diff --git a/Rakefile b/Rakefile
index f106c8055..92c02f50f 100755
--- a/Rakefile
+++ b/Rakefile
@@ -33,6 +33,7 @@ require_relative "rake.d/extensions"
 
 $build_system_modules = {}
 $have_gtest           = Dir.exists? 'lib/gtest'
+$gtest_apps           = []
 
 require_relative "rake.d/config"
 require_relative "rake.d/helpers"
@@ -544,12 +545,8 @@ task :clean do
     po/*.mo doc/guide/**/*.hhk
   }
   patterns += $applications + $tools.collect { |name| "src/tools/#{name}" }
-  verbose   = ENV['V'].to_bool
 
-  patterns.collect { |pattern| FileList[pattern].to_a }.flatten.uniq.select { |file_name| File.exists? file_name }.each do |file_name|
-    puts "      rm #{file_name}" if verbose
-    File.unlink file_name
-  end
+  remove_files_by_patters patterns
 
   if Dir.exists? $dependency_dir
     puts "  rm -rf #{$dependency_dir}" if verbose
@@ -585,6 +582,13 @@ namespace :clean do
       run "rm -f doc/man/*.html doc/man/*/*.html"
     end
   end
+
+  desc "Remove compiled objects and programs in the unit test suite"
+  task :unittests do
+    patterns  = %w{tests/unit/*.o tests/unit/*/*.o tests/unit/*.a tests/unit/*/*.a}
+    patterns += $gtest_apps.collect { |app| "tests/unit/#{app}/#{app}" }
+    remove_files_by_patters patterns
+  end
 end
 
 # Tests
diff --git a/rake.d/gtest.rb b/rake.d/gtest.rb
old mode 100644
new mode 100755
index 608115109..52aaefcfc
--- a/rake.d/gtest.rb
+++ b/rake.d/gtest.rb
@@ -1,14 +1,14 @@
 #!/usr/bin/env ruby
 
-gtest_apps = %w{common propedit}
+$gtest_apps = %w{common propedit}
 
 namespace :tests do
   desc "Build the unit tests"
-  task :unit => gtest_apps.collect { |app| "tests/unit/#{app}/#{app}" }
+  task :unit => $gtest_apps.collect { |app| "tests/unit/#{app}/#{app}" }
 
   desc "Build and run the unit tests"
   task :run_unit => 'tests:unit' do
-    gtest_apps.each { |app| run "./tests/unit/#{app}/#{app}" }
+    $gtest_apps.each { |app| run "./tests/unit/#{app}/#{app}" }
   end
 end
 
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ $build_system_modules[:gtest] = {
       sources('tests/unit', :type => :dir).
       create
 
-    gtest_apps.each do |app|
+    $gtest_apps.each do |app|
       Application.
         new("tests/unit/#{app}/#{app}").
         description("Build the unit tests executable for '#{app}'").
diff --git a/rake.d/helpers.rb b/rake.d/helpers.rb
index 0747dc6fb..f1e44db5c 100644
--- a/rake.d/helpers.rb
+++ b/rake.d/helpers.rb
@@ -180,3 +180,12 @@ def adjust_to_poedit_style(in_name, out_name)
 
   File.unlink in_name
 end
+
+def remove_files_by_patters patterns
+  verbose = ENV['V'].to_bool
+
+  patterns.collect { |pattern| FileList[pattern].to_a }.flatten.uniq.select { |file_name| File.exists? file_name }.each do |file_name|
+    puts "      rm #{file_name}" if verbose
+    File.unlink file_name
+  end
+end