diff --git a/src/batch.js b/src/batch.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..1c3c75627a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/batch.js
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+
+
+'use strict';
+
+var async = require('async'),
+	db = require('./database'),
+	utils = require('../public/src/utils');
+
+(function(Batch) {
+
+	var DEFAULT_BATCH_SIZE = 100;
+
+	Batch.processSortedSet = function(setKey, process, options, callback) {
+		if (typeof options === 'function') {
+			callback = options;
+			options = {};
+		}
+
+		callback = typeof callback === 'function' ? callback : function(){};
+		options = options || {};
+
+		if (typeof process !== 'function') {
+			return callback(new Error('[[error:process-not-a-function]]'));
+		}
+
+		// custom done condition
+		options.doneIf = typeof options.doneIf === 'function' ? options.doneIf : function(){};
+
+		var batch = options.batch || DEFAULT_BATCH_SIZE;
+		var start = 0;
+		var end = batch;
+		var done = false;
+
+		async.whilst(
+			function() {
+				return !done;
+			},
+			function(next) {
+				db.getSortedSetRange(setKey, start, end, function(err, ids) {
+					if (err) {
+						return next(err);
+					}
+					if (!ids.length || options.doneIf(start, end, ids)) {
+						done = true;
+						return next();
+					}
+					process(err, ids, function(err) {
+						if (err) {
+							return next(err);
+						}
+						start += utils.isNumber(options.alwaysStartAt) ? options.alwaysStartAt : batch + 1;
+						end = start + batch;
+						next();
+					});
+				});
+			},
+			callback
+		);
+	};
+
+}(exports));
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/categories/delete.js b/src/categories/delete.js
index 1783ae77b1..c4dfc06c21 100644
--- a/src/categories/delete.js
+++ b/src/categories/delete.js
@@ -2,27 +2,23 @@
 
 var async = require('async'),
 	db = require('../database'),
+	batch = require('../batch'),
 	threadTools = require('../threadTools');
 
 
 module.exports = function(Categories) {
 
 	Categories.purge = function(cid, callback) {
-
-		Categories.getTopicIds(cid, 0, -1, function(err, tids) {
+		batch.processSortedSet('categories:' + cid + ':tid', function(err, tids, next) {
 			if (err) {
 				return callback(err);
 			}
 
 			async.eachLimit(tids, 10, function(tid, next) {
 				threadTools.purge(tid, 0, next);
-			}, function(err) {
-				if (err) {
-					return callback(err);
-				}
-
-				purgeCategory(cid, callback);
-			});
+			}, next);
+		}, {alwaysStartAt: 0}, function(err) {
+			purgeCategory(cid, callback);
 		});
 	};
 
@@ -32,13 +28,7 @@ module.exports = function(Categories) {
 				db.sortedSetRemove('categories:cid', cid, next);
 			},
 			function(next) {
-				db.delete('categories:' + cid + ':tid', next);
-			},
-			function(next) {
-				db.delete('categories:recent_posts:cid:' + cid, next);
-			},
-			function(next) {
-				db.delete('category:' + cid, next);
+				db.deleteAll(['categories:' + cid + ':tid', 'categories:recent_posts:cid:' + cid, 'category:' + cid], next);
 			}
 		], callback);
 	}
diff --git a/src/posts/delete.js b/src/posts/delete.js
index 3fe36abf8e..dfcff4dc35 100644
--- a/src/posts/delete.js
+++ b/src/posts/delete.js
@@ -40,17 +40,11 @@ module.exports = function(Posts) {
 				return callback(err);
 			}
 
-			async.parallel([
-				function(next) {
-					db.sortedSetRemove('tid:' + postData.tid + ':posts', pid, next);
-				},
-				function(next) {
-					db.sortedSetRemove('tid:' + postData.tid + ':posts:votes', pid, next);
-				},
-				function(next) {
-					db.sortedSetRemove('uid:' + postData.uid + ':posts', pid, next);
-				}
-			], function(err) {
+			db.sortedSetsRemove([
+				'tid:' + postData.tid + ':posts',
+				'tid:' + postData.tid + ':posts:votes',
+				'uid:' + postData.uid + ':posts'
+			], pid, function(err) {
 				if (err) {
 					return callback(err);
 				}
@@ -101,7 +95,7 @@ module.exports = function(Posts) {
 			}
 
 			var sets = uids.map(function(uid) {
-				return 'uid:' + uid + ':favourites'
+				return 'uid:' + uid + ':favourites';
 			});
 
 			db.sortedSetsRemove(sets, pid, function(err) {
@@ -143,14 +137,10 @@ module.exports = function(Posts) {
 					db.sortedSetsRemove(downvoterSets, pid, next);
 				},
 				function(next) {
-					db.delete('pid:' + pid + ':upvote', next);
-				},
-				function(next) {
-					db.delete('pid:' + pid + ':downvote', next);
+					db.deleteAll(['pid:' + pid + ':upvote', 'pid:' + pid + ':downvote'], next);
 				}
 			], callback);
 		});
 	}
 
-
 };
diff --git a/src/threadTools.js b/src/threadTools.js
index 613a456443..1e69868e62 100644
--- a/src/threadTools.js
+++ b/src/threadTools.js
@@ -13,7 +13,8 @@ var winston = require('winston'),
 	meta = require('./meta'),
 	websockets = require('./socket.io'),
 	events = require('./events'),
-	plugins = require('./plugins');
+	plugins = require('./plugins'),
+	batch = require('./batch');
 
 
 (function(ThreadTools) {
@@ -71,26 +72,24 @@ var winston = require('winston'),
 	}
 
 	ThreadTools.purge = function(tid, uid, callback) {
-		async.parallel({
-			topic: function(next) {
-				topics.getTopicFields(tid, ['cid'], next);
-			},
-			pids: function(next) {
-				topics.getPids(tid, next);
-			}
-		}, function(err, results) {
+		batch.processSortedSet('tid:' + tid + ':posts', function(err, pids, next) {
+			async.eachLimit(pids, 10, posts.purge, next);
+		}, {alwaysStartAt: 0}, function(err) {
 			if (err) {
 				return callback(err);
 			}
 
-			async.parallel([
-				function(next) {
-					async.eachLimit(results.pids, 10, posts.purge, next);
-				},
-				function(next) {
-					topics.purge(tid, next);
+			topics.getTopicField(tid, 'mainPid', function(err, mainPid) {
+				if (err) {
+					return callback(err);
 				}
-			], callback);
+				posts.purge(mainPid, function(err) {
+					if (err) {
+						return callback(err);
+					}
+					topics.purge(tid, callback);
+				});
+			});
 		});
 	};
 
diff --git a/src/topics/delete.js b/src/topics/delete.js
index 2a654b551c..06e289bdaf 100644
--- a/src/topics/delete.js
+++ b/src/topics/delete.js
@@ -44,10 +44,7 @@ module.exports = function(Topics) {
 				Topics.removeRecent(tid, next);
 			},
 			function(next) {
-				db.sortedSetRemove('topics:posts', tid, next);
-			},
-			function(next) {
-				db.sortedSetRemove('topics:views', tid, next);
+				db.sortedSetsRemove(['topics:posts', 'topics:views'], tid, next);
 			}
 		], function(err) {
 			if (err) {
@@ -90,22 +87,10 @@ module.exports = function(Topics) {
 	Topics.purge = function(tid, callback) {
 		async.parallel([
 			function(next) {
-				db.delete('tid:' + tid + ':followers', next);
+				db.deleteAll(['tid:' + tid + ':followers', 'tid:' + tid + ':read_by_uid'], next);
 			},
 			function(next) {
-				db.delete('tid:' + tid + ':read_by_uid', next);
-			},
-			function(next) {
-				db.sortedSetRemove('topics:tid', tid, next);
-			},
-			function(next) {
-				Topics.removeRecent(tid, next);
-			},
-			function(next) {
-				db.sortedSetRemove('topics:posts', tid, next);
-			},
-			function(next) {
-				db.sortedSetRemove('topics:views', tid, next);
+				db.sortedSetsRemove(['topics:tid', 'topics:recent', 'topics:posts', 'topics:views'], tid, next);
 			},
 			function(next) {
 				deleteTopicFromCategoryAndUser(tid, next);
@@ -128,14 +113,7 @@ module.exports = function(Topics) {
 				return callback(err);
 			}
 
-			async.parallel([
-				function(next) {
-					db.sortedSetRemove('categories:' + topicData.cid + ':tid', tid, next);
-				},
-				function(next) {
-					db.sortedSetRemove('uid:' + topicData.uid + ':topics', tid, next);
-				}
-			], function(err) {
+			db.sortedSetsRemove(['categories:' + topicData.cid + ':tid', 'uid:' + topicData.uid + ':topics'], tid, function(err) {
 				if (err) {
 					return callback(err);
 				}