Intego (http://www.intego.com), the Mac security specialist, has released Washing Machine 2, a Mac OS X (10.5 and higher) app that cleans up files left behind by web browsers and other Internet programs.

Version 2, optimized for Mac OS X 10.6 ("Snow Leopard"), helps Mac users delete files that take up space or present privacy risks, created by a number of programs that access the Internet. Users can clean files quickly, manually or automatically, and use secure cleaning to ensure that the files can never be recovered, according to the folks at Intego.

Washing Machine 2 can clean five types of items: Bookmarks, Caches, Cookies, Download Histories, and Browsing Histories. It works with most web browsers, and many utilities or other programs that store information without users being aware. It even cleans up after some programs that users would never think are storing data. These files can take up several gigabytes, and can slow down applications and lead to longer time for backups.

Washing Machine 2 uses “cleanlists” to store the items users want to clean, and “smart cleanlists” to find items to clean according to specific conditions. Washing Machine 2 lets users clean items manually, either by individual item or by cleanlist, or automatically, with as many scheduled cleanings as the user wants.

Washing Machine 2 cleans files created and saved by web browsers, as well as some RSS readers, e-mail programs, development programs, and even applications such as iTunes, Front Row, Flash, Java and Spotify. It even cleans the caches of system utilities, such as QuickTime, Help Viewer, System Preferences, Dashboard and more.

Upgrades to Washing Machine 2 are free for all users of Washing Machine 1. Washing Machine 1 was provided with NetBarrier X5 and any Internet Security Barrier X5 suites. Users who purchased NetBarrier X5 or Internet Security Barrier X5 are eligible for free upgrades. Washing Machine 2 is available in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish and Japanese. Washington Machine costs US$19.95 for new users. A demo is available for download.