Cleanup Properties#

Remove or archive unused custom properties. Property bloat slows down forms, confuses users, and makes data mapping harder.

Prerequisites#

• HubSpot API token in .env
• Python with hubspot-api-client installed via uv

Step-by-Step Instructions#

Stage 1: Before — Inventory All Custom Properties#

Pull properties for each object type:

python

from hubspot import HubSpot

api_client = HubSpot(access_token=os.getenv("HUBSPOT_API_TOKEN"))

for obj_type in ["contacts", "companies", "deals"]:
    props = api_client.crm.properties.core_api.get_all(
        object_type=obj_type
    )
    custom_props = [p for p in props.results if not p.hubspot_defined]

For each custom property, record: name, label, object type, type, group, number of records with a value (requires search queries), whether it is used in any form/workflow/list.

Stage 2: Execute — Identify Candidates for Deletion#

Safe to delete:

• Properties with zero populated records and not used in any form, workflow, or list
• Properties with names containing "test", "temp", "old_", "copy_of"
• Properties created by deactivated integrations

Handle with care:

• Salesforce sync properties ( hs_salesforce_* prefix or mapped in sync settings) — do not delete without coordinating with the Salesforce admin
• Form fields — check if the property is used on any active form before deleting
• Workflow dependencies — check if any workflow reads or sets this property
• Calculated properties — check if other calculated properties reference this one

Archive instead of delete when:

• The property has historical data that might be needed for reporting
• You are unsure whether anything depends on it

Stage 3: After — Delete or Archive#

1. Archive properties first (HubSpot supports property archiving).
2. Wait 30 days, then delete archived properties that caused no issues.
3. Document all changes in a cleanup log.

Stage 4: Rollback#

• Archived properties can be unarchived at any time.
• Deleted properties cannot be restored. The property definition and all associated data are permanently lost.
• Always archive before deleting to provide a safety window.

Tips#

• Run this quarterly as part of the database cleanup routine.
• Establish a property naming convention going forward (e.g., team_purpose_detail).
• Limit who can create custom properties to prevent sprawl.
• HubSpot has a property limit per object type — cleanup prevents hitting it.