Attarah.
On mine the silver is tarnishing at the neck area. I have been told to have it dry cleaned and that would take care of the tarnish too. But I do not live in a Jewish population and do not trust any of the cleaners around here. So unless I disassemble it all I'm stuck with a Tallit that I'm not totally satisfied with. Reply

AIS Philadelphia February 10, 2022

in response to Frank Davidson Jr:

If it's stitched on, the attarah needs to be removed, and then the Tallit can then be hand-washed. Most likely the Attarah is attached to a satin backing which is then sown onto your Tallit and if that is the case, the Attarah needs to be carefully removed, and the Tallit washed and clothes-line dried. The Attarah needs to be shined by you (use Hagerty Silver Polish) or take it to a reputable silver shop. You will then need your wife or seamstress to sew the Attarah back onto a new satin backing and back onto your Tallit. On my Attarah, I sewed a pin snap on the back of the satin and the seat snap onto the Tallit. I can take off the Attarah if I wish to wash the Tallit. No one can see the snaps as they are hidden underneath the Attarah. Salisbury, UK or USA? In the US, there are ??Jewish people within the populace but not religious. In the UK, that's another story Reply

Rhea Geberer New York City May 17, 2022

in response to AIS:

It sounds like the man cannot do the sewing. Perhaps you did not mean it that way, that it is only most usual, not forbidden. Reply

AIS Philadelphia January 2, 2024

in response to Rhea Geberer:

If Avraham Avinu could perform his own Brit MIlah as a man at his age, I think a man can accomplish a simple sewing adventure. I know how to sew with a needle & thread & with a sewing machine (which I can also fix if it gets broken.) To shine an Attarah properly it needs to be removed from the begged of the Tallis otherwise the silver polish will stain the begged of the Tallis and hard to wash out. Instead of snaps holding the Attarah to the Tallis begged you can also use Velcro which will work equally well. Reply

Rivka Thornhill, Ontario September 26, 2019

Washing Machine Produced Good aresults I used Woolite on my husband's tallit in the washing machine on gentle cycle. The water should be tepid. Lay flat to dry as you would a wool sweater.
Very pleased with results as it became white again. If you can't find Woolite, look for baby detergent like Ivory Snow. Reply

AIS USA May 18, 2022

in response to Rivka:

Woolite is no longer produced. Decent replacement Tide Liquid Reply

ALAN San Diego September 11, 2019

"Old" Woolite has disappeared from stores. What is a good replacement? Reply

AIS Philadelphia February 10, 2022

in response to ALAN:

Dish Soap. Since it comes into contact with your hands when you wash dishes, this product should be gentle enough to handle your delicate clothes. Use the same way you would Woolite. Reply

Bracha Florida October 3, 2017

I have my father's A'H talit which is a huge size, in good condition except very yellow from age, as he is gone 40+ years. I would love to use it for my daughter's chuppah next month, but I am anxious about how to clean it. I read here to use either woolite, white vinegar, or peroxide. Any advice on which is best? It has black stripes and is 100% wool. Reply

Anonymous July 8, 2018

in response to Bracha:

Out White Brite I used Out Brite White and the black strips ran, Reply

Holly Queens, New York January 5, 2019

in response to Bracha:

Hi Bracha. I also have my father's talit he wore in the 60's, hence over 1/2 century ago. I kept it in his talit bag with teffilin. I hand washed gently and it responded so positively. looks great !. best wishes Reply

AIS Philadelphia February 10, 2022

in response to Bracha:

Dish Soap. Since it comes into contact with your hands when you wash dishes, this product should be gentle enough to handle your delicate clothes. Use the same way you would Woolite.
Soak Tallit in a bucket of COLD water with dish washing liquid soap (1 cap full) overnight. Some of the dinginess and age old yellow coloring will be lifted along with the embedded dirt from years of being worn. Rinse out and soak again for a few hours. Wash out the soap and let drip dry do not wring out as it is an older Tallit and I don't know what level of wool it is. Put on an indoor or outdoor clothes line to line dry DO NOT PUT into a dryer. The original folding crease will also be maintained. No, the Tallit will not return to its original beige color as its years old. Reply

Chabad.org Staff October 6, 2016

To Anonymous I would contact a Judaica store or Sofer (scribe) near you. Reply

Anonymous Tarzana-Los Angeles October 2, 2016

The fingers on one corner of my tallit fell off. Where can I get it repaired. Reply

Rosalie Brooks Maryland September 19, 2016

How do you clean a Tallit Reply

Rivka Thornhill June 13, 2014

Washing Tallit I washed my husband's tallit in the washing machine on delicate cycle with a little Woolite and it came out perfectly. Hang to dry. I would not recommend this for an old tallit, hand washing would be preferable. Reply

Llandon Ross April 7, 2014

Stretched Wool Tzitzit B"H
How dose one deal with Stretched out wool tzitzis ???? Reply

M. J. Simon July 19, 2013

Dry cleaning tallit? NO!!!! Our nephew asked if we could provide one of his grandfather's (OBM) tallism to use as the chuppah later this summer. Mom (OBM) had made Dad a lightweight tallit that he could wear, comfortably while davening, during the heat of the summer, from a beautiful brocaded fabric and had added the tzitzit to the corners, but it looked incomplete. So, I ordered a atarah and planned after having it affixed to have it cleaned and pressed and boxed as one of our gifts to the bridal couple.

I realized that had I taken it to a commercial cleaner that I risked making it impure, which would have disappointed Dad. So, I very much appreciate the comments on this thread that explained what is acceptable and what must be avoided. Thank you, all. You helped me honor both of their memories. Reply

Karen Dallas June 10, 2013

Coffee stain on tallit Someone spilled coffee on my husband's tallit. How can I clean it! It is yellowed as well. Reply

AIS Philadelphia February 10, 2022

in response to Karen:

praisingann albuquerque March 19, 2013

response to March 19 review Dear "Anonymous",
Sorry to hear that your husband received a dirty tallit. In researching how to deal with the yellow stain, all I found was what NOT to use. Since wool is a protein, do not use any product such as Shout or Spray n Wash . Their websites state it is not for wool or silk, as these products are made to breakdown proteins. My suggestion my be to add a small portion of woolite to the stain directly as per their instructions.
If you've tried this, maybe dry cleaning is your only option. Hope you are successful in the cleaning of this tallit. Reply

Anonymous March 19, 2013

My husband got a very old and dirty tallit as a present. I've soaked it in with wanish for 4 hours than in wolite for another 5 hours than i hand washed. It become whiteish again and most of the dirt went away nicely except the big yellow one at the neck part. Any idea What to do with it? About the knots - you shouldn't cut them for sure just take a small fork or a thin brush which is used f.e. for brushing out the persian carpet's fringes and carefully brush out the fringes on your talit then knot them again. It will take a few hours but there is a good chance that they will turn out nicely again. Reply

Larry Chicago, IL October 27, 2012

Cleaning my Tallit I live in the Chicago area. Does anyone know a cleaner I can use? After 40 years, it's time I had my Tallit cleaned. Reply

AIS Philadelphia January 2, 2024

in response to Larry:

Wash the Tallit yourself. If it has an Attarah, remove it. Bucket of cold water and some Woolite and let it soak in a bucket the entire day. NO BLEACH!!! Wash it out with cold water and place it on a clothes line and let it drip dry. After it's dry, iron it on VERY LOW HEAT. Cleaners are able for the most part get out stains but DO NOT brighten the texture of the Tallit Reply

Anita Lepelstat Lakewook, NJ, USA October 23, 2012

tallit cleaning Hello,
I have my husband's tallit which is not made of wool, but a "silky" material...don't know what exactly. As my husband is deceased, my grandson who is about to be Bar Mitzvah would like to use it for his ceremony. I am honored that he do so. The tallit is in excellent condition, but I am fooling with the idea of freshening it up, by having it cleaned. I have mixed feelings about this as I am afraid of it being ruined on the other hand.... Do you have any knowledge of where I could have this done professionally? In your experience, can this type of tallit be cleaned and how does it come out. I may be better not doing anything, but I am conflicted over this. Can you please advise me? Thanks, Reply

John Sarvis Bernadette's French Cleaners. Akron Akron, OH October 21, 2012

I am a specialty dry cleaner in Akron, Ohio, and have been cleaning tallit's for years. A tallit should never be dry cleaned. The main reason is the high possibility of the tallit coming into contact with linen fibers, even if it is cleaned alone in a separate load. 99% of dry cleaners NEVER use purified distilled solvents on each load as we do. Why? because it is extremely expensive to do so. The point being is that a recycled load of solvent will almost always have linen fibers in it, and even the fibers must not come in contact with the wool.

We hand wash all tallit's separately, with a mild fragrance free hypoallergenic detergent, and ALWAYS drip dry. Once again, just as an added precaution, the tallit is never put into a washing machine to spin, or a dryer, because there is a possibility of it coming in contact with linen fibers. When we press them, we lay down a pressing cloth on the pressing board made of pure Egyptian muslin on both the top and bottom of the tallit, ensuring that even during the pressing process the tallit doesn't come in contact with any wool fibers that may me on the pressing board.

Although this may seem to be "over kill”, it’s the right way to do it.

John Sarvis
Reply

ruth elias Minneapolis, MN July 29, 2012

tallit with moth holes where can we get moth holes repaired? We need to use the tallis for a chuppah. Reply

Anonymous minneapolis, mn October 1, 2011

Tallit repair My wool tallit has a number of small moth holes. Can it be repaired and will it be kosher? Reply

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