Two Tips for Cleaning Your PC with CCleaner

I use CCleaner and I strongly recommend you do, too. That's because the free utility scrubs your system and removes computer-clogging junk, including files in the temp folder and Internet cache. Download a copy here.

What makes CCleaner so cool is that you can customize it so the tool deletes specific files and folders every time it runs. For instance, I have a junk folder that I use for files I need for the day, but definitely want cleared out when I run CCleaner.

Customizing is easy. Choose the Options icon on the left, click Include, and add a file or folder using the buttons on the right.

It takes seconds to customize CCleaner

Another handy trick is in Settings: Add a "run CCleaner" context menu to your Recycle Bin icon. That way you don't even have to open CCleaner -- just click "run CCleaner from the Recycle Bin Icon.

Update: My friend Michael M., From Texas, just wrote:

"After CCleaner appeared in a print column recently, I gave it a try. In the process, I lost some valuable toolbar buttons in Word that I've never been able to recover. I've tried everything I can think of to recover the lost customizations without success.
"Though I can't positively say that the loss is the direct result of using CCleaner, I can tell you that my Word customizations worked perfectly the day before I ran CCleaner, and no longer worked an hour after running it. I admit that this may have been a unique problem..."

You can stop CCleaner from touching any of the Office app by unchecking the Office box (see the screen capture below).