diff --git a/chrome/content/zotero/xpcom/data/items.js b/chrome/content/zotero/xpcom/data/items.js
index e6b9247d37..77860139a7 100644
--- a/chrome/content/zotero/xpcom/data/items.js
+++ b/chrome/content/zotero/xpcom/data/items.js
@@ -872,11 +872,13 @@ Zotero.Items = function() {
 	 * @param {Object} [options]
 	 * @param {Function} [options.onProgress] - fn(progress, progressMax)
 	 * @param {Integer} [options.days] - Only delete items deleted more than this many days ago
+	 * @param {Integer} [options.limit] - Number of items to delete
 	 */
 	this.emptyTrash = async function (libraryID, options = {}) {
-		if (typeof arguments[1] == 'number') {
+		if (arguments.length > 2 || typeof arguments[1] == 'number') {
 			Zotero.warn("Zotero.Items.emptyTrash() has changed -- update your code");
 			options.days = arguments[1];
+			options.limit = arguments[2];
 		}
 		
 		if (!libraryID) {
@@ -886,6 +888,11 @@ Zotero.Items = function() {
 		var t = new Date();
 		
 		var deleted = await this.getDeleted(libraryID, false, options.days);
+		
+		if (options.limit) {
+			deleted = deleted.slice(0, options.limit);
+		}
+		
 		var processed = 0;
 		if (deleted.length) {
 			let toDelete = {
@@ -925,7 +932,7 @@ Zotero.Items = function() {
 	 * Start idle observer to delete trashed items older than a certain number of days
 	 */
 	this._emptyTrashIdleObserver = null;
-	this._emptyTrashTimer = null;
+	this._emptyTrashTimeoutID = null;
 	this.startEmptyTrashTimer = function () {
 		this._emptyTrashIdleObserver = {
 			observe: (subject, topic, data) => {
@@ -941,30 +948,31 @@ Zotero.Items = function() {
 					//
 					// TODO: increase number after dealing with slow
 					// tag.getLinkedItems() call during deletes
-					var num = 10;
-					this.emptyTrash(Zotero.Libraries.userLibraryID, days, num)
-					.then(deleted => {
+					let num = 50;
+					this.emptyTrash(
+						Zotero.Libraries.userLibraryID,
+						{
+							days,
+							limit: num
+						}
+					)
+					.then((deleted) => {
 						if (!deleted) {
-							this._emptyTrashTimer = null;
+							this._emptyTrashTimeoutID = null;
 							return;
 						}
 						
 						// Set a timer to do more every few seconds
-						if (!this._emptyTrashTimer) {
-							this._emptyTrashTimer = Components.classes["@mozilla.org/timer;1"]
-								.createInstance(Components.interfaces.nsITimer);
-						}
-						this._emptyTrashTimer.init(
-							this._emptyTrashIdleObserver.observe,
-							5 * 1000,
-							Components.interfaces.nsITimer.TYPE_ONE_SHOT
-						);
+						this._emptyTrashTimeoutID = setTimeout(() => {
+							this._emptyTrashIdleObserver.observe(null, 'timer-callback', null);
+						}, 2500);
 					});
 				}
 				// When no longer idle, cancel timer
 				else if (topic == 'back') {
-					if (this._emptyTrashTimer) {
-						this._emptyTrashTimer.cancel();
+					if (this._emptyTrashTimeoutID) {
+						clearTimeout(this._emptyTrashTimeoutID);
+						this._emptyTrashTimeoutID = null;
 					}
 				}
 			}