Can someone help me? I'm about to take on reloading for the first time.
I live in a small town with few resources so I'm trying to learn it from
books, etc.

I'll be loading for 38 Special. I have a lot of Remington UMC brass that
has been fired once. Do I need to clean the brass before I reload it?
The books just say that a lot of people PREFER bright and shiny brass...
etc., but nowhere does it say whether it is necessary or not. If so, how
can I do it without investing in a tumbler or a lot of chemicals, etc.?