Phones are costly investments, and given how important they are to our everyday lives, some regular housekeeping will help keep them in top form. From backing up your data to clearing your cache, there are a bunch of things you can do to take care of your iPhone® or Android™ device.

Back up your phone data

While we all want to speed up our phones and reduce clutter, we don't want to lose precious memories and data along the way. Be sure to back up your photos, videos, and other items you want to keep safe by using a cloud storage system, like iCloud® or Google Photos™.

Offload unused items

Smartphone slowdown is real. If you've accumulated digital clutter on your device, there's an easy fix: Delete it. Take a moment to go through your phone and get rid of any applications that do the same thing—or those you thought looked cool but never used.

Uninstalling useless apps will free up phone storage space and might even speed up your phone. Check your messages for old videos and photos wasting space in your storage and remove those too. Remember to include your outgoing messages in the purge. Photos you've sent friends and family are usually already stored somewhere else on your phone, so get rid of any duplicates that take up much-needed memory.

HOW TO DELETE AN APP ON IPHONE DEVICES

1. Press and hold the app you'd like to delete until a menu pops up.
2. Tap Remove App > Delete App.

Organize your apps

If you can't find the applications you're looking for when you need them, it's time to organize your phone screen. Once you've cleared out all the unused apps, it should be a lot less intimidating to figure out where to house the remaining ones.

Consider keeping your frequently used applications on one screen (like your camera, messaging, calendar, and phone apps) while sorting the rest of your apps into groups by category (like social media and games). Pick a system that works well for you. Just be sure you don't bury your favorite app deep inside a full folder.

HOW TO CREATE APP FOLDERS ON IPHONES

1. Press and hold your Home Screen until the apps jiggle.
2. Drag an app onto another app to create a folder, then drag other apps inside it too. (Each folder can hold multiple pages of apps.)
3. To change the folder's name, press and hold it, tap Rename and enter a new name.
4. Tap Done when you're finished, then tap the Home Screen background twice.
5. If you want to delete a folder you created, tap it open and then drag out all the apps inside it. The folder will automatically disappear.
6. If you want to move an app from a folder to the Home Screen, tap open the folder, then touch and hold the app until it wiggles. Then drag it to the Home Screen.

Clear your cache

As you use apps and browse the internet, your phone stores tiny pieces of information to ensure a smooth user experience. But all those files build up over time and should be cleared out periodically to free up a little storage space. That's where clearing your cache comes in.

HOW TO CLEAR THE CACHE ON IPHONE DEVICES

1. Go to Settings > Safari.
2. Tap the option marked Clear History and Website Data. Tap Clear History and Data to confirm. Your AutoFill information, like for history, cookies, and browsing Safari, won't be affected.

Clean your screen

To keep germs from spreading, you should clean your phone screen nearly as often as you wash your hands. Get this: Americans check their phones 96 times a day, according to Asurion research. That's once every 10 minutes! So if you use your phone in a public restroom, while standing on a bus, in the supermarket, or after working out in the park, it's a good idea to thoroughly clean your screen (and your hands) before using it again.

HOW TO DEEP-CLEAN YOUR PHONE SCREEN

1. Take off your phone case, and turn off your phone.
2. Use a microfiber cloth with a mild cleaning solution, like a 50-50 mixture of water and alcohol.
3. Spray the cloth—never your tech—and wipe down both sides of your phone, taking special care while cleaning the screen.
4. While your phone air dries, clean the case inside and out: Use soap and water, disinfectant spray or wipes, or glass cleaner for plastic cases, and try soap and water or leather cleaner for leather cases. Be sure to let the case dry before putting it back on your phone.