The big spring clean: how to tidy up your digital environment

Get ready for digital spring cleaning! With these handy tips and a selection of helpful apps, you’ll have your digital environment decluttered in no time.

Spring is just around the corner! Not only is this the perfect time for cleaning and organising your home, it’s also the ideal moment to straighten out your digital living space. Cluttered mailboxes, duplicate photos and full browser caches – it’s time to banish them all in the digital spring clean.

Remove duplicate photos and organise your digital files

Are you one of those people who has hundreds or even thousands of photos on their smartphone and computer? There are sure to be quite a few duplicates taking up valuable storage space. A wide range of apps and programs are available to help you find and delete duplicate or similar photos, such as “Duplicate Photo Cleaner”.

Mailbox detox

Drowning in a sea of unread emails? It’s time for a mailbox detox. Organise your emails into folders and delete any messages you no longer need. Use the “rules” function of your email program to sort incoming mail automatically. And don’t forget to unsubscribe from newsletters that you never read.

💡 App tip: Unroll.Me can help you review your subscriptions and unsubscribe from newsletters you no longer want to receive.

Declutter your social media

Social media can be fun, but it’s often a source of stress too. It’s time to get spring cleaning and clear out the cobwebs in your social media accounts. Unfollow any accounts that don’t bring you any value or that negatively impact your mood.

Clear your cache for a browser boost

Your browser can slow down over time as the cache gets filled with temporary files. Clear the cache regularly to enjoy a quick and easy speed boost. The method for doing this depends on your specific browser – but you’ll find the instructions with a quick Google search.

💡 App tip: CCleaner can help you delete unwanted files, including cache files, and optimise your PC.

Virus protection and security review

Last but not least, the digital spring clean is a good time to update your virus protection and carry out a complete system check. Another part of your big spring clean should be updating your passwords and checking your data protection settings.

💡 App tip: The antivirus software Avast offers comprehensive protection against different types of malware.

Update apps and software

Check whether all your apps and programs are running the latest version. Outdated software may contain security vulnerabilities and expose your device to attacks. Don’t forget that you can save storage space by deleting any apps you no longer use.

💡 App tip: AppCleaner is software for Mac computers that you can use to fully delete unwanted apps and related data.

Your checklist for digital spring cleaning

• Delete duplicate photos and organise your digital files.
• Declutter your social media accounts.
• Organise and clean up your mailbox.
• Clear your browser cache and update your bookmarks.
• Check your virus protection and security settings.
• Update your passwords.
• Update your apps and software, and delete any unused programs.