#152. Bal Tashchis of Clothing
If an item is ruined due to being used improperly or not for its intended purpose, it falls under the category of bal tashchis; otherwise, if an item gets ruined in the course of regular usage, according to its intended purpose, it is not considered bal tashchis. Eating is not considered wasteful even if one could have eaten something less expensive. But, for example, wearing clothing in the snow that were not meant for inclement weather and thereby ruining them, is bal tashchis. Poskim mention that if one’s wife wears non-tzniusdig, immodest, clothing, and the husband has no other way of stopping her, he may arrange for those clothes to be destroyed, and it would not be considered bal tashchis since it was done for a greater purpose. Obviously, while this holds true halachically, on a practical level this approach is usually not recommended, and can often backfire. In many cases this should not be necessary, as the husband can accomplish the same goal by using kind, gentle words instead.