diff --git a/commafeed-server/src/main/java/com/commafeed/backend/dao/FeedEntryContentDAO.java b/commafeed-server/src/main/java/com/commafeed/backend/dao/FeedEntryContentDAO.java
index 0e2ec660..535eb0d3 100644
--- a/commafeed-server/src/main/java/com/commafeed/backend/dao/FeedEntryContentDAO.java
+++ b/commafeed-server/src/main/java/com/commafeed/backend/dao/FeedEntryContentDAO.java
@@ -28,13 +28,10 @@ public class FeedEntryContentDAO extends GenericDAO<FeedEntryContent> {
 		return query().select(content).from(content).where(content.contentHash.eq(contentHash), content.titleHash.eq(titleHash)).fetch();
 	}
 
-	public int deleteWithoutEntries(int max) {
-
+	public long deleteWithoutEntries(int max) {
 		JPQLQuery<Integer> subQuery = JPAExpressions.selectOne().from(entry).where(entry.content.id.eq(content.id));
-		List<FeedEntryContent> list = query().selectFrom(content).where(subQuery.notExists()).limit(max).fetch();
+		List<Long> ids = query().select(content.id).from(content).where(subQuery.notExists()).limit(max).fetch();
 
-		int deleted = list.size();
-		delete(list);
-		return deleted;
+		return deleteQuery(content).where(content.id.in(ids)).execute();
 	}
 }
diff --git a/commafeed-server/src/main/java/com/commafeed/backend/dao/FeedEntryDAO.java b/commafeed-server/src/main/java/com/commafeed/backend/dao/FeedEntryDAO.java
index 69f0d37d..3c7af8c0 100644
--- a/commafeed-server/src/main/java/com/commafeed/backend/dao/FeedEntryDAO.java
+++ b/commafeed-server/src/main/java/com/commafeed/backend/dao/FeedEntryDAO.java
@@ -48,7 +48,6 @@ public class FeedEntryDAO extends GenericDAO<FeedEntry> {
 	}
 
 	public int delete(Long feedId, long max) {
-
 		List<FeedEntry> list = query().selectFrom(entry).where(entry.feed.id.eq(feedId)).limit(max).fetch();
 		return delete(list);
 	}
diff --git a/commafeed-server/src/main/java/com/commafeed/backend/dao/FeedEntryStatusDAO.java b/commafeed-server/src/main/java/com/commafeed/backend/dao/FeedEntryStatusDAO.java
index 4eebc256..cb2e4d4c 100644
--- a/commafeed-server/src/main/java/com/commafeed/backend/dao/FeedEntryStatusDAO.java
+++ b/commafeed-server/src/main/java/com/commafeed/backend/dao/FeedEntryStatusDAO.java
@@ -270,8 +270,13 @@ public class FeedEntryStatusDAO extends GenericDAO<FeedEntryStatus> {
 		return results;
 	}
 
-	public List<FeedEntryStatus> getOldStatuses(Date olderThan, int limit) {
-		return query().selectFrom(status).where(status.entryInserted.lt(olderThan), status.starred.isFalse()).limit(limit).fetch();
+	public long deleteOldStatuses(Date olderThan, int limit) {
+		List<Long> ids = query().select(status.id)
+				.from(status)
+				.where(status.entryInserted.lt(olderThan), status.starred.isFalse())
+				.limit(limit)
+				.fetch();
+		return deleteQuery(status).where(status.id.in(ids)).execute();
 	}
 
 }
diff --git a/commafeed-server/src/main/java/com/commafeed/backend/dao/GenericDAO.java b/commafeed-server/src/main/java/com/commafeed/backend/dao/GenericDAO.java
index ffd1b7de..d1931546 100644
--- a/commafeed-server/src/main/java/com/commafeed/backend/dao/GenericDAO.java
+++ b/commafeed-server/src/main/java/com/commafeed/backend/dao/GenericDAO.java
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import org.hibernate.annotations.QueryHints;
 
 import com.commafeed.backend.model.AbstractModel;
 import com.querydsl.core.types.EntityPath;
+import com.querydsl.jpa.impl.JPADeleteClause;
 import com.querydsl.jpa.impl.JPAQuery;
 import com.querydsl.jpa.impl.JPAQueryFactory;
 import com.querydsl.jpa.impl.JPAUpdateClause;
@@ -30,6 +31,10 @@ public abstract class GenericDAO<T extends AbstractModel> extends AbstractDAO<T>
 		return new JPAUpdateClause(currentSession(), entityPath);
 	}
 
+	protected JPADeleteClause deleteQuery(EntityPath<T> entityPath) {
+		return new JPADeleteClause(currentSession(), entityPath);
+	}
+
 	public void saveOrUpdate(T model) {
 		persist(model);
 	}
diff --git a/commafeed-server/src/main/java/com/commafeed/backend/service/DatabaseCleaningService.java b/commafeed-server/src/main/java/com/commafeed/backend/service/DatabaseCleaningService.java
index 4f3f8913..2155d60e 100644
--- a/commafeed-server/src/main/java/com/commafeed/backend/service/DatabaseCleaningService.java
+++ b/commafeed-server/src/main/java/com/commafeed/backend/service/DatabaseCleaningService.java
@@ -34,15 +34,15 @@ public class DatabaseCleaningService {
 	private final FeedEntryContentDAO feedEntryContentDAO;
 	private final FeedEntryStatusDAO feedEntryStatusDAO;
 
-	public long cleanFeedsWithoutSubscriptions() {
+	public void cleanFeedsWithoutSubscriptions() {
 		log.info("cleaning feeds without subscriptions");
 		long total = 0;
-		int deleted = 0;
+		int deleted;
 		long entriesTotal = 0;
 		do {
 			List<Feed> feeds = unitOfWork.call(() -> feedDAO.findWithoutSubscriptions(1));
 			for (Feed feed : feeds) {
-				int entriesDeleted = 0;
+				long entriesDeleted;
 				do {
 					entriesDeleted = unitOfWork.call(() -> feedEntryDAO.delete(feed.getId(), BATCH_SIZE));
 					entriesTotal += entriesDeleted;
@@ -54,23 +54,21 @@ public class DatabaseCleaningService {
 			log.info("removed {} feeds without subscriptions", total);
 		} while (deleted != 0);
 		log.info("cleanup done: {} feeds without subscriptions deleted", total);
-		return total;
 	}
 
-	public long cleanContentsWithoutEntries() {
+	public void cleanContentsWithoutEntries() {
 		log.info("cleaning contents without entries");
 		long total = 0;
-		int deleted = 0;
+		long deleted;
 		do {
 			deleted = unitOfWork.call(() -> feedEntryContentDAO.deleteWithoutEntries(BATCH_SIZE));
 			total += deleted;
 			log.info("removed {} contents without entries", total);
 		} while (deleted != 0);
 		log.info("cleanup done: {} contents without entries deleted", total);
-		return total;
 	}
 
-	public long cleanEntriesForFeedsExceedingCapacity(final int maxFeedCapacity) {
+	public void cleanEntriesForFeedsExceedingCapacity(final int maxFeedCapacity) {
 		long total = 0;
 		while (true) {
 			List<FeedCapacity> feeds = unitOfWork.call(() -> feedEntryDAO.findFeedsExceedingCapacity(maxFeedCapacity, BATCH_SIZE));
@@ -90,19 +88,17 @@ public class DatabaseCleaningService {
 			}
 		}
 		log.info("cleanup done: {} entries for feeds exceeding capacity deleted", total);
-		return total;
 	}
 
-	public long cleanStatusesOlderThan(final Date olderThan) {
+	public void cleanStatusesOlderThan(final Date olderThan) {
 		log.info("cleaning old read statuses");
 		long total = 0;
-		int deleted = 0;
+		long deleted;
 		do {
-			deleted = unitOfWork.call(() -> feedEntryStatusDAO.delete(feedEntryStatusDAO.getOldStatuses(olderThan, BATCH_SIZE)));
+			deleted = unitOfWork.call(() -> feedEntryStatusDAO.deleteOldStatuses(olderThan, BATCH_SIZE));
 			total += deleted;
 			log.info("removed {} old read statuses", total);
 		} while (deleted != 0);
 		log.info("cleanup done: {} old read statuses deleted", total);
-		return total;
 	}
 }