diff --git a/src/backend/config_lookup.c b/src/backend/config_lookup.c
index 12f8ae023..96c62c880 100644
--- a/src/backend/config_lookup.c
+++ b/src/backend/config_lookup.c
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ lumiera_config_lookup_remove (LumieraConfigLookup self, LumieraConfigitem item)
       /* last item in lookup, remove it from the splay tree */
       LumieraConfigLookupentry entry = LLIST_TO_STRUCTP (llist_next (&item->lookup), lumiera_config_lookupentry, configitems);
       llist_unlink (&item->lookup);
-      psplay_remove (&self->tree, (PSplaynode)entry);
+      psplay_delete_node (&self->tree, (PSplaynode)entry);
     }
   else
     {
diff --git a/src/backend/configitem.c b/src/backend/configitem.c
index 917676251..6252b0bcf 100644
--- a/src/backend/configitem.c
+++ b/src/backend/configitem.c
@@ -74,17 +74,17 @@ lumiera_configitem_destroy (LumieraConfigitem self, LumieraConfigLookup lookup)
 
   if (self)
     {
+      LLIST_WHILE_HEAD (&self->childs, node)
+        lumiera_configitem_delete ((LumieraConfigitem) node, lookup);
+
+      ENSURE (llist_is_empty (&self->childs), "destructor didn't remove childs");
+
       if (self->vtable && self->vtable->destroy)
         self->vtable->destroy (self);
 
       if (!llist_is_empty (&self->lookup))
         lumiera_config_lookup_remove (lookup, self);
 
-      LLIST_WHILE_HEAD (&self->childs, node)
-        lumiera_configitem_delete ((LumieraConfigitem) node, lookup);
-
-      ENSURE (llist_is_empty (&self->childs), "destructor didn't remove childs");
-
       llist_unlink (&self->link);
       lumiera_free (self->line);
     }