How to schedule recurring email list cleanups in Emailable for ongoing campaigns

If you’re tired of bouncing emails, spam traps, and your campaigns limping along because your list is a mess, you’re in the right place. This guide is for email marketers, CRM managers, and anyone who’s sick of babysitting lists or getting burned by bad data.

Let’s cut through the fluff and get your recurring email list cleanups running in Emailable, so you can focus on actually sending campaigns (not cleaning up after them).

Why Recurring List Cleanups Matter (and When to Ignore the Hype)

Keeping your email list clean isn’t just about some mythical “inbox placement.” Dirty lists mean:

More bounces (which hurts your sender reputation)
More spam complaints (hello, blacklists)
Wasted money on dead leads
Worse open/click rates (because half your emails aren’t even getting delivered)

But here’s the thing: You don’t need to obsess and clean daily. For most teams, a weekly or monthly cleanup is plenty. Daily cleaning is overkill unless you’re getting thousands of new signups a day or you’re in a super high-risk industry.

If your list grows slowly, don’t let “automation” become a distraction from the real work—sending good emails to people who want them.

Before You Start: What You’ll Need

Before jumping into scheduling recurring cleanups, make sure you’ve got:

An Emailable account with access to the “Automations” or “Integrations” features (depends on your plan).
Your email list stored somewhere Emailable can reach—think Mailchimp, HubSpot, ActiveCampaign, or even Google Sheets.
Admin-level access to both Emailable and your email platform (you’ll need to connect accounts).
A clear idea of which lists you want to clean, and how often.

Pro tip: If you’re still exporting CSVs by hand, stop and set up an integration first. Manual exports are where mistakes happen.

Step 1: Connect Your Email Platform to Emailable

First, you need Emailable to “see” your email lists. The process is pretty similar no matter which ESP (email service provider) you use.

Log in to Emailable.
Head to the “Integrations” or “Automations” section (label depends on your account).
Find your email platform (Mailchimp, HubSpot, etc.) and click “Connect.”
Authorize Emailable to access your lists. You’ll usually log in and grant permissions.
Once connected, Emailable will pull in your lists so you can select which ones to clean.

What works: Direct integrations are reliable and save a ton of time.

What to skip: Importing a static CSV for recurring cleanups. That’s a one-off, not a schedule. You want a “live” connection.

Step 2: Set Up a Recurring Cleanup Workflow

This is where the magic (and the automation) happens.

Find the Automation/Scheduling Tool.
In Emailable, look for a menu called “Automations,” “Scheduled Cleanups,” or something similar.
If you don’t see it, you’re probably on a lower-tier plan—check your subscription or talk to support.
Create a New Automation or Schedule.
Click “New Automation” or “Schedule Cleanup.”
Choose your connected list as the source.
Set the Frequency.
Pick how often you want Emailable to clean your list: daily, weekly, monthly.
For most, “weekly” is the sweet spot. Only go daily if your list is high-volume and mission-critical.
Don’t pick “monthly” just because it sounds low-maintenance—if you’re sending weekly campaigns, you want weekly cleanups.
Configure Cleanup Options.
Decide if you want to scrub the whole list or just new additions since the last run.
Set rules for what to do with bad emails (delete, tag, move to a segment, etc.).
Some ESPs let you “unsubscribe” or “suppress” bad contacts automatically—use this if you can.
Review and Save.
Double-check your settings.
Save and activate the automation.

Pro tip: Test on a small segment the first time. Don’t risk nuking your entire list by accident.

Step 3: Handling the Results—What Happens After Cleanup

Now that you’ve scheduled cleanups, what actually happens to bad emails? Here’s where a lot of people get tripped up.

Removal: Some integrations will straight-up delete invalid emails. This is fine if you’re sure, but dangerous if you want to keep historical data.
Tagging/Segmentation: Better for most teams. Bad emails get tagged or moved to a “Suppressed” segment—so you can review or restore if needed.
Sync Back to ESP: The best setups push results back to your email platform, so you’re not juggling two copies of your list.

What works: Automatic suppression in your ESP (not just in Emailable). That way, you’re not accidentally emailing dead addresses.

What to ignore: “Export to CSV” as your only option. That’s just manual work in disguise.

Step 4: Monitor, Adjust, and Don’t Overthink It

Automation isn’t magic. You still need to keep an eye on things:

Check Your Cleanups: Spot-check results every few weeks. Make sure valid contacts aren’t being flagged.
Watch Deliverability Metrics: If your bounce or complaint rates spike, revisit your cleanup frequency or rules.
Update Integrations as Needed: APIs break, logins expire, and platforms change. If you notice cleanups stop, reconnect your accounts.

Reality check: No tool is perfect. Some “valid” emails will still bounce. Some “invalid” emails might sneak through. Don’t chase 100% perfection; aim for “good enough to stay out of trouble.”

What About Custom Workflows or Zapier?

If your ESP isn’t supported, or you’ve got a weird stack, you can use tools like Zapier to trigger cleanups based on events (like new signups). But honestly, this is more work than most people need, and support can be spotty.

Stick to direct integrations if you can. If you have to use Zapier or another connector:

Be prepared for more setup and troubleshooting.
Test thoroughly, and don’t rely on it for mission-critical cleaning unless you monitor it closely.

Honest Takes: What’s Worth Automating (and What Isn’t)

Automate recurring cleanups if:
You add a lot of new contacts regularly.
You send high-frequency campaigns.
Deliverability is business-critical.
Don’t bother automating if:
Your list barely changes month to month.
You send a newsletter every blue moon.
You prefer to review each new signup manually.

Automation saves time, but it’s not a replacement for common sense. If you’re not sure you need it, start small and see if it really makes your life easier.

Keep It Simple, Iterate, and Don’t Chase Perfection

Recurring email list cleanups in Emailable can save you a ton of headaches, but don’t let “automation” become another thing to micromanage. Start with the basics: connect your list, schedule a reasonable cleanup, and make sure bad emails actually get suppressed in your email platform.

Check in every so often, adjust if you need to, and focus on what matters—sending better emails to real people, not obsessing over every single bounce. Keep it simple, and let the automation do its job.