Chapter 12
Washing Dishes and Cleaning the Table on Shabbath and Yom Tov
WASHING DISHES
10.a. Steel wool may not be used to wash kitchen utensils, either on Shabbath or on Yom Tov.
10.b. On the other hand, the use of synthetic pot scourers is permitted, so long as they are not absorbent and the fibers from which they are made are not so close together that they are capable of retaining water.
10.c. The use of synthetic materials which are absorbent is forbidden. (See paragraph 11 below.)
11.a. On both Shabbath and Yom Tov, it is prohibited
1) to wet a sponge or cloth or
2) to wash dishes with a wet sponge or a wet cloth.
11.b. One should not use a sponge or cloth to wash dishes even beneath the surface of the water in a bowl or sink.
