Clothes Washed by a Washerman Who Does Not Know the Rules

Question

The washermen who wash clothes are generally not acquainted with [the rules of] purity and impurity; moreover, some [of them] in the city wash with water from drains or with stagnant, foul-smelling water (ma' rakid muta'affin). What is the ruling on this?

Answer

If that water is abundant (kathir) and has become foul-smelling merely through standing, or that water is flowing and no trace of impurity is apparent in it, then washing clothes in it is valid. If there was no impurity on the clothes beforehand, then there is no difficulty regarding their purity.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

Preview. The full text opens with JavaScript enabled.