how do i get rid of malware (spam pop up ads)?

Ads that pop up while in a web browser are just that - pop ups, not any kind of malware. You can choose the preference in Safari or other web browser you're using to block pop ups (and the similar pop unders). It doesn't work for all of them, but will block most.

https://getadblock.com/ works well here for Safari.

A lot of times these popup are Flash, so get a Flash blocker such as ClickToFlash

Without more information, it's difficult to tell you much. Ads are a ubiquitous part of the web. So what you're seeing might be perfectly normal.

Since you mention "malware," though, I'm going to assume that there's something going on that is unusual. If that's the case, take a look at my Adware Removal Guide.

Thanks thomas_r, your advice helped me.

thank you so much! i had ads everywhere and spam and a lot of popups but your tool really helped me! thanks a lot!

thank you so much! this worked so well and solved all my problems

This works great!!! Got rid of all of my pop up ads!