In the modern world, people struggle to find time for clothes upkeep, simply they face struggle to find the time to maintain their wardrobes. Nanotechnology was inspired by the naturally self-cleaning Lotus leaf to create fabrics that may be washed less often so that clothing can be cleaned themselves without traditional laundering. This study explores self-cleaning methods, chemical types, fabric applications, and future trends. The scope includes various fields like sportswear, smart textiles, etc., the fabrication methods like chemical vapour deposition, sol–gel, and electrospinning are discussed, along with performance evaluation. The chapter encompasses the current applications, challenges, and promising prospects for the textile industry as nanotechnology advances with reference to textile self-cleaning functionality. Also, it highlights principles, materials, techniques, and evaluation of self-cleaning coatings with suitable finishing agents to impart the self-cleaning property of textile substrates. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2024.