diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index ff871c4373..96e3a874bf 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -172,7 +172,6 @@ uninstall-data:
 clean::
 	$(RM) $(ALLPROGS)
 	$(RM) $(CLEANSUFFIXES)
-	$(RM) $(TOOLS)
 	$(RM) $(CLEANSUFFIXES:%=tools/%)
 
 distclean::
diff --git a/common.mak b/common.mak
index d781ced09e..9193455c56 100644
--- a/common.mak
+++ b/common.mak
@@ -49,4 +49,13 @@ CLEANSUFFIXES     = *.d *.o *~ *.ho *.map *.ver
 DISTCLEANSUFFIXES = *.pc
 LIBSUFFIXES       = *.a *.lib *.so *.so.* *.dylib *.dll *.def *.dll.a *.exp
 
+define RULES
+clean::
+	$(RM) $(OBJS) $(OBJS:.o=.d)
+	$(RM) $(HOSTPROGS)
+	$(RM) $(TOOLS)
+endef
+
+$(eval $(RULES))
+
 -include $(wildcard $(OBJS:.o=.d) $(TESTOBJS:.o=.d))
diff --git a/library.mak b/library.mak
index f50e8e59ee..8dde8f47da 100644
--- a/library.mak
+++ b/library.mak
@@ -47,8 +47,7 @@ $(SUBDIR)$(SLIBNAME_WITH_MAJOR): $(OBJS) $(SUBDIR)lib$(NAME).ver $(DEP_LIBS)
 
 clean::
 	$(RM) $(addprefix $(SUBDIR),*-example$(EXESUF) *-test$(EXESUF) $(CLEANFILES) $(CLEANSUFFIXES) $(LIBSUFFIXES)) \
-	    $(foreach dir,$(DIRS),$(CLEANSUFFIXES:%=$(SUBDIR)$(dir)/%)) \
-	    $(HOSTOBJS) $(HOSTPROGS)
+	    $(foreach dir,$(DIRS),$(CLEANSUFFIXES:%=$(SUBDIR)$(dir)/%))
 
 distclean:: clean
 	$(RM) $(DISTCLEANSUFFIXES:%=$(SUBDIR)%) \