diff --git a/src/curl.cpp b/src/curl.cpp
index 6394c12..a15ffde 100644
--- a/src/curl.cpp
+++ b/src/curl.cpp
@@ -40,6 +40,7 @@
 #include <map>
 
 #include "curl.h"
+#include "string_util.h"
 
 using namespace std;
 
@@ -48,6 +49,21 @@ std::map<CURL*, time_t> curl_times;
 std::map<CURL*, progress_t> curl_progress;
 std::string curl_ca_bundle;
 
+class auto_curl_slist {
+ public:
+  auto_curl_slist() : slist(0) { }
+  ~auto_curl_slist() { curl_slist_free_all(slist); }
+
+  struct curl_slist* get() const { return slist; }
+
+  void append(const string& s) {
+    slist = curl_slist_append(slist, s.c_str());
+  }
+
+ private:
+  struct curl_slist* slist;
+};
+
 CURL *create_curl_handle(void) {
   time_t now;
   CURL *curl_handle;
@@ -88,6 +104,36 @@ void destroy_curl_handle(CURL *curl_handle) {
   return;
 }
 
+int curl_delete(const char *path) {
+  int result;
+  string date;
+  string url;
+  string my_url;
+  string resource;
+  auto_curl_slist headers;
+  CURL *curl = NULL;
+
+  resource = urlEncode(service_path + bucket + path);
+  url = host + resource;
+  date = get_date();
+
+  headers.append("Date: " + date);
+  headers.append("Content-Type: ");
+  if(public_bucket.substr(0,1) != "1")
+    headers.append("Authorization: AWS " + AWSAccessKeyId + ":" +
+      calc_signature("DELETE", "", date, headers.get(), resource));
+
+  my_url = prepare_url(url.c_str());
+  curl = create_curl_handle();
+  curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_CUSTOMREQUEST, "DELETE");
+  curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, headers.get());
+  curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_URL, my_url.c_str());
+  result = my_curl_easy_perform(curl);
+  destroy_curl_handle(curl);
+
+  return result;
+}
+
 /**
  * @return fuse return code
  */
diff --git a/src/curl.h b/src/curl.h
index 84891c3..5d327d9 100644
--- a/src/curl.h
+++ b/src/curl.h
@@ -21,12 +21,18 @@ extern time_t readwrite_timeout;
 extern bool debug;
 extern std::string program_name;
 extern std::string ssl_verify_hostname;
+extern std::string AWSAccessKeyId;
 extern std::string AWSSecretAccessKey;
+extern std::string service_path;
+extern std::string host;
+extern std::string bucket;
+extern std::string public_bucket;
 
 static const EVP_MD* evp_md = EVP_sha1();
 
 CURL *create_curl_handle(void);
 void destroy_curl_handle(CURL *curl_handle);
+int curl_delete(const char *path);
 int my_curl_easy_perform(CURL* curl, BodyStruct* body = NULL, FILE* f = 0);
 size_t WriteMemoryCallback(void *ptr, size_t blockSize, size_t numBlocks, void *data);
 size_t read_callback(void *ptr, size_t size, size_t nmemb, void *userp);
diff --git a/src/s3fs.cpp b/src/s3fs.cpp
index 9ae6bda..19eee59 100644
--- a/src/s3fs.cpp
+++ b/src/s3fs.cpp
@@ -1716,48 +1716,20 @@ static int s3fs_mkdir(const char *path, mode_t mode) {
   return 0;
 }
 
-// aka rm
 static int s3fs_unlink(const char *path) {
   int result;
-  string date;
-  string url;
-  string my_url;
-  string resource;
   char *s3_realpath;
-  auto_curl_slist headers;
-  CURL *curl = NULL;
 
   if(foreground) 
-    cout << "unlink[path=" << path << "]" << endl;
+    printf("unlink[path=%s]\n", path);
 
   s3_realpath = get_realpath(path);
-  resource = urlEncode(service_path + bucket + s3_realpath);
-  url = host + resource;
-  date = get_date();
 
-  headers.append("Date: " + date);
-  headers.append("Content-Type: ");
-  if(public_bucket.substr(0,1) != "1")
-    headers.append("Authorization: AWS " + AWSAccessKeyId + ":" +
-      calc_signature("DELETE", "", date, headers.get(), resource));
-
-  my_url = prepare_url(url.c_str());
-  curl = create_curl_handle();
-  curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_CUSTOMREQUEST, "DELETE");
-  curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, headers.get());
-  curl_easy_setopt(curl, CURLOPT_URL, my_url.c_str());
-
-  result = my_curl_easy_perform(curl);
-
-  destroy_curl_handle(curl);
+  result = curl_delete(s3_realpath);
   free(s3_realpath);
-
-  if(result != 0)
-    return result;
-
   delete_stat_cache_entry(path);
 
-  return 0;
+  return result;
 }
 
 static int directory_empty(const char *path) {
@@ -1823,57 +1795,24 @@ static int directory_empty(const char *path) {
 }
 
 static int s3fs_rmdir(const char *path) {
-  CURL *curl = NULL;
-  CURL *curl_handle = NULL;
   int result;
   char *s3_realpath;
-  struct BodyStruct body;
 
   if(foreground) 
     printf("s3fs_rmdir [path=%s]\n", path);
 
   s3_realpath = get_realpath(path);
-  body.text = (char *)malloc(1);
-  body.size = 0;
 
    // directory must be empty
    if(directory_empty(path) != 0)
      return -ENOTEMPTY;
 
-   // delete the directory
-  string resource = urlEncode(service_path + bucket + s3_realpath);
-  string url = host + resource;
+  result = curl_delete(s3_realpath);
 
-  curl_handle = create_curl_handle();
-  curl_easy_setopt(curl_handle, CURLOPT_CUSTOMREQUEST, "DELETE");
-
-  auto_curl_slist headers;
-  string date = get_date();
-  headers.append("Date: " + date);
-  headers.append("Content-Type: ");
-  if (public_bucket.substr(0,1) != "1") {
-    headers.append("Authorization: AWS " + AWSAccessKeyId + ":" +
-      calc_signature("DELETE", "", date, headers.get(), resource));
-  }
-  curl_easy_setopt(curl_handle, CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER, headers.get());
-
-  string my_url = prepare_url(url.c_str());
-  curl_easy_setopt(curl_handle, CURLOPT_URL, my_url.c_str());
-
-  result = my_curl_easy_perform(curl_handle);
-
-  // delete cache entry
   delete_stat_cache_entry(path);
-
-  if(body.text) free(body.text);
   free(s3_realpath);
-  destroy_curl_handle(curl);
-  destroy_curl_handle(curl_handle);
 
-  if(result != 0)
-    return result;
-
-  return 0;
+  return result;
 }
 
 static int s3fs_symlink(const char *from, const char *to) {
diff --git a/src/s3fs.h b/src/s3fs.h
index 746e0a3..c2bef4d 100644
--- a/src/s3fs.h
+++ b/src/s3fs.h
@@ -35,13 +35,13 @@ bool debug = 0;
 bool foreground = 0;
 bool nomultipart = false;
 bool service_validated = false;
-static std::string host = "http://s3.amazonaws.com";
-static std::string service_path = "/";
+std::string host = "http://s3.amazonaws.com";
+std::string service_path = "/";
 std::string bucket = "";
 std::string mount_prefix = "";
 static std::string mountpoint;
 std::string program_name;
-static std::string AWSAccessKeyId;
+std::string AWSAccessKeyId;
 std::string AWSSecretAccessKey;
 static mode_t root_mode = 0;
 static std::string passwd_file = "";
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@ unsigned long max_stat_cache_size = 10000;
 static std::string use_cache;
 static std::string use_rrs;
 std::string ssl_verify_hostname = "1";
-static std::string public_bucket;
+std::string public_bucket;
 
 extern pthread_mutex_t stat_cache_lock;
 extern pthread_mutex_t curl_handles_lock;