Signs that Mac clean up is necessary
If you own a Mac, you may have observed how the same device that once offered you incredible speed and response rate has now become slow and irresponsive. Many Mac users have complained that after some months of usage their device becomes frustratingly slow. It is also common for Macs to freeze and stall for as long as 10 minutes on some occasions. This is especially the case when it is asked to switch between two or more heavy-duty applications running simultaneously.
How to clean up Mac
If not given proper and timely attention, Macs can cause longer and longer delays with the passage of time and this may eventually lead to crashes. It is therefore a matter of high priority to clean up your Mac regularly. Here is what you need to do:
1. Clean up log files - Mac stores a huge amount of log files that for security purposes. These files take up a lot of storage space on Mac and need to be deleted in order to optimize the system. Log files can be deleted through the Console application in Utilities.
2. Clean up application backups – There are a lot of programs that provide backup without asking for the Mac user’s approval. These software programs store copies of huge files in dedicated folders where they can be accessed frequently. Applications with bigger file size understandably have bigger backup folders that take up a lot of storage space and these may run into gigabytes at times. Cleaning up these massive backup files can speed up your Mac.
3. 
Clean up iChat logs – The built-in iChat program that comes pre-installed in Mac stores log files of the Mac user’s chatting sessions. By default, iChat stores logs in a dedicated folder in Documents. Cleaning up these iChat log files can also save a lot of storage. This is especially true when stored logs of chatting sessions have file transfers. Although you can keep the most recent chatting sessions that you have had with friends, it is recommended that you delete older logs as they take up a sizable portion of the hard-drive. Trashing these files can save a lot of disk space.
4. Get rid of Mail downloads – The built-in email client that Mac uses by default also stores data on the hard-drive. Each time you get an email with attachments files, Mac’s email client stores the message along with the file. So, unless you have not shared your email address with many people, you will have literally dozens of email backup files on your hard-drive that occupy a lot of disk space. Cleaning up the respective folder of these files can free up much needed disk space and this enhances speed and performance.
Other essential steps you need to follow
Following the above-mentioned simple steps can increase the responsiveness of your Mac device. If you still experience the same problems, you should install anti-virus, anti-spyware programs to check if your Mac has not been infected with malicious content. Also, because this is a maintenance procedure, it needs to be repeated every few weeks or months for regular optimization.