What is the biblical meaning of washing clothes (laundry) in a dream?
Introduction
Cloth and washing are two simple words we use every day.
Most of us dread it because it suggests laundry, and almost every young person avoids the chore. However, the case is different in the Bible.
Clothes or garments refer to one’s heart or soul. Being dirty means one is in sin and not in the right standing with God.
On the other hand, washing refers to the process of cleansing and the forgiveness of sins.
So, dreaming about washing clothes symbolizes forgiveness of sin, purification, and renewal.
Have you dreamed about washing clothes?
Keep reading to understand the biblical interpretations of this dream.
What does dirty cloth symbolize in the Bible?
Those with white garments are referred to as the saints who have lived holy lives, overcome temptations, trials, and tribulations, and made it to heaven (Revelation 3:5).
They are the elect of God, sanctified and set apart by God.
They are those who have shunned iniquity and evil paths.
They are God’s chosen people who have allowed the powerful, soul-cleansing blood of Jesus to wash them through and through.
Revelation 3:4 says, “You have a few names even in Sardis who have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with Me in white, for they are worthy.”
This verse clearly states the symbolism of stained and white garments.
Those who have soiled their garments are those not worthy to walk with God.
They are the great multitude that have chosen the broad path that is full of the pleasures of sin but ends in destruction (Proverbs 14:12)
Those with dirty clothes are not worthy to stand before God because the scriptures make us understand that God is too holy to behold iniquity (Habakkuk 1:13).
Therefore, He has no relationship with sinful people clothed in stained and filthy garments.
How does this relate to you as a believer?
Sin stains your garment or cloth. But that is not compared to its implication.
It separates you from God. It makes you vulnerable to the enemy, who only knows how to steal, kill, and destroy (John 10:10)
Biblical Dream Meaning of Washing Clothes:
Forgiveness of sins
“Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and was standing before the Angel. Then He answered and spoke to those who stood before Him, saying, “Take away the filthy garments from him.” And to him He said, “See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with rich robes.” (Zechariah 3:3-4)
As discussed earlier, filthy garments or clothes represent the state of sinfulness. But this sin can be washed with a special soap: the blood of Jesus.
There’s no level of filth the blood of Jesus cannot cleanse.
That is why Isaiah 1:18 says, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.”
In Zechariah 3:3-4, Zechariah could not approach God because he was adorned with filthy garments. However, God’s angel commanded that the garment of iniquity be taken off him and given a new and rich robe, marking forgiveness of sin and a new life.
Therefore, seeing yourself washing clothes in the dream is a sign of the forgiveness of sins.
It means God is working on you. He is sanctifying and purifying you unto Himself.
This dream should be backed with a prayer of thanksgiving and rejoicing because you are going through a transformation phase that will make you a new creature in every sense (2 Corinthians 5:17)
A sign of holiness
“Let your garments always be white” (Ecclesiastes 9:8)
Another meaning of washing clothes in the dream is holiness.
The Bible refers to those whose garments are white or clean as holy.
Therefore, the dream suggests that you are not only born-again, but your sins have been washed away, and you have become pure and acceptable to God.
God desires us to be perfect and complete (James 1:4).
To be perfect is to be without any drop of stain in one’s garment. But, this requires conscious efforts like cutting off bad friends, not visiting spots that can make you tempted to sin, or stopping watching certain movies and listening to some songs.
Doing all these things is synonymous with washing your spiritual clothes.
The Apostle Paul says you should “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified” (2 Corinthians 13:5).
So, because you are not sure if you have fallen into any sin unconsciously, you must keep washing your garments through prayers of forgiveness and sanctification by studying God’s Word.
A sign of obedience
“And you shall wash your clothes on the seventh day and be clean, and afterward you may come into the camp.” (Numbers 31:24)
One of God’s commands is washing your clothes or sanctifying yourself.
He expects us to abstain from sin as one of the criteria to maintain an intimate relationship with Him.
For example, God expects us to honor Him with our bodies. Therefore, we must avoid anything that will pollute our bodies so He can dwell in us as His temple.
Therefore, washing your spiritual clothes or maintaining holiness is a deliberate act of obedience toward God’s command of purification and sanctification.
Seeing yourself in the dream washing clothes is a good sign of obedience to God’s command. “For I am the Lord your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves, and you shall be holy; for I am holy.” (Leviticus 11:44)
Personal effort toward holiness
“And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6)
It’s good as a believer to work toward being holy and keeping God’s commands.
In fact, God has given you the capacity to maintain your holiness through the infilling of the Holy Spirit.
So, the holy Spirit can help you discern sin and prompt you when something is off.
The Holy Spirit also empowers you to overcome temptations.
However, a carnal person does not have that grace. They do not have the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Therefore, overcoming sin is an extreme sport. That is why they fall into sin consistently and ask for forgiveness for a specific sin. So, their garments are never clean.
Suppose a person in this category dreams about washing a dirty cloth.
In that case, it is a sign of personal effort toward holiness.
It symbolizes an impossible task to be holy through works, not faith and the Holy Spirit.
Being moral and good does not qualify you as a child of God or holy. You must accept Christ as your Lord and Savior.
Using your physical strength to overcome sin will only end in spiritual weariness.
That is why you must allow Jesus Christ to wash you with His blood instead of washing your filthy garment yourself.
Therefore, this dream means you must surrender your will to God.
You must allow Him to do His work of salvation in your life. So you can be holy and acceptable before Him.
How to wash your filthy garment
Through water baptism
“Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.” (Acts 22:16)
Your heart is your garment.
It must be washed clean before God can accept you.
The first type of cleansing you must do on your garment or cloth is water baptism by immersion.
After you have accepted Christ, you must go through baptism by immersion.
Jesus said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” (John 3:5)
Water baptism symbolizes the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.
By being immersed in water, you die to sin and resurrect as a new person in Christ. Your sins are washed away, and you are given a blank slate to begin a new life as a believer in Christ.
Through God’s Word
“Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.” (John 17:17)
Another way to be cleansed or washed as a Christian is by studying God’s Word.
God’s Word is not just letters but carries God’s Spirit. John 1:1 says that Jesus is the Word in the flesh.
This means we experience Christ and His transformational power when studying His Word.
One of Jesus’ purposes for coming to this world is to sanctify and cleanse us with His blood.
Therefore, engaging His Word opens our hearts to the cleansing power of the Word, which makes us holy as we dig deeper into it.
“That He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word.” (Ephesians 5:26)
God’s Word has the power to bring dead things to life.
When Jesus encountered the dead and sick, He whispered His Word into their ears, and the Word performed miracles.
During the beginning of times, all God had to do was speak, and everything we see and cannot see was all created.
Therefore, God’s Word can do the impossible, including cleansing and sanctifying your heart.
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David Akeju is a Christian writer who believes in the transformational power of God’s Word. His articles and books have been published on global platforms, and thousands of lives have been touched. He works with pastors and ministers, churches and ministries, and brands.