> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://kb.hosting.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Cleaning a WordPress database with the Advanced Database Cleaner plugin

> Clean your WordPress database with the Advanced Database Cleaner plugin to boost site performance by removing unused items.

This article describes how to clean up your [WordPress](https://hosting.com/hosting/platforms/wordpress-hosting) database using the [Advanced Database Cleaner plugin](https://wordpress.org/plugins/advanced-database-cleaner).

You may want to do this, for example, to delete unused or orphaned items such as old revisions, spam comments, and pingbacks. Removing unnecessary entries reduces the database size, which can help improve site performance and page load times.

## Installing Advanced Database Cleaner

To install the Advanced Database Cleaner plugin, follow these steps:

1. Log in to WordPress as the administrator.

2. On the Dashboard in the left sidebar, click **Plugins**, and then click **Add New**:\
   ![WordPress sidebar - Plugins - Add New](https://static.hosting.com/kb/kb-wordpress-sidebar-plugins-add-new.png)

3. On the **Add Plugins** page, in the **Search plugins** text box, type `Advanced Database Cleaner` and then press Enter.

4. Locate the **Advanced Database Cleaner** section, and then click **Install Now**:\
   ![WordPress - Advanced Database Cleaner plugin](https://static.hosting.com/kb/kb-wordpress-advanced-database-cleaner-plugin.png)

5. When installation is complete, click **Activate**. You are now ready to configure Advanced Database Cleaner.

## Running Advanced Database Cleaner

To run the Advanced Database Cleaner plugin, follow these steps:

1. Before you do any cleaning, create a backup of your database in case you need to revert any changes.
   > 📘 Note
   >
   > For information about how to back up a MySQL database, please see [this article](/docs/import-and-export-a-mysql-database).

2. Log in to WordPress as the administrator.

3. On the Dashboard in the left sidebar, click **WP DB Cleaner**:\
   ![WordPress - WP DB Cleaner sidebar icon](https://static.hosting.com/kb/kb-wordpress-wp-db-cleaner-sidebar.png)

4. On the **Advanced DB Cleaner** page are several tabs:

* **General clean-up**: On this tab you select the specific items that you want to clean.
  > ❗️ Warning
  >
  > Be careful which items you clean! If you clean\
  > **Revisions** or\
  > **Auto drafts** , you may affect someone else's work in progress. We strongly recommend you only run the cleaner when no one else is logged in to WordPress.

* **Tables**: Click this tab to see the tables in the WordPress database. You can optimize and repair tables on this tab.

* **Options**: Click this tab to see WordPress settings in the *options* table.

* **Cron jobs**: Click this tab to see the cron jobs for the WordPress installation.

* **Overview & settings**: Click this tab to see an overview of your site's database and unused data.

5. To clean the database:

* On the **General clean-up** tab, in the **Bulk actions** list box, select **Clean**.

* Select the check box next to the item you want to clean. For an initial cleanup we recommend the following items:

  * Spam comments.

  * Trashed comments.

  * All orphaned data options.

* Click **Apply**.

* Click **Continue** to confirm. Advanced DB Cleaner cleans the specified items.

## More information

For more information about Advanced Database Cleaner, please visit [https://wordpress.org/plugins/advanced-database-cleaner](https://wordpress.org/plugins/advanced-database-cleaner).

## Related articles

* [Monitor MySQL Database Performance in WordPress](/docs/monitor-mysql-database-performance-in-wordpress)

* [Installing and using the Query Monitor plugin](/docs/installing-and-using-the-query-monitor-plugin)

* [Updating WordPress database configuration settings](/docs/updating-wordpress-database-configuration-settings)

* [Optimizing and repairing MySQL databases with phpMyAdmin](/docs/optimizing-and-repairing-mysql-databases-with-phpmyadmin)

* [Importing and exporting a MySQL database](/docs/import-and-export-a-mysql-database)

* [MySQL database backups using AutoMySQLBackup](/docs/mysql-database-backups-using-automysqlbackup)

* [MySQL database backups using cron jobs](/docs/mysql-database-backups-using-cron-jobs)