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Does water mixed with a cleaning agent in the washing machine purify subsequent loads of clothes, especially if the first load caused the water to become slightly impure with a minor impurity like urine or pre-seminal fluid?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Scholars have differed regarding a small amount of water (qaleel) into which impurity falls but does not change its characteristics: does it become impure or not? The preponderant opinion is that it does become impure. "Qaleel" refers to water that is less than two qullahs (approximately 200 liters). Therefore, it is necessary to first wash the impurity off the clothes outside the washing machine, then place the clothes in the washing machine and pour other water over them. Placing impure clothes in a washing machine with less than two qullahs of water will not purify them; rather, it will render the water impure. If the impurity is a tangible substance ('ayniyyah), the clothes will not be purified by pouring water over them, as this combines the water and the impurity. However, if the impurity is an intangible impurity (hukmiyyah), meaning it is dry and without color, taste, or odor, then it is purified by pouring water over it, and the incoming water purifies it. The distinction between impurity falling into water and water flowing over impurity has evidence, such as the hadith, "When one of you wakes up from his sleep, he should wash his hand before he puts it into his ablution, for none of you knows where his hand spent the night."

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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