I would like to reformat my macbook

I feel like my Macbook needs to be reformatted because it has been running slow. I have everything backed up on an external hardrive using Time Machine, is this enough to keep everything safe when I reformat? I'm also on Mac OS X Version 10.5.8 and I want to update, but I want to clear everything out first. I learned everything on a PC so I have no idea how to go about reformating a Mac. Anyone know the best way to do this?

Welcome to the Apple Support Communities
A Time Machine backup should be enough. To reinstall OS X, follow these steps:
1. Insert the Mac OS X DVD that came with the Mac, and hold the C key while your computer is starting.
2. Choose your language, and go to Utilities menu > Disk Utility.
3. Select the hard drive at the top of the sidebar, go to Erase tab and erase the disk.
4. Close Disk Utility and reinstall OS X

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