diff --git a/chrome/content/zotero/overlay.js b/chrome/content/zotero/overlay.js
index 6a72d1812..54d6d422d 100644
--- a/chrome/content/zotero/overlay.js
+++ b/chrome/content/zotero/overlay.js
@@ -417,6 +417,15 @@ var ZoteroPane = new function()
 			// Focus the quicksearch on pane open
 			setTimeout("document.getElementById('zotero-tb-search').inputField.select();", 1);
 			
+			// Auto-empty trashed items older than a certain number of days
+			var days = Zotero.Prefs.get('trashAutoEmptyDays');
+			if (days) {
+				var d = new Date();
+				var deleted = Zotero.Items.emptyTrash(days);
+				var d2 = new Date();
+				Zotero.debug("Emptied old items from trash in " + (d2 - d) + " ms");
+			}
+			
 			var d = new Date();
 			Zotero.purgeDataObjects();
 			var d2 = new Date();
diff --git a/chrome/content/zotero/xpcom/data/items.js b/chrome/content/zotero/xpcom/data/items.js
index 8cf9a6922..0d806b254 100644
--- a/chrome/content/zotero/xpcom/data/items.js
+++ b/chrome/content/zotero/xpcom/data/items.js
@@ -130,8 +130,11 @@ Zotero.Items = new function() {
 	 *											Zotero.Item objects
 	 * @return	{Zotero.Item[]|Integer[]}
 	 */
-	this.getDeleted = function (asIDs) {
+	this.getDeleted = function (asIDs, days) {
 		var sql = "SELECT itemID FROM deletedItems";
+		if (days) {
+			sql += " WHERE dateDeleted<=DATE('NOW', '-" + parseInt(days) + " DAYS')";
+		}
 		var ids = Zotero.DB.columnQuery(sql);
 		if (asIDs) {
 			return ids;
@@ -397,14 +400,18 @@ Zotero.Items = new function() {
 	}
 	
 	
-	this.emptyTrash = function () {
+	/**
+	 * @param	{Integer}	days	Only delete items deleted more than this many days ago
+	 */
+	this.emptyTrash = function (days) {
 		Zotero.DB.beginTransaction();
-		var deletedIDs = this.getDeleted(true);
+		var deletedIDs = this.getDeleted(true, days);
 		if (deletedIDs) {
 			this.erase(deletedIDs);
+			Zotero.Notifier.trigger('refresh', 'collection', 0);
 		}
-		Zotero.Notifier.trigger('refresh', 'collection', 0);
 		Zotero.DB.commitTransaction();
+		return deletedIDs ? deletedIDs.length : 0;
 	}
 	
 	
diff --git a/chrome/content/zotero/xpcom/schema.js b/chrome/content/zotero/xpcom/schema.js
index 8ed4edf0e..9febe8f10 100644
--- a/chrome/content/zotero/xpcom/schema.js
+++ b/chrome/content/zotero/xpcom/schema.js
@@ -2906,6 +2906,11 @@ Zotero.Schema = new function(){
 					Zotero.DB.query("UPDATE savedSearchConditions SET condition='libraryCatalog' WHERE condition='repository'");
 				}
 				
+				// 2.1
+				if (i==74) {
+					Zotero.DB.query("CREATE INDEX deletedItems_dateDeleted ON deletedItems(dateDeleted)");
+				}
+				
 				Zotero.wait();
 			}
 			
diff --git a/defaults/preferences/zotero.js b/defaults/preferences/zotero.js
index 72e35783d..c8f2336f6 100644
--- a/defaults/preferences/zotero.js
+++ b/defaults/preferences/zotero.js
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ pref("extensions.zotero.launchNonNativeFiles", false);
 pref("extensions.zotero.sortNotesChronologically", false);
 pref("extensions.zotero.sortAttachmentsChronologically", false);
 pref("extensions.zotero.showTrashWhenEmpty", true);
+pref("extensions.zotero.trashAutoEmptyDays", 30);
 pref("extensions.zotero.viewOnDoubleClick", true);
 
 pref("extensions.zotero.groups.copyChildLinks", true);
diff --git a/userdata.sql b/userdata.sql
index 661205e8b..1a99a45b1 100644
--- a/userdata.sql
+++ b/userdata.sql
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
--- 73
+-- 74
 
 -- Copyright (c) 2009 Center for History and New Media
 --                    George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia, USA
@@ -212,6 +212,7 @@ CREATE TABLE deletedItems (
     itemID INTEGER PRIMARY KEY,
     dateDeleted DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP NOT NULL
 );
+CREATE INDEX deletedItems_dateDeleted ON deletedItems(dateDeleted);
 
 CREATE TABLE relations (
     libraryID INT NOT NULL,