diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index bfb913322b0590544976fcaa49b9739e3f813472..587392cce19b92e2a69066327dcc54721f73326f 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1,42 +1,6 @@
-# Stuff to ignore recursively
-*.la
-*.lo
-*.log
-*.o
-*.trs
+# ignore all build folders
+/build*/
+# ignore backup files
 *~
+# ignore Python files
 *.pyc
-.deps/
-.libs/
-Makefile
-Makefile.in
-TAGS
-
-# Stuff to ignore in this directory only
-/aclocal.m4
-/autom4te.cache/
-/build-*/
-/compile
-/config.guess
-/config.h
-/config.h.in
-/config.log
-/config.lt
-/config.status
-/config.sub
-/configure
-/configure
-/configure.lineno
-/depcomp
-/dependencies.m4
-/dune-common-*.tar.gz
-/dune-common-?.?
-/dune-common.pc
-/dune.css
-/install-sh
-/libtool
-/ltmain.sh
-/missing
-/mkinstalldirs
-/stamp-h1
-/test-driver
diff --git a/bin/.gitignore b/bin/.gitignore
deleted file mode 100644
index d5cda579ac3c9a94e53c22d688d671ebe3a3936a..0000000000000000000000000000000000000000
--- a/bin/.gitignore
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-/check-log-store
diff --git a/doc/buildsystem/.gitignore b/doc/buildsystem/.gitignore
deleted file mode 100644
index b9651d47f28fc65212be5d177c8e833654d8b7ca..0000000000000000000000000000000000000000
--- a/doc/buildsystem/.gitignore
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,10 +0,0 @@
-/*.aux
-/*.backup
-/*.dvi
-/*.ilg
-/*.ind
-/*.out
-/*.pdf
-/*.ps
-/*.toc
-/auto
diff --git a/doc/comm/.gitignore b/doc/comm/.gitignore
deleted file mode 100644
index a5de85f26d9ad033e24fb9da1084f5f9660c5091..0000000000000000000000000000000000000000
--- a/doc/comm/.gitignore
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,10 +0,0 @@
-/communication.aux
-/communication.bbl
-/communication.blg
-/communication.log
-/communication.out
-/communication.pdf
-/communication.toc
-/indexset
-/poosc08
-/poosc08_test
diff --git a/doc/doxygen/.gitignore b/doc/doxygen/.gitignore
deleted file mode 100644
index e979d702e196f3626845674763778916c17d218b..0000000000000000000000000000000000000000
--- a/doc/doxygen/.gitignore
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,11 +0,0 @@
-/Doxyfile
-/Doxyfile.in
-/doxy-header.html
-/doxy-footer.html
-/bestpractice.html
-/doxygen-tag
-/doxygen.log
-/doxyerr.log
-/html/
-/html-dist
-/latex
diff --git a/dune/common/parallel/test/.gitignore b/dune/common/parallel/test/.gitignore
deleted file mode 100644
index 19462827e75f61754b69adc1a1dac1fa60ee1942..0000000000000000000000000000000000000000
--- a/dune/common/parallel/test/.gitignore
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,5 +0,0 @@
-/indexsettest
-/indicestest
-/selectiontest
-/syncertest
-/variablesizecommunicatortest
diff --git a/dune/common/test/.gitignore b/dune/common/test/.gitignore
deleted file mode 100644
index fe060b3788258c0edce4871514ed7156718b212a..0000000000000000000000000000000000000000
--- a/dune/common/test/.gitignore
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,57 +0,0 @@
-# The test binaries (in alphabetical order)
-/arraylisttest
-/arraytest
-/bigunsignedinttest
-/bitsetvectortest
-/blockbitfieldtest
-/calloncetest
-/check_fvector_size
-/conversiontest
-/diagonalmatrixtest
-/dynmatrixtest
-/dynvectortest
-/eigenvaluestest
-/enumsettest
-/fmatrixtest
-/fvectortest
-/gcdlcmtest
-/integersequence
-/iteratorfacadetest
-/iteratorfacadetest2
-/lrutest
-/mpicollectivecommunication
-/mpiguardtest
-/mpihelpertest
-/mpihelpertest2
-/nullptr-test
-/parametertreelocaletest
-/parametertreetest
-/pathtest
-/poolallocatortest
-/shared_ptrtest
-/shared_ptrtest_config
-/shared_ptrtest_dune
-/singletontest
-/sllisttest
-/static_assert_test
-/streamtest
-/stringutilitytest
-/testdebugallocator
-/testdebugallocator_fail1
-/testdebugallocator_fail2
-/testdebugallocator_fail3
-/testdebugallocator_fail4
-/testdebugallocator_fail5
-/testfconstruct
-/testfloatcmp
-/timing_flt
-/timing_old
-/timing_xpr
-/tuplestest
-/tuplestest_dune
-/tuplestest_std
-/tuplestest_tr1
-/tupleutilitytest
-/typetraitstest
-/typetraitstest_deprecated
-/utilitytest
diff --git a/lib/.gitignore b/lib/.gitignore
deleted file mode 100644
index 085967904b3fea07c1cb15c4189eaf4179c67c08..0000000000000000000000000000000000000000
--- a/lib/.gitignore
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1 +0,0 @@
-/libdunecommon.la