diff --git a/gramps/gen/utils/configmanager.py b/gramps/gen/utils/configmanager.py
index 134771c6b..ac7a67dc9 100644
--- a/gramps/gen/utils/configmanager.py
+++ b/gramps/gen/utils/configmanager.py
@@ -47,6 +47,14 @@ from ..const import GRAMPS_LOCALE as glocale
 
 _ = glocale.translation.gettext
 
+def clean_up(parser):
+    # Needed so that the parser can be removed by the garabge collection
+    for section in parser:
+        delattr(parser._proxies[section], 'getboolean')
+        delattr(parser._proxies[section], 'getint')
+        delattr(parser._proxies[section], 'getfloat')
+        del parser._proxies[section]
+    del parser._converters
 
 def safe_eval(exp):
     # restrict eval to empty environment
@@ -287,6 +295,8 @@ class ConfigManager:
                     self.data[name] = {}
                 loader(section, parser)
 
+            clean_up(parser)
+
     def _load_section(self, section, parser):
         """
         Load a section of an .ini file into self.data
diff --git a/gramps/gui/widgets/grampletbar.py b/gramps/gui/widgets/grampletbar.py
index 5edefd495..c53362097 100644
--- a/gramps/gui/widgets/grampletbar.py
+++ b/gramps/gui/widgets/grampletbar.py
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@ _ = glocale.translation.gettext
 from gramps.gen.const import URL_MANUAL_PAGE, URL_WIKISTRING, VERSION_DIR
 from gramps.gen.config import config
 from gramps.gen.constfunc import win
+from gramps.gen.utils.configmanager import clean_up
 from ..managedwindow import ManagedWindow
 from ..display import display_help, display_url
 from .grampletpane import (AVAILABLE_GRAMPLETS,
@@ -210,6 +211,7 @@ class GrampletBar(Gtk.Notebook):
                         data["name"] = "Unnamed Gramplet"
                         data["tname"] = _("Unnamed Gramplet")
                     retval.append(data)
+            clean_up(cp)
         else:
             # give defaults as currently known
             for name in defaults:
diff --git a/gramps/gui/widgets/grampletpane.py b/gramps/gui/widgets/grampletpane.py
index 61dd7e7be..26e45585f 100644
--- a/gramps/gui/widgets/grampletpane.py
+++ b/gramps/gui/widgets/grampletpane.py
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ LOG = logging.getLogger(".")
 #-------------------------------------------------------------------------
 from gramps.gen.errors import WindowActiveError
 from gramps.gen.const import URL_MANUAL_PAGE, VERSION_DIR, COLON
+from gramps.gen.utils.configmanager import clean_up
 from ..editors import EditPerson, EditFamily
 from ..managedwindow import ManagedWindow
 from ..utils import is_right_click, match_primary_mask, get_link_color
@@ -1194,6 +1195,7 @@ class GrampletPane(Gtk.ScrolledWindow):
                         data["name"] = "Unnamed Gramplet"
                         data["tname"] = _("Unnamed Gramplet")
                     retval.append((data["name"], data)) # name, opts
+            clean_up(cp)
         else:
             # give defaults as currently known
             for name in self.default_gramplets: