Can you wash clothes on Sunday? A priest explains when it is a sin and when it is allowed

Washing clothes on Sunday is widely debated among Christians, with some people considering the practice sinful because Sunday is traditionally dedicated to rest and prayer.

In a TikTok video, Romanian priest Matei Vulcănescu said laundry, dishwashing, sweeping and other household chores are not sins in themselves. He argued that keeping a home clean is permitted, including on Sundays and religious holidays.

“Of course you can wash clothes, and you can wash the dishes and sweep so that it is clean. The house cannot be dirty,” Vulcănescu said. But he added that Sunday’s central purpose is worship. If people devote themselves to other activities instead of gathering for the Divine Liturgy and communion, he said, they miss the purpose of union with Christ.

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Of course you can wash clothes, and you can wash the dishes and sweep so that it is clean. The house cannot be dirty.

“After that, sweep, wash, wash on holidays. Nothing happens at all. All these are matters connected with the illness of religiosity or with superstitions,” he said.

Christian tradition regards Sunday as the day dedicated to God, prayer and rest. Doxologia notes that the Old Testament Sabbath was the day of rest, while Christianity made Sunday the Lord’s Day in remembrance of Jesus Christ’s Resurrection. Christians are encouraged to observe it through prayer and participation in the Divine Liturgy.

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After that, sweep, wash, wash on holidays. Nothing happens at all. All these are matters connected with the illness of religiosity or with superstitions.