WordPress Database Cleanup & Optimisation

The Problem

Years of post revisions, spam comments, transients and orphaned data quietly bloat the WordPress database, slowing down every query the site makes without you ever seeing an error.

About this problem

WordPress stores every post revision, auto-draft, trashed item, expired transient and orphaned piece of metadata in the same database that serves every page request. Plugins that are deactivated or removed often leave their tables and options behind. Over years these rows accumulate until queries and backups become noticeably heavier.

People typically look for this when the admin feels slow, backups have grown unexpectedly large, or a speed test points to database time. It is also common after removing old plugins or finishing a large content import.

What's Included

• Removing excess post revisions, auto-drafts and trashed content
• Clearing expired transients and orphaned metadata
• Optimising database tables after cleanup
• Before/after database size comparison

What's NOT Included

• Fixing slow queries caused by plugin code itself
• Server-level database tuning (see server performance services)
• Content/data changes beyond cleanup (nothing real gets deleted without being obviously disposable)

How It Works

1. I take a full database backup and record the current size of the database and its largest tables.
2. I identify post revisions, auto-drafts and trashed content and remove excess revisions while keeping a sensible number for active posts.
3. I delete expired transients and orphaned postmeta, commentmeta and term relationships that no longer point to existing records.
4. I check the options table for large autoloaded entries and flag any that look disposable before touching them.
5. I run table optimisation to reclaim space after the deletions.
6. I load key front-end and admin pages to confirm nothing broke, and compare database size before and after.

In practice: you buy the service, send over whatever access or details the job needs, I investigate and do the work, and you confirm it's resolved before we call it done.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I clean up a bloated WordPress database?

Remove excess revisions, trash, expired transients and orphaned metadata, then optimise the tables. That is what this service does, with a backup first.

Is it safe to delete post revisions?

Generally yes when a sensible number is kept. I take a backup first, and only content that is clearly disposable is removed.

Will this make my site faster?

A leaner database can reduce query time, especially in the admin, but results vary. If slow queries come from plugin code, that is outside this service.

Do you tune the database server itself?

No, server-level database tuning is separate.

Will you delete any of my real content?

No. Only obviously disposable data is removed, and anything ambiguous is left for you to decide.

Do you also remove spam comments?

Spam comments are covered by a dedicated service. This one focuses on revisions, transients and orphaned data.