Washing on Erev Shabbos
1. On erev Shabbos Chazon one may wash his face, hands, and feet (מהרי"ל). Some allow scrubbing the head, even with hot water (רמ"א סי' תקנ"א סט"ז), along with the face, hands, and feet (מ"ב סקצ"ו), even with soap (חזו"א, קרא עלי מועד פ"ג סקי"ט, שו"ת אור לציון ח"ג פכ"ז תשובה ה').
2. Some wash their whole body with hot water and soap, as they do every erev Shabbos. Still, it is best to use slightly cooler water than usual.
3. Sauna. One should not sit in a sauna on erev Shabbos Chazon, even if he does so every week, as a sauna is meant for enjoyment (משמרת שלום -קוידנוב סי' מ' ס"א ).
4. Mikvoh. One who goes to the mikvoh every erev Shabbos may do so this erev Shabbos (מ"ב סקצ"ה ). The mikvoh worker should make the mikvoh a bit cooler than usual (שו"ת שבט הלוי ח"י סי' פ"א סק"ו )
5. Towel. One may not use a freshly laundered towel, since the satisfaction of using it serves no purpose after Shabbos arrives. If, however, the only other available towel is dirty or has a bad odor, the smell would still bother him on Shabbos, so he may use the fresh one.
Clothing
6. Laundered clothing. One may don laundered clothing on erev Shabbos lekovod Shabbos. Also, one may spread a fresh tablecloth on the table (שו"ע סי' תקנ"א ס"ג). The minhag is not to change bed linens (מ"ב סקל"ג). One may only use fresh pajamas if he does so every week in honor of Shabbos (הגר"ח קנייבסקי, קרא עלי מועד פ"ד הע' כ"א).
7. Shabbos clothes. The minhag today is to wear all Shabbos clothing as usual, to avoid a public display of aveilus (מ"ב סק"ו, ערוה"ש סי"א ). Nevertheless, one should not wear new clothes (שו"ת אג"מ או"ח ח"ג סי' פ').
Tasting Fleishigs
8. On erev Shabbos Chazon, a woman may sample a fleishige dish to see how it tastes (מקור חיים לחו"י ס"ט ). One should not taste a fleishige dish with intent to fulfill ‘to’ameho chayim zochu’.
9. Children. Children who eat their se’udoh before Shabbos may eat fleishigs since that is their Shabbos se’udoh (הגרש"ז אולמאן ).
Havdoloh
10. The Shulchon Oruch (ס"י ) writes that one may drink the havdoloh wine; the Ramo writes that the minhag is not to drink the wine of havdoloh or bentching, but rather to give it to a child. If there is no child, one may drink it. The child should be of chinuch age for the brochoh [about six or seven] (מ"ב סי' רס"ט סק"א ), but below chinuch age for mourning over Yerusholayim [about nine] (ע"פ מ"ב סק"ע ).
11. If the only child is a girl, she should not drink the wine, since the minhag is that women do not drink the havdoloh wine.
12. Some write that if there is no child, it is best to make havdoloh over chamar medinoh. Thus, in a place with an established chamar medinoh [e.g., beer], one may use it for havdoloh. In Eretz Yisroel, it is difficult to determine what is considered chamar medinoh, so this approach is not ideal. It is preferable to use wine, since it is only a minhag to refrain from drinking it.
13. In many communities, they are not makpid to give the wine to a child; they drink it themselves.
