diff --git a/include/cron.php b/include/cron.php
index c03745a442..5b588fee6f 100644
--- a/include/cron.php
+++ b/include/cron.php
@@ -131,6 +131,9 @@ function cron_run(&$argv, &$argc){
 			proc_run(PRIORITY_LOW, 'include/dbclean.php', 2);
 			proc_run(PRIORITY_LOW, 'include/dbclean.php', 3);
 			proc_run(PRIORITY_LOW, 'include/dbclean.php', 4);
+			proc_run(PRIORITY_LOW, 'include/dbclean.php', 5);
+			proc_run(PRIORITY_LOW, 'include/dbclean.php', 6);
+			proc_run(PRIORITY_LOW, 'include/dbclean.php', 7);
 		} else {
 			proc_run(PRIORITY_LOW, 'include/dbclean.php');
 		}
@@ -330,7 +333,11 @@ function cron_poll_contacts($argc, $argv) {
 
 			logger("Polling ".$contact["network"]." ".$contact["id"]." ".$contact["nick"]." ".$contact["name"]);
 
-			proc_run(PRIORITY_MEDIUM, 'include/onepoll.php', $contact['id']);
+			if ($contact["remote_self"]) {
+				proc_run(PRIORITY_MEDIUM, 'include/onepoll.php', $contact['id']);
+			} else {
+				proc_run(PRIORITY_LOW, 'include/onepoll.php', $contact['id']);
+			}
 
 			if($interval)
 				@time_sleep_until(microtime(true) + (float) $interval);
diff --git a/include/dbclean.php b/include/dbclean.php
index f69489109c..22a6d4e429 100644
--- a/include/dbclean.php
+++ b/include/dbclean.php
@@ -36,55 +36,134 @@ function remove_orphans($stage = 0) {
 	global $db;
 
 	if (($stage == 1) OR ($stage == 0)) {
-		logger("Deleting orphaned data from thread table");
-		if ($db->q("SELECT `iid` FROM `thread` WHERE NOT EXISTS (SELECT `id` FROM `item` WHERE `item`.`parent` = `thread`.`iid`)", true)) {
-			logger("found thread orphans: ".$db->num_rows());
+		logger("Deleting old global item entries from item table without user copy");
+		if ($db->q("SELECT `id` FROM `item` WHERE `uid` = 0
+				AND NOT EXISTS (SELECT `guid` FROM `item` AS `i` WHERE `item`.`guid` = `i`.`guid` AND `i`.`uid` != 0)
+				AND `received` < UTC_TIMESTAMP() - INTERVAL 90 DAY LIMIT 10000", true)) {
+			$count = $db->num_rows();
+			logger("found global item orphans: ".$count);
 			while ($orphan = $db->qfetch()) {
-				q("DELETE FROM `thread` WHERE `iid` = %d", intval($orphan["iid"]));
+				q("DELETE FROM `item` WHERE `id` = %d", intval($orphan["id"]));
+			}
+
+			// Call it again if not all entries were purged
+			if (($count > 0) AND get_config("system", "worker")) {
+				proc_run(PRIORITY_LOW, 'include/dbclean.php', 1);
 			}
 		}
 		$db->qclose();
+		logger("Done deleting old global item entries from item table without user copy");
 	}
 
 	if (($stage == 2) OR ($stage == 0)) {
+		logger("Deleting items without parents");
+		if ($db->q("SELECT `id` FROM `item` WHERE NOT EXISTS (SELECT `id` FROM `item` AS `i` WHERE `item`.`parent` = `i`.`id`) LIMIT 10000", true)) {
+			$count = $db->num_rows();
+			logger("found item orphans without parents: ".$count);
+			while ($orphan = $db->qfetch()) {
+				q("DELETE FROM `item` WHERE `id` = %d", intval($orphan["id"]));
+			}
+
+			// Call it again if not all entries were purged
+			if (($count > 0) AND get_config("system", "worker")) {
+				proc_run(PRIORITY_LOW, 'include/dbclean.php', 2);
+			}
+		}
+		$db->qclose();
+		logger("Done deleting items without parents");
+	}
+
+	if (($stage == 3) OR ($stage == 0)) {
+		logger("Deleting orphaned data from thread table");
+		if ($db->q("SELECT `iid` FROM `thread` WHERE NOT EXISTS (SELECT `id` FROM `item` WHERE `item`.`parent` = `thread`.`iid`)", true)) {
+			$count = $db->num_rows();
+			logger("found thread orphans: ".$count);
+			while ($orphan = $db->qfetch()) {
+				q("DELETE FROM `thread` WHERE `iid` = %d", intval($orphan["iid"]));
+			}
+
+			// Call it again if not all entries were purged
+			if (($count > 0) AND get_config("system", "worker")) {
+				proc_run(PRIORITY_LOW, 'include/dbclean.php', 3);
+			}
+		}
+		$db->qclose();
+		logger("Done deleting orphaned data from thread table");
+	}
+
+	if (($stage == 4) OR ($stage == 0)) {
 		logger("Deleting orphaned data from notify table");
 		if ($db->q("SELECT `iid` FROM `notify` WHERE NOT EXISTS (SELECT `id` FROM `item` WHERE `item`.`id` = `notify`.`iid`)", true)) {
-			logger("found notify orphans: ".$db->num_rows());
+			$count = $db->num_rows();
+			logger("found notify orphans: ".$count);
 			while ($orphan = $db->qfetch()) {
 				q("DELETE FROM `notify` WHERE `iid` = %d", intval($orphan["iid"]));
 			}
+
+			// Call it again if not all entries were purged
+			if (($count > 0) AND get_config("system", "worker")) {
+				proc_run(PRIORITY_LOW, 'include/dbclean.php', 4);
+			}
 		}
 		$db->qclose();
+		logger("Done deleting orphaned data from notify table");
+	}
+
+	if (($stage == 5) OR ($stage == 0)) {
+		logger("Deleting orphaned data from notify-threads table");
+		if ($db->q("SELECT `id` FROM `notify-threads` WHERE NOT EXISTS (SELECT `id` FROM `item` WHERE `item`.`parent` = `notify-threads`.`master-parent-item`)", true)) {
+			$count = $db->num_rows();
+			logger("found notify-threads orphans: ".$count);
+			while ($orphan = $db->qfetch()) {
+				q("DELETE FROM `notify-threads` WHERE `id` = %d", intval($orphan["id"]));
+			}
+
+			// Call it again if not all entries were purged
+			if (($count > 0) AND get_config("system", "worker")) {
+				proc_run(PRIORITY_LOW, 'include/dbclean.php', 5);
+			}
+		}
+		$db->qclose();
+		logger("Done deleting orphaned data from notify-threads table");
 	}
 
 
-	if (($stage == 3) OR ($stage == 0)) {
+	if (($stage == 6) OR ($stage == 0)) {
 		logger("Deleting orphaned data from sign table");
 		if ($db->q("SELECT `iid` FROM `sign` WHERE NOT EXISTS (SELECT `id` FROM `item` WHERE `item`.`id` = `sign`.`iid`)", true)) {
-			logger("found sign orphans: ".$db->num_rows());
+			$count = $db->num_rows();
+			logger("found sign orphans: ".$count);
 			while ($orphan = $db->qfetch()) {
 				q("DELETE FROM `sign` WHERE `iid` = %d", intval($orphan["iid"]));
 			}
-		}
-		$db->qclose();
-	}
 
-
-	if (($stage == 4) OR ($stage == 0)) {
-		logger("Deleting orphaned data from term table");
-		if ($db->q("SELECT `oid` FROM `term` WHERE NOT EXISTS (SELECT `id` FROM `item` WHERE `item`.`id` = `term`.`oid`)", true)) {
-			logger("found term orphans: ".$db->num_rows());
-			while ($orphan = $db->qfetch()) {
-				q("DELETE FROM `term` WHERE `oid` = %d", intval($orphan["oid"]));
+			// Call it again if not all entries were purged
+			if (($count > 0) AND get_config("system", "worker")) {
+				proc_run(PRIORITY_LOW, 'include/dbclean.php', 6);
 			}
 		}
 		$db->qclose();
+		logger("Done deleting orphaned data from sign table");
 	}
 
-	/// @todo Based on the following query we should remove some more data
-	// SELECT `id`, `received`, `created`, `guid` FROM `item` WHERE `uid` = 0 AND NOT EXISTS (SELECT `guid` FROM `item` AS `i` WHERE `item`.`guid` = `i`.`guid` AND `i`.`uid` != 0) LIMIT 1;
 
-	logger("Done deleting orphaned data from tables");
+	if (($stage == 7) OR ($stage == 0)) {
+		logger("Deleting orphaned data from term table");
+		if ($db->q("SELECT `oid` FROM `term` WHERE NOT EXISTS (SELECT `id` FROM `item` WHERE `item`.`id` = `term`.`oid`)", true)) {
+			$count = $db->num_rows();
+			logger("found term orphans: ".$count);
+			while ($orphan = $db->qfetch()) {
+				q("DELETE FROM `term` WHERE `oid` = %d", intval($orphan["oid"]));
+			}
+
+			// Call it again if not all entries were purged
+			if (($count > 0) AND get_config("system", "worker")) {
+				proc_run(PRIORITY_LOW, 'include/dbclean.php', 7);
+			}
+		}
+		$db->qclose();
+		logger("Done deleting orphaned data from term table");
+	}
 }
 
 if (array_search(__file__,get_included_files())===0){
diff --git a/include/follow.php b/include/follow.php
index 08e74e02f3..1c33edf80e 100644
--- a/include/follow.php
+++ b/include/follow.php
@@ -270,7 +270,7 @@ function new_contact($uid,$url,$interactive = false) {
 
 	// pull feed and consume it, which should subscribe to the hub.
 
-	proc_run(PRIORITY_MEDIUM, "include/onepoll.php", $contact_id, "force");
+	proc_run(PRIORITY_HIGH, "include/onepoll.php", $contact_id, "force");
 
 	// create a follow slap
 
diff --git a/mod/contacts.php b/mod/contacts.php
index 410cced8e6..23907669a6 100644
--- a/mod/contacts.php
+++ b/mod/contacts.php
@@ -237,7 +237,7 @@ function _contact_update($contact_id) {
 				intval($contact_id));
 	} else
 		// pull feed and consume it, which should subscribe to the hub.
-		proc_run(PRIORITY_MEDIUM, "include/onepoll.php", $contact_id, "force");
+		proc_run(PRIORITY_HIGH, "include/onepoll.php", $contact_id, "force");
 }
 
 function _contact_update_profile($contact_id) {