How to Clean up Your Mac/MacBook Junk Fast

While it's easy to give your prize Macbook or Mac a quick wipe over the outer case with a suitable cloth, cleaning up inside is a totally different story. Try as you might, you will always end up with a load of unwanted downloads, browser cashes, language files, old log files, bits of redundant apps, and out and out system junk. The list is endless. All these unwanted items are clogging up your Mac’s operating system, and need to be removed on a regular basis, otherwise you will have a computer version of blocked pipes.

While you can track down some of this system junk that has built up on your Mac, most people don’t have the time. skill or patience to go looking for it. Yes. there is plenty of help out there on the internet, if you fancy a bit of DIY cleaning, but you never know if you have got all the junk.

A Virtual Feather-Duster :

Yet, help is on hand to de-clutter that operating system. There is currently a number of applications on the market that will run around the inside of you Macbook with a virtual feather-duster and remove those hard to find stubborn cobwebs all in one easy to use programme.

About CleanMyMac :

One of the best currently out there is aptly called CleanMyMac. This all in one cleaner is fully automated and very simple to use. It is also very powerful, and really gets in behind those hard to reach places on your hard drive and removes the most deep rooted junk.

System Requirements :

CleanMyMac is produced by Mac Paw, and the programme can be quickly and simply downloaded off their site. A free limited trail version is available to download and try out. System requirements are Mac OS X 10.4 or later, 512 MB of RAM or more, 30 MB of available hard disk space. It’s worth having a look just to see what all this cleaning business is all about.

Remember to Back-up First :

However, it is strongly advised to always back-up your Mac or Macbook first before letting the cleaners in. Of course, this is no problem as you often do back-ups don’t you? Well, you really need to get into a regular back-up regime using your Mac’s Time Machine function. Make it one of your New Year’s resolutions - it’s far easier to do than trying to loose weight or stop smoking.

What it Cleans :

When CleanMyMac starts working, it is set by default to scan six main areas, caches, logs, language files, universal binaries, system junk, trashes & leftovers. You can simply un-tick any of these functions if you don’t want the cleaners in this area. Now just press ‘Scan’, and let CleanMyMac to do its stuff. It could be a good time to get a cup of coffee and a few cookies while you wait, but it doesn’t really take that long.

Just Press the ‘Remove’ Button :

Once the scan is complete, all the junk found is displayed as an amount that the application will remove. If you are happy, then just press the ‘Remove’ button to complete the process. It’s as simple as that. The display tells you the date of the last scan, space recovered from the last scan and total space recovered.

Completely Configurable :

CleanMyMac is completely configurable, so you can clean as much or as little of your Mac that you want. A lot of space can be cleared out of the language files using the preferences. Of course, you want to keep you main language, but most of the others are just sitting there on your hard drive taking up precious space. However, the universal binaries is area that you need to exercise a little caution otherwise you might trash something you need later.

Hiring Cost of a Professional Cleaner :

Of course, it is going to cost you to get a professional cleaner in, and CleanMyMac currently costs $14.95 (£11.95) for a six month license or $29.95 (£24.95) for a lifetime license which includes free updates. (Please check Mac Paw’s website for up to date prices)

Highly Recommended - after three months or so, I have recovered 13.8 GB of disk space using CleanMyMac, and my Macbook Pro seems to run a lot quicker as a result.

© David Lloyd-Jones 2010