Give your digital life a spring cleaning

Think about how satisfying–and rewarding–a top-to-bottom clean, uncluttered home can be! Bringing that same energy to tidying up your digital spaces this spring can be just as fulfilling while improving device performance and saving you money. Perhaps more importantly, getting rid of unused accounts and scattered data isn’t just cleaning up digital clutter; you help close doors to increasingly sophisticated hackers and identity thieves, as well as AI-driven scams and data brokers that buy and sell your personal information.

Take a moment to let fresh air into those digital nooks and crannies—and better protect yourself from scammers—by taking the steps below. If you like the results, make it an annual ritual on Earth Day, during college basketball tournaments or tied to any memory-triggering event of your choice. (It doesn’t have to happen in the springtime.)

What you'll learn

• Flush out forgotten accounts
• Mop up old apps
• Tidy up your photos, email, and digital clutter
• Cleanse your other devices, inside and out
• Recycle old and unused devices
• Make a clean break from a bad bank
• Clean up with Alliant Credit Union

Flush out forgotten accounts

Start your digital spring cleaning by identifying the accounts you no longer need and deleting them. You can locate unused accounts by looking through your bookmarks and your password manager. If you haven’t used one in some time, log in one last time and remove all personal info, then deactivate it.

Another tip for uncovering unused accounts is to search your email for “Welcome,” “Verify,” or “Trial Started.” Also, check “Sign in with Google/Apple” permissions and revoke unused ones.

Deleting unused accounts helps:

• Keep your email address, usernames, and passwords out of the hands of hackers and identity thieves
• Prevent account takeovers linked to forgotten credentials

Next, review your automatic payments and subscriptions through your financial institution(s). Streaming services, memberships, and forgotten apps can quietly drain your budget. You may uncover instant savings by canceling subscriptions you barely use or forgot you even had.

Mop up old apps

Next, identify and remove outdated and unused apps on your phone. A quick scan of your home screen is usually enough. There is no need to overthink it, you can always easily reinstall any app later. After deleting apps, delete any accounts connected to those apps.

Fewer apps make it faster to find what you actually use. (You’ll realize this the next time you quickly need to pull up a digital plane ticket.) More importantly, removing apps could enhance your device’s digital performance and reduce security risks by:

• Optimizing battery life
• Reducing background AI data collection and ad-targeting models
• Lessening entry points for hackers or data-mining companies

You can stay ahead of screen clutter by letting your device manage unused apps for you:

• On iPhone, go to Settings > App Store. Then scroll down to “Offload Unused Apps” and flip the toggle.
• On Android, go to Settings > Battery and device care > Background usage limits. Then flip the toggle on "Put unused apps to sleep."

If freeing up space on your phone is a priority, you can investigate which of your apps are taking up extra memory space. Your device can show you a running tally of how much space each app takes up (games, photo editing apps, and social networks being the bigger storage hogs).

• On iPhone, go to Settings > General > iPhone Storage. Then scroll down to see apps in order of storage size.
• On Android, go to Settings > Apps. Then scroll down to see which are using the most space.

Tapping an app will show you how much space the app itself takes up versus how much data it’s storing.

Tidy up your photos, email, and digital clutter

Use your digital cleaning time to organize your photos. Print and keep the ones you love, delete near-duplicates, and “meh” shots. (People intend to print their photos, few do!)

Keeping fewer photos also means limiting the privacy implications of storing years of location-tagged photos and cloud storage creep.

After decluttering photos, tackle your email inbox:

• Delete emails you don’t need.
• Organize important messages into folders.
• Use older emails to uncover forgotten accounts that still contain personal information.
• Search inboxes for “invoice,” “receipt,” and “account” to surface forgotten services.

On your computer, hunt down outdated files and records you no longer need. Fewer files mean faster performance and less sensitive data lingering around.

Cleanse your other devices, inside and out

If you also own a PC or laptop, regularly delete outdated programs, apps, and software to free up space and reduce security risks. Make scanning for malware part of your routine.

Once performance improves, improve their appearance, too. The Federal Communications Commission recommends:

• Unplug devices before cleaning.
• Use a lint-free cloth slightly dampened with soap and water. 
• Avoid spraying cleaners directly on the device.
• Skip aerosol sprays and cleaning solutions that contain bleach or abrasives.
• Keep moisture away from any openings on the device.
• Check manufacturer guidelines before cleaning.

Recycle old and unused devices

Make recycling your used electronics–laptops, computers, smartphones, and tablets– part of your digital spring cleaning. There are resources across the nation, like PCs for People, where you can donate devices, whether new or old. These devices are then securely wiped of all information and restored to factory settings before being given to community members who need them most.

Alliant teams up with PCs for People to provide hassle-free opportunities for our members and anyone from the surrounding communities to drop off their old devices, if you’re already an Alliant member, we’ll let you know when. Donated devices are wiped clean of all data and delivered to digitally challenged or underserved populations or recycled. If you wish to wipe your old devices before donating, the FTC has advice on wiping a personal computer before disposing of or recycling it.

Make a clean break from a bad bank

If you’re hanging onto a low-performing financial account because switching feels overwhelming, use your cleanup momentum to embrace financial change.

Making a pros/cons list can help you determine if a new account will outweigh the work of switching financial institutions. Compare different aspects of the banks and credit unions you are interested in, such as interest rates, certificate offerings, and credit card benefits, to see if another institution better aligns with your financial goals.

Saving time with a better digital experience is important, too. A 2024 GoBankingRates survey revealed 78% of Americans prefer mobile and online banking. Even 67% of seniors said they would rather bank online or on an app than in person. If your current bank’s app frustrates you or doesn’t meet your expectations, it might be a sign that it is time to move your money elsewhere.

Before you close your old bank account, open a new account in the bank or credit union you prefer. While some financial institutions allow you to open your account online, like Alliant Credit Union, others require you to go in person. Once you open the new account, make your first deposit and switch over all your automatic deposits and payments. Then, you can close your old account and put it behind you.

Clean up with Alliant Credit Union

Alliant Credit Union is 100% digital and not-for-profit, so we reward our members by offering high savings and checking rates, low loan rates, rich credit card rewards, and fewer fees. The industry has noticed: Alliant was named “best credit union 2026” by NerdWallet and won “best credit union for digital banking” by Forbes Advisor.

Your financial institution shouldn’t create work for you, it should remove it. If you feel lost on your bank’s mobile app or underwhelmed by the interest rates your current financial institution offers, maybe it’s time for a fresh digital start. Learn more about membership with Alliant.