Q: Are there rubrics on purifying altar linens that have consecrated remnants on them? Is machine wash allowed?
A: The only instruction is in Redemptionis Sacramentum 120: “Let Pastors take care that the linens for the sacred table, especially those which will receive the sacred species, are always kept clean and that they are washed in the traditional way. It is praiseworthy for this to be done by pouring the water from the first washing, done by hand, into the church’s sacrarium or into the ground in a suitable place. After this a second washing can be done in the usual way.”