When we are overworked we can feel rundown, sluggish, and unable to perform to our fullest. A moment of self-care can reset us and get us back to feeling as sharp as ever. With all that we ask of our smartphones, the same applies to these small, yet powerful devices. They can get bogged down with unnecessary clutter. Give them the attention they deserve with a few of these simple and easy ways to deep clean your smartphone.

Purge media to free up space on your phone.

Photos and videos can take a massive amount of space on your phone. Delete any duplicates or media that doesn’t “spark joy” as Marie Kondo would say. If they’re all significant, try uploading to the cloud or a secondary storage app and then deleting them off your phone afterward. This is also good practice for any files or notes you keep.

Delete and re-organize your apps.

Think of this like emptying out your purse or wallet and rearranging it. Get rid of old apps that haven’t been used for a long time and re-organize your home page with the apps that you use most frequently. Put similar apps together in folders to condense everything into one or two pages. Having less clutter on your smartphone is a subtle, but effective way to reduce stress and visual overload.

Update all software.

While this isn’t technically “cleaning”, it is an important step in smartphone self-care. This little bit of maintenance keeps your apps running fast and smooth. It can also fix any pesky bugs and keep you protected with the most up to date security software.

Clear out digital debris.

Our phones get clogged up with browser cache, app data, and outdated cookies. If you’re an Android user, you have an easy way to clear out all the extra garbage. Simply go to Settings, then Apps or Applications. Tap on any app, then tap Storage. Next, tap ‘Clear Storage’ and ‘Clear Cache’. If you are running an iPhone, you’ll have to go in manually. The easiest way is to delete and reinstall any apps that are taking up a huge amount of space. This will clear out old data and start you with a clean slate.

Clean up your Contacts.

Old phone numbers and contact entries can take up more space than you’d think. Scroll through and delete any contact files that you don’t remember or you haven’t contacted in a long time. If someone is in there more than once, you can merge contact files to save space.

Depending on how much you keep on your phone or how long it’s been since your last deep clean, this process can be quick or potentially be a longer more tedious one. If it’s the latter, try tackling this endeavor one step at a time. Instead of opening your go-to game app, try killing time in that waiting room by checking off one of these deep clean tasks. You’ll notice an increase in loading times and overall performance on your phone. Plus, there is an added bonus of your own self-care in this activity. It is always helpful for the mind to re-organize, streamline, and overall decrease unnecessary visual stimulation and contribute to a clear head.