Is one allowed to wash dishes on shabbos for the sake of cleanliness, so that they shouldn’t leave off a smell or clutter up the kitchen? There are additional clean dishes available in the cabinet and it may be that some of the dishes might be used again but certainly not all
Answer:
Cleaning dishes which will not be used is an act of preparation for the weekday, and is generally prohibited. If there is a very disturbing odor or a lot of dishes which cause a big mess which may bring flies, the washing would be considered for the purpose of Shabbos, and hence permitted. Standard clutter would not qualify as a need to clean dishes on Shabbos.
