Consumer Reports: Tips for cleaning up your digital clutter

PHOENIX (3TV/CBS 5) -- Be honest: Is your email inbox out of control? Are you embarrassed to show people your phone, afraid they might see the hundreds or thousands of messages? Have no fear. Consumer Reports has some easy tips for taming your inbox while getting rid of some other digital clutter.

Google makes digital housecleaning a little easier with its Storage Manager. It will highlight photos, videos, giant PDFs, and other large files and ask if you want to delete them. In addition, you can use the search tool to find emails with attachments or messages from certain dates. Then you can even create a filter to delete the emails it catches.

As you’re deleting email, take note of any old digital accounts you don’t use anymore. Keeping them open can create a security risk. The companies could be hacked, allowing your information to get into the wrong hands.

You can find forgotten accounts using the welcome email you got when signing up. You can also search your common usernames online and check your browser or personal password manager for saved passwords. And if you signed up for any accounts through social media, like Facebook, you’ll find them there.

One more tip: Be choosy when signing up for recurring emails and newsletters. And if you find that you’re not reading the ones you get, open them one last time to unsubscribe.

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