Making your SD cards 'squeaky clean'

Everything that we buy is an investment, that is why it is important to maintain and keep them in tiptop condition at all times. Leaving your possessions to deteriorate at the point of rendering them useless would be like leaving them to die slowly. And it is also a waste of money and resources. Cleaning and maintenance is also a must, especially if you are going to dispose these items for reselling or giving them to someone.

Same goes for your devices and its components. Keeping them clean is extending their life span. And I don't just do it on the outside, but inside as well. In terms of memory cards, wiping your devices is important. Aside from freeing your card of unnecessary files and having additional space, you are also saving yourself from being a victim of data breach and identity theft. And as I said, wiping these little memory peripherals clean before putting them up for a sale would somehow increase their value in the market although they are used and pre-loved. Moreover, you don't want your buyer to see all those confidential files that you are secretly stashing and storing inside your cards.

Embarrassing, isn't it?

If you are planning on selling, giving, or disposing them, better start wiping all the contents inside your sd cards. Follow these steps to give your card a clean slate.

1. Back up. Don't act as hastily and immediately delete all the data inside your memory card. Copy your files into your computer, or into another memory storage device, or into your cloud storage. You might still need these data in the future. It would be a pain in the neck if you delete all them without backing them up and look for them later when you need them  the most.

2. Start with the cleaning process. When you are done transferring your files, you can now start freeing and cleaning your card. Put your SD card on the card slot of your computer. If you are using a micro SD card like the SanDisk Mobile Micro SD Card, use a card reader so your PC can still read your card even if it is in different format.

3. Double-click the "My Computer" icon on your desktop and right-click the "Removable Disk" icon.

4.  Select "Format" from the pop-up menu and click "Start" to begin the formatting process. Take note that this process varies and depends on what operating system you are using. This process usually works with Windows OS Macintosh computers have entirely different process when it comes to formatting memory cards. If you are using a Mac, research how this process can be done with the same OS.

5. Once the formatting is done, safely remove your SD card from your computer and refresh your desktop. Plug your memory card once again to check whether all the files were deleted or not.

6. Use some apps. You can also use some apps to format your memory card, especially if you will not do it using your computer. There are a lot of free applications online that can help you get the job done. You can choose from SD Maid and Forever Gone for Android.