diff --git a/test/test_ccaosdb.cpp b/test/test_ccaosdb.cpp
index a9b023cbad7b4881fa433b0c22fa5cb70258c58c..ecc3eb59b63950f76d5cd342ba0fac8aa17c2639 100644
--- a/test/test_ccaosdb.cpp
+++ b/test/test_ccaosdb.cpp
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ protected:
   fs::path test_download_file_1;
 
   void SetUp() override {
+    DeleteEntities();
     test_upload_file_1 = fs::path("test_upload_file_1_delete_me.dat");
     test_download_file_1 = fs::path("test_download_file_1_delete_me.dat");
 
@@ -50,14 +51,18 @@ protected:
     }
   }
 
-  /**
-   * Delete everything with id>99, C style
-   */
   void TearDown() override {
     // delete files
     fs::remove(test_upload_file_1);
     fs::remove(test_download_file_1);
 
+    DeleteEntities();
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Delete everything with id>99, C style
+   */
+  static void DeleteEntities() {
     caosdb_connection_connection connection;
     caosdb_connection_connection_manager_get_default_connection(&connection);
 
diff --git a/test/test_list_properties.cpp b/test/test_list_properties.cpp
index fdbd3524dd7195285007e992c22504cdb11f02a1..ace6a93355761a53b92d7c93df8b115511acda36 100644
--- a/test/test_list_properties.cpp
+++ b/test/test_list_properties.cpp
@@ -36,9 +36,11 @@ namespace caosdb::entity {
 
 class test_list_properties : public ::testing::Test {
 protected:
-  void SetUp() override {}
+  void SetUp() override { DeleteEntities(); }
 
-  void TearDown() override {
+  void TearDown() override { DeleteEntities(); }
+
+  static void DeleteEntities() {
     const auto &connection =
         caosdb::connection::ConnectionManager::GetDefaultConnection();
     auto query_transaction(connection->CreateTransaction());
diff --git a/test/test_transaction.cpp b/test/test_transaction.cpp
index ce4632d76d19082aed696c29008d83a8e76aee48..c5daf6d362099bb6e14bb68f3de76265ec3329fa 100644
--- a/test/test_transaction.cpp
+++ b/test/test_transaction.cpp
@@ -54,6 +54,8 @@ protected:
   fs::path test_download_file_1;
 
   void SetUp() override {
+    DeleteEntities();
+
     test_upload_file_1 = fs::path("test_upload_file_1_delete_me.dat");
     test_download_file_1 = fs::path("test_download_file_1_delete_me.dat");
 
@@ -69,7 +71,10 @@ protected:
     // delete files
     fs::remove(test_upload_file_1);
     fs::remove(test_download_file_1);
+    DeleteEntities();
+  }
 
+  static void DeleteEntities() {
     // delete all entities
     const auto &connection =
         caosdb::connection::ConnectionManager::GetDefaultConnection();