diff --git a/bin/tests/system/README b/bin/tests/system/README
index 5190f4dd3f..768260701c 100644
--- a/bin/tests/system/README
+++ b/bin/tests/system/README
@@ -242,12 +242,8 @@ If there is a requirement to re-run a test (or the entire test suite), the
 files produced by the tests should be deleted first.  Normally, these files are
 deleted if the test succeeds but are retained on error.
 
-Deletion of files produced by an individual test can be done with the command:
-
-    sh clean.sh <test-name>
-
 Deletion of the files produced by the set of tests (e.g. after the execution
-of "runall.sh") can be deleted by the command:
+of "runall.sh") can be carried out using the command:
 
     sh cleanall.sh
 
@@ -712,11 +708,10 @@ If the test fails, all these files are retained.  But if the test succeeds,
 they are cleaned up at different times:
 
 1. Files generated by the test itself are cleaned up by the test's own
-"clean.sh".  This is called from the system's "clean.sh", which in turn is
-called from "run.sh".
+"clean.sh", which is called from "run.sh".
 
-2. Files that may not be cleaned up if named exits abnormally are removed
-by the system's "clean.sh".
+2. Files that may not be cleaned up if named exits abnormally can be removed
+using the "cleanall.sh" script.
 
 3. "test.output.*" files are deleted when the test suite ends.  At this point,
 the file "testsummary.sh" is called which concatenates all the "test.output.*"
diff --git a/bin/tests/system/clean.sh b/bin/tests/system/clean.sh
deleted file mode 100644
index f75a98a296..0000000000
--- a/bin/tests/system/clean.sh
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,34 +0,0 @@
-#!/bin/sh
-#
-# Copyright (C) Internet Systems Consortium, Inc. ("ISC")
-#
-# This Source Code Form is subject to the terms of the Mozilla Public
-# License, v. 2.0. If a copy of the MPL was not distributed with this
-# file, You can obtain one at http://mozilla.org/MPL/2.0/.
-#
-# See the COPYRIGHT file distributed with this work for additional
-# information regarding copyright ownership.
-
-#
-# Clean up after a specified system test.
-#
-
-SYSTEMTESTTOP="$(cd -P -- "$(dirname -- "$0")" && pwd -P)"
-. $SYSTEMTESTTOP/conf.sh
-
-export SYSTEMTESTTOP
-
-if [ $# -eq 0 ]; then
-    echo "usage: $0 test-directory" >&2
-    exit 1
-fi
-
-systest=$1
-shift
-
-if [ -f $systest/clean.sh ]; then
-    ( cd $systest && $SHELL clean.sh "$@" )
-else
-    echo "Test directory $systest does not exist" >&2
-    exit 1
-fi
diff --git a/bin/tests/system/run.sh b/bin/tests/system/run.sh
index 7718f93e08..34fe8c2e53 100755
--- a/bin/tests/system/run.sh
+++ b/bin/tests/system/run.sh
@@ -218,7 +218,7 @@ else
         echopass "R:$systest:PASS"
         if $clean
         then
-            $SHELL clean.sh $runall $systest "$@"
+            ( cd $systest && $SHELL clean.sh "$@" )
             if test -d ../../../.git
             then
                 git status -su --ignored $systest 2>/dev/null | \
diff --git a/util/copyrights b/util/copyrights
index fa513a38d2..fa08526386 100644
--- a/util/copyrights
+++ b/util/copyrights
@@ -447,7 +447,6 @@
 ./bin/tests/system/checkzone/tests.sh		SH	2011,2012,2013,2014,2015,2016,2017,2018,2019
 ./bin/tests/system/checkzone/zones/.gitattributes	X	2015,2018,2019
 ./bin/tests/system/checkzone/zones/bad-badclass.raw	X	2015,2018,2019
-./bin/tests/system/clean.sh			SH	2015,2016,2018,2019
 ./bin/tests/system/cleanall.sh			SH	2000,2001,2004,2007,2012,2014,2015,2016,2017,2018,2019
 ./bin/tests/system/cleanpkcs11.sh		SH	2010,2012,2014,2016,2018,2019
 ./bin/tests/system/common/rndc.key		X	2011,2013,2016,2018,2019