Cleaning clothes seems like a pretty easy thing but there are so many different things to consider that sometimes it becomes a very hard task to clean your clothes. There are many different fabrics and, thus, a lot of different ways to clean them. Most textiles can be machine washed at home but there are also cases when professional cleaning is necessary. The most widely spread way of cleaning is the so-called dry cleaning. In that sort of cleaning no water (or a very small amount of it) is used. Cleaning is performed by means of special solvents. In many cases to increase cleaning effect heat is used in combination with these solvents. But there is a problem. These cleaning solvents have to be pure, otherwise clothes can be damaged. To achieve appropriate purity all cleaning solvents are distilled. That way all traces of wax, oils or dyes are removed from solvents. And in most cases cleaning solvents are very aggressive and very bad for the environment. At the present day, there is a more environmentally friendly way of cleaning – let me introduce you to wet cleaning. Chemicals, that are not as aggressive as those participating in dry cleaning and that are based on water, are used. But there are still problems to be solved. Wet cleaning usually works perfectly with clothes labeled as "hand wash". And it is supposed to work with fabrics that are marked as "dry cleaning only" but it still may cause problems. Some materials can fade or shrink after wet cleaning. So, this method, which has been already thoroughly tested, is not so widely used as dry cleaning, which is very popular. And, of course, there are always professional laundry services. Such laundry services are also very often offered at dry cleaning. In laundry clothes are cleaned in a more or less regular way. Different sorts of detergent powders are employed. Almost any professional laundry offers bleaching and starching. And as long as all laundry services are performed by professionals, you can be sure that all these processes will be made according to the recommendations of the manufacturer of clothes (such recommendations are usually supplied on a special label). Home laundering is the way of cleaning when you can easily control everything. But cleaning your things at home you also need to know a lot about detergent powders and bleaches to be used with different fabrics. For example, most fine and colored fabrics will be ruined with chlorine bleach, so, you have to use a delicate one instead. Garments made of wool also need to be treated accordingly. There are special detergents that are developed especially for wool. Wrong detergents will make your wool clothes shrink too much. And temperature settings of the laundry play an important role. Only pretty strong materials can be washed at high temperatures. Although modern washing machines have special modes called "hand wash" there is still a need for a pre-wash for some materials. And in that case a detergent for hand wash that will work in cold water is needed.