Brushing a Hat During Shiva
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Question
Is it permissible during mourning to clean a garment without water, such as brushing dust off a hat, etc.?
Answer
Removing dust by hand does not fall under the prohibition of laundering as explained in the Gemara and by the poskim, and it is permissible to remove dust from one's clothes by hand during the seven days of mourning, even if one is particular about not wearing the garment with dust.
Source
This is not the way of laundering, as implied in the Gemara in Moed Katan 17: where it is prohibited with water, implying that without water there is no prohibition. And although on Shabbat there is concern that it is forbidden to remove dust from one's garment, as explained in the Rema, Siman 302, paragraph 1, the difference between Shabbat and mourning is that on Shabbat the prohibition is due to fixing the garment, and if one is particular about the dust, he is fixing it. In contrast, in mourning, it is due to physical discomfort.