Cleaning old junk shrank a database by 60%

Cleaning old junk shrank a database by 60%

A reader's two-year-old blog had become sluggish in the dashboard. The cause was hidden: a bloated database. The database is the filing cabinet where WordPress stores all your text and settings.

Over time it had filled with clutter, mostly old 'revisions' (every draft version WordPress quietly saves) and spam comments.

With a backup made first, she ran a free cleanup plugin:
— Deleted 4,000 old post revisions.
— Cleared 9,000 spam comments.
— Emptied the trash.

The database shrank by about 60%, and the dashboard felt snappy again.

She took a backup first because cleanup tools delete data, and you want a safety copy before deleting anything.

In plain words: WordPress quietly hoards old drafts and spam, and a gentle cleanup makes everything feel faster.