May one change a load of laundry before davening?

It is forbidden to tend to one’s household and business needs or to go on a trip before davening Shacharis. Some hold that saying brochos counts as davening with respect to this halacha. One should be stringent and wait until after Shemoneh Esrei. Simple tasks such as transferring a load of laundry or taking out the trash are permitted. Under pressing circumstances or for the sake of a mitzvah, one may be lenient and begin his trip or tend to his needs. Buying food for children to take to yeshiva and traveling to a specific place to daven (e.g. the Kosel) are considered mitzvos.

סימן פ"ט ס"ק כ ביאורים ומוספים דרשו 24 ו26

Can one add milk to his coffee before Shacharis?

Eating and drinking are also forbidden until one davens Shemoneh Esrei. One may drink water, tea, or coffee. Earlier poskim disagreed about whether adding milk or sugar to the tea and coffee is permissible. Contemporary poskim say that since it has become a standard to add milk and sugar to coffee and tea, one may do so before Shacharis. Drinking soft drinks is also permitted. One should be careful not to drink his beverage together with a group of people. Gathering with people can disturb his davening and lead to missing zman Kriyas Shema and tefilah.

ס"ב ס:ק כ"ב ביאורים ומוספים דרשו 29

Is it ever permissible to eat before davening?

Eating before davening is only forbidden if one is eating for pleasure. Eating for health reasons is permitted. If one is hungry or thirsty to the extent that it disturbs his concentration, he may eat. Taking vitamins is also permitted before davening. Children may be fed before they daven. If one needs to eat before davening in order to daven in shul with the tzibur, but he can manage to daven earlier alone without having to eat beforehand, it is better for him to daven alone.

ס"ג-ס"ד ס"ק כ"ד-כ"ו ביה"ל ד"ה וכן ביאורים ומוספים דרשו 32

• If a person did not daven Shacharis by zman tefilah, he may daven until chatzos (midday). Although he does not receive reward for davening at the proper time, there is reward for the tefilah.

• A person may begin davening Mincha a half an hour after chatzos. Technically, the time for Mincha is immediately after midday. Since it is difficult to determine the exact point of midday, Chazal instituted waiting an additional half hour.

• It is forbidden to go to a person’s home or place in shul and greet him using the expression of Shalom. Since Shalom is one of the names of Hashem, it is inappropriate to use His name to honor another person before davening. It is unclear whether saying Shalom in another language is forbidden. The poskim disagree about whether one may offer a Shalom greeting on the phone before davening.  

• Is eating permitted after midnight?

• Is learning Torah permitted before davening?

• Is showering permitted before davening?