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Lightify > Settings > Bloat Removal Two unrelated jobs share this tab: deleting accumulated rows from your database, and stopping WordPress loading things your site never uses.

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Database optimizations

Everything in this section permanently deletes data. There is no undo, and no confirmation beyond enabling the setting. Take a database backup before the first run.
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default:"off"
Pro. Runs the cleanups selected below on a schedule.
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default:"weekly"
weekly or monthly. Monthly is plenty for most sites. Weekly suits a busy site with heavy revision and spam volume.

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What gets deleted

Delete post revisions removes old versions of posts. On a site with years of editing this is often the single largest source of database bloat, and it is also your edit history, so it is gone once deleted.Delete auto drafts removes drafts WordPress created automatically and nobody published. Safe.Delete trashed posts permanently removes what is in the trash. Check the trash first.
Delete spam comments removes anything marked as spam. Safe, and usually the second largest source of bloat.Delete trashed comments permanently removes trashed comments.
Delete expired transients removes temporary cached values that have already expired. The safest item on this tab; WordPress does not always clean these up on its own.Reorganize tables defragments your database tables. Reclaims space and can speed up queries, but it locks tables while it runs, so it is the one item to schedule outside busy hours.
Rather than deleting every revision on a schedule, consider capping them instead. Adding define('WP_POST_REVISIONS', 5); to wp-config.php keeps the five most recent per post, so they never accumulate in the first place and you keep a usable history.

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WordPress bloat

Each of these stops WordPress loading something on the front end. All are reversible, and none deletes anything.
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Removes the stylesheets the block editor and WooCommerce blocks add to the front end.
Only safe if your theme does not use block styles. If your content contains blocks that rely on core styling, they will lose their layout. Check a page with columns, galleries, or buttons after enabling.
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default:"off"
Stops loading the admin icon font for visitors. Safe unless your theme uses Dashicons on the front end, which some do for social icons and menu carets.
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default:"on"
Removes the emoji script and styles. On by default. Emoji characters still display, because browsers render them natively; what is removed is WordPress’s compatibility script for very old browsers.
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default:"on"
Removes the compatibility shim for jQuery code written against older versions. On by default.
If an old plugin or theme breaks after enabling this, that plugin is using jQuery methods removed years ago. Turning it back on is a valid short-term fix, but the underlying code is the real problem.
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default:"on"
Stops WordPress automatically turning pasted URLs into embeds, and removes the associated script. On by default.Existing embeds in your content are unaffected. What stops is the automatic conversion of newly pasted URLs.
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Pro. Turns off the XML-RPC endpoint, which is a common target for brute-force and amplification attacks and is unused by most sites.
Some things still need it: the WordPress mobile app, Jetpack, and some remote publishing tools. If you use any of those, leave it on.
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default:"off"
Pro. Removes RSS and feed links.
Only do this if you are certain nobody consumes your feed. Feed readers, podcast directories, email digest services, and other sites syndicating your content all depend on it, and none of them will tell you when it disappears.
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Pro. Limits the WordPress Heartbeat API to once every 60 seconds instead of its default frequency.Heartbeat powers autosave, post locking, and live dashboard updates by polling your server continuously from every open admin tab. On shared hosting with several editors, that alone can be a meaningful share of your load.
Throttling means autosave and post-lock warnings update less often. It does not disable them.

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What to enable

For most sites the three defaults are correct and enough. Beyond those:
  • Remove Dashicons if your theme does not use them on the front end.
  • Throttle Heartbeat on any site with more than one person in the admin.
  • Disable XML-RPC unless you use the mobile app or Jetpack.
  • Leave Disable RSS Feed and Disable Block Editor CSS alone unless you have a specific reason.
Each of these saves a request or two. Real gains come from caching and asset optimizations; this tab is tidying up afterwards.