How to declutter your digital devices

Of all the life admin we have to do, decluttering our digital devices is probably bottom of the list! Over time, our computers, laptops, tablets and phones get full of files, apps and more. Luckily, there are plenty of simple steps we can take to declutter them. Doing this boosts performance, protects your tech and gives you a better user experience. Daniel Beckford of Gadget Rehab shares his advice for keeping your devices clutter free.

Have a backup plan

Don’t forget to back up everything you need before you start decluttering. Most operating systems, whether they be iOS or Windows, have a pre-installed backup application. If you want a physical back up, go for a flash drive and save everything on this too. It’s always useful to have your files stored in several places!

Clear the digital clutter

Your device should let you know when you’re close to storage capacity, but it’s good to remove apps and files before you reach that point. Apps can always be downloaded in the future if you change your mind. Think about what you’re not using and if it needs to be on your device. If not, delete it and don’t forget to remove it from your recycle bin too. Otherwise, items will stay there for a while and use up storage space. If you want a deeper declutter there’s software that can help. We regularly use an application called CC Cleaner as a system cleaner on customers’ computers and laptops. It’s great for removing redundant and background files, that often come with applications and things you’ve downloaded online. CC Cleaner finds hidden files and deletes them. There’s a free version of the programme available.

Utilise anti-virus software

I’d always recommend having anti-virus software, to protect your computer or laptop but also to increase storage space and declutter your device. Anti-virus software isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when maximising storage space, but it’s useful for this. It gets rid of malicious files that can be hidden on your computer and laptop and take up space. Malware Bytes is really good, as are McAfee and AVG. Run virus checks regularly, so unwanted files can be found and removed from your devices. How often you run a check depends on how much you use your device and the internet. I’d say do this every week, as a minimum, and daily if you’re on it more often.

Keep tabs on internet browsing

You can have a digital declutter when browsing the internet too. When you’re online, reduce the number of tabs you have open as much as you can. Having multiple tabs open slows down devices. Whatever you have open is kept running in the background, even if you’re not using it. Having less tabs makes browsing the internet a more enjoyable experience too.

Wise up on WhatsApp settings

Check you’ve set up WhatsApp and similar apps so they don’t automatically save any media files to your phone or other digital device. This stops your storage from being used up quickly. Change your settings so photos, videos and memes aren’t saved to your device. You can then manually save anything you want to keep to your phone’s memory.

Deep clean your devices

Once you’ve finished decluttering your devices don’t forget to clean them! All you need to clean your computer, laptop, tablet or phone is electronic foam cleaner, like Pro Power, and a microfibre cloth. Spray the cleaner onto the cloth rather than directly onto your device, and wipe all around it gently. This is good for removing any dirt and food, which we often have on keyboards. We sometimes need to eat while we’re on our devices, but I’d avoid drinking – liquid damage will likely need to be dealt with by a professional and can be costly to repair. Some parts of phones may need to be professionally cleaned too – such as charging ports, microphones and speakers, if they’re blocked with debris. Apart from this, there’s a lot of cleaning you can carry out yourself.