[Hardware] Is CleanMyMac X safe and other questions about the 'spring cleaning' software for your Apple computer

[Angel of Death]

While everyone is talking about a very different virus right now, we are also using our computers more than ever to work from home, stay in touch with what's going on, to make video calls, and keep ourselves entertained.And like almost everything right now, we want our tech to be virus free and running at full health.Many people will now be opening up old Macbooks and firing up ancient Macs as they find themselves connecting to work and the outside world via computer screen.But in an age where we expect everything to be lightning quick - from our broadband to our desktop start up speed - what do you do when you find your Mac running on a go slow?So if you want a slick OS on your Mac it's a prudent investment to install a Mac cleaner to get your machine in tip top condition.Years of clutter building up, from old programs and apps, to photos and videos, can make your machine sluggish.

 Not to mention the myth that Macs can't get viruses or malware - when in fact they are simply less targeted by malicious software that their Windows counterparts.Right now there's a flash sale on one of the leading products, CleanMyMac X.Normally priced at £34.95 for a one year subscription, the discounted price for a short time is £29.95.If you have two Macs to sort, there's an even better deal at £49.95 (instead of £69.90) a year, which is a saving of £19.95You can also buy a one time licence for £76.95.Many questions float around the web regarding these kinds of cleaning apps - mainly because those who need an app to help with this process ( as it is possible to do manually if you have the know-how) are not techy-minded enough to be able to assess their validity.Ukranian tech company MacPaw produces CleanMyMac X. This is praised for being a one-stop utility that removes defunct software and other pointless files while also scanning your machine for malware, managing extensions and checking for updates on your installed apps.MacPaw is one of the most trusted makers of iOS focused products, a completely legit company with software that is Apple verified and safe to install. Apple has scanned its code and found no malicious components, so it is definitely not spyware.

Other highly praised Mac cleaners include Disk Doctor which is an award-winning UK product and  aims to remove the junk that is slowing down your computer. Meanwhile MacBooster is different because it has a duplicate file remover — an extra option to free up space on MacMany people worry that cleaning applications will delete their beloved photos - but this is not the case. Your pictures are safe -  but products such as CleanMyMac will remove unnecessary files associated with Mac’s picture service.To avoid getting malware, you should always download apps directly from the company website (these kinds of cleaning applications are not available in the App Store), and avoid downloading anything from sites such as cnet dot com, macupdate dot com and others.You should always check the DMG files on VirusTotal or with a good antivirus  such as Norton, McAfee, or Bitdefender. Even once it is cleaned, your Mac should still have antivirus software to protect it, such as