A desktop app that finds developer junk on your disk: node_modules, venvs, Cargo build dirs, Docker unused stuff - and lets you clear it out. Windows only.
Cleanium scans your user profile (and common dev locations) for folders that eat space: dependency trees, virtual envs, build outputs, and package caches. You get a list sorted by size, with filters by category. File-system items go to the Recycle Bin when you delete; Docker items (dangling images, stopped containers, unused volumes, build cache) are removed via the Docker API.
- Scan – Discovers Node, Python, Rust/Cargo, Go, Docker, Next/Nuxt, and generic build/cache dirs.
- History – Past scans stored in SQLite; open any run to see what was found.
- Filter – Limit the list by category (e.g. only Docker or only Node).
- Export – Save the current result set as JSON.
Built with Electron, so it’s a normal Windows app with a dark UI.
Deleting is real. Even though file-system deletes use the Recycle Bin, you can still free a lot of space and break projects or tools if you remove the wrong thing.
- Recycle Bin – Files and folders you delete from the scan list are moved to the Recycle Bin. You can restore them from there until you empty it.
- Docker – Removing an image, container, or volume here is permanent (no Recycle Bin). We only list safe-to-remove Docker resources (dangling images, stopped containers, unused volumes, build cache). Don’t delete something you might need later.
- Protected paths – The app skips system dirs,
Program Files, IDE/runtime data (e.g. VS Code, Cursor, npm global, Docker Desktop data). If something critical still appears, don’t delete it.
Always check the path before hitting Delete. When in doubt, leave it or restore from Recycle Bin.
- Windows 10/11 (only platform supported).
- For Docker features: Docker Desktop (or another Docker engine) running; otherwise only file-system scan is used.
Grab the latest installer from Releases: download the .exe, run it, and follow the setup. Optional: verify the file with the provided .sha256 checksum.
You need Node.js 22+ and npm.
git clone https://github.com/martian56/cleanium.git
cd cleanium/desktop
npm install
npm startTo produce the Windows installer:
npm run buildOutput is under desktop/dist/.
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Node.js | node_modules |
| Python | venv, .venv, env |
| Rust/Cargo | target/ |
| Cargo cache | .cargo/registry, .cargo/git |
| Go | go-build, GOPATH/pkg |
| Docker | Dangling images, stopped containers, unused volumes, build cache (via Docker API) |
| Next.js | .next |
| Nuxt | .nuxt, .output |
| Build output | dist, build, out, .turbo (in project-like paths) |
| Package caches | npm/yarn/pnpm/pip/cargo cache dirs |
Protected locations (e.g. Program Files, AppData for IDEs, global npm, Docker Desktop) are excluded so they don’t show up as deletable.
ISC. See LICENSE if you need it.