diff --git a/src/CMakeLists.txt b/src/CMakeLists.txt
index 971a83ba..f3205f67 100644
--- a/src/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ endif(EXISTS ${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/build.h)
 set(conky_sources colours.cc combine.cc common.cc conky.cc core.cc
 	diskio.cc entropy.cc exec.cc fs.cc mail.cc mixer.cc net_stat.cc template.cc
 	mboxscan.cc read_tcp.cc scroll.cc specials.cc tailhead.cc
-	temphelper.cc text_object.cc timeinfo.cc top.cc algebra.cc prioqueue.c proc.cc
+	temphelper.cc text_object.cc timeinfo.cc top.cc algebra.cc prioqueue.cc proc.cc
 	user.cc)
 
 # add timed thread library
diff --git a/src/prioqueue.c b/src/prioqueue.cc
similarity index 96%
rename from src/prioqueue.c
rename to src/prioqueue.cc
index 0c9d9927..b546a6d5 100644
--- a/src/prioqueue.c
+++ b/src/prioqueue.cc
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@
  *
  */
 
+#include "conky.h"
 #include <limits.h>	/* INT_MAX */
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <string.h>
@@ -69,7 +70,7 @@ struct prio_queue *init_prio_queue(void)
 {
 	struct prio_queue *retval;
 
-	retval = malloc(sizeof(struct prio_queue));
+	retval = (struct prio_queue *) malloc(sizeof(struct prio_queue));
 	memset(retval, 0, sizeof(struct prio_queue));
 
 	/* use pq_free_nop by default */
@@ -110,7 +111,7 @@ static struct prio_elem *init_prio_elem(void *data)
 {
 	struct prio_elem *retval;
 
-	retval = malloc(sizeof(struct prio_elem));
+	retval = (struct prio_elem *) malloc(sizeof(struct prio_elem));
 	memset(retval, 0, sizeof(struct prio_elem));
 
 	retval->data = data;
@@ -171,8 +172,7 @@ check_cur_size:
 		queue->cur_size--;
 		queue->tail = queue->tail->prev;
 		(*queue->free)(queue->tail->next->data);
-		free(queue->tail->next);
-		queue->tail->next = NULL;
+		free_and_zero(queue->tail->next);
 	}
 }
 
diff --git a/src/prioqueue.h b/src/prioqueue.h
index 7252a5f9..764be23b 100644
--- a/src/prioqueue.h
+++ b/src/prioqueue.h
@@ -25,9 +25,6 @@
 #ifndef _PRIOQUEUE_H
 #define _PRIOQUEUE_H
 
-#ifdef __cplusplus
-extern "C" {
-#endif
 /* forward-define for private data */
 struct prio_queue;
 
@@ -66,8 +63,4 @@ void *pop_prio_elem(prio_queue_t);
 /* clear and free the given queue */
 void free_prio_queue(prio_queue_t);
 
-#ifdef __cplusplus
-}
-#endif
-
 #endif /* _PRIOQUEUE_H */
diff --git a/src/prss.cc b/src/prss.cc
index 72a7e86c..2cbedcbe 100644
--- a/src/prss.cc
+++ b/src/prss.cc
@@ -49,19 +49,20 @@ void free_rss_items(PRSS *data)
 {
 	int i;
 
-	for (i = 0; i < data->item_count; i++) {
-#define CLEAR(a) if (data->items[i].a) { free(data->items[i].a); data->items[i].a = 0; }
-		CLEAR(title);
-		CLEAR(link);
-		CLEAR(description);
-		CLEAR(category);
-		CLEAR(pubDate);
-		CLEAR(guid);
+	if(data->items) {
+		for (i = 0; i < data->item_count; i++) {
+#define CLEAR(a) free_and_zero(data->items[i].a);
+			CLEAR(title);
+			CLEAR(link);
+			CLEAR(description);
+			CLEAR(category);
+			CLEAR(pubDate);
+			CLEAR(guid);
 #undef CLEAR
+		}
+		free_and_zero(data->items);
+		data->item_count = 0;
 	}
-	free(data->items);
-	data->item_count = 0;
-	data->items = 0;
 }
 
 void prss_free(PRSS *data)
@@ -69,16 +70,10 @@ void prss_free(PRSS *data)
 	if (!data) {
 		return;
 	}
-	if (data->version) {
-		free(data->version);
-		data->version = 0;
-	}
-	if (data->items) {
-		free_rss_items(data);
-	}
+	free_and_zero(data->version);
+	free_rss_items(data);
 	data->version = 0;
-	data->items = 0;
-#define CLEAR(a) if (data->a) { free(data->a); data->a = 0; }
+#define CLEAR(a) free_and_zero(data->a);
 	CLEAR(title);
 	CLEAR(link);
 	CLEAR(description);
@@ -116,7 +111,7 @@ static inline void read_item(PRSS_Item *res, xmlNodePtr data)
 		}
 
 #define ASSIGN(a) if (strcasecmp((const char*)data->name, #a) == EQUAL) { \
-			if (res->a) free(res->a); \
+			free_and_zero(res->a); \
 			res->a = strdup((const char*)child->content); \
 			continue; \
 		}
@@ -143,7 +138,7 @@ static inline void read_element(PRSS *res, xmlNodePtr n)
 	}
 
 #define ASSIGN(a) if (strcasecmp((const char*)n->name, #a) == EQUAL) { \
-		if (res->a) free(res->a); \
+		free_and_zero(res->a); \
 		res->a = strdup((const char*)child->content); \
 		return; \
 	}
@@ -188,9 +183,9 @@ static inline int parse_rss_2_0(PRSS *res, xmlNodePtr root)
 		}
 	}
 
-	if (res->version) free(res->version);
+	free_and_zero(res->version);
 	res->version = strndup("2.0", text_buffer_size);
-	if (res->items) free_rss_items(res);
+	free_rss_items(res);
 	res->items = (PRSS_Item*) malloc(items * sizeof(PRSS_Item));
 	res->item_count = 0;
 
@@ -221,9 +216,9 @@ static inline int parse_rss_1_0(PRSS *res, xmlNodePtr root)
 		}
 	}
 
-	if (res->version) free(res->version);
+	free_and_zero(res->version);
 	res->version = strndup("1.0", text_buffer_size);
-	if (res->items) free_rss_items(res);
+	free_rss_items(res);
 	res->items = (PRSS_Item*) malloc(items * sizeof(PRSS_Item));
 	res->item_count = 0;
 
diff --git a/src/read_tcp.cc b/src/read_tcp.cc
index 1b73489c..0577769d 100644
--- a/src/read_tcp.cc
+++ b/src/read_tcp.cc
@@ -109,8 +109,6 @@ void free_read_tcp(struct text_object *obj)
 	if (!rtd)
 		return;
 
-	if (rtd->host)
-		free(rtd->host);
-	free(obj->data.opaque);
-	obj->data.opaque = NULL;
+	free_and_zero(rtd->host);
+	free_and_zero(obj->data.opaque);
 }
diff --git a/src/rss.cc b/src/rss.cc
index c1f96ad2..61627ffd 100644
--- a/src/rss.cc
+++ b/src/rss.cc
@@ -183,8 +183,5 @@ void rss_print_info(struct text_object *obj, char *p, int p_max_size)
 
 void rss_free_obj_info(struct text_object *obj)
 {
-	if (obj->data.opaque) {
-		free(obj->data.opaque);
-		obj->data.opaque = NULL;
-	}
+	free_and_zero(obj->data.opaque);
 }