diff --git a/lib/api.js b/lib/api.js
index c0e570095..bccf917f8 100644
--- a/lib/api.js
+++ b/lib/api.js
@@ -190,6 +190,9 @@ nThen(function (w) {
                         removed++;
                     }
                 });
+                if (Env.store) {
+                    Env.store.closeInactiveChannels(active);
+                }
                 if (removed) {
                     Env.Log.info("CLEANED_ACTIVE_CHANNELS_MAP", {removed});
                 }
diff --git a/lib/hk-util.js b/lib/hk-util.js
index 7080d3d4a..1bc7f2022 100644
--- a/lib/hk-util.js
+++ b/lib/hk-util.js
@@ -146,6 +146,7 @@ const dropChannel = HK.dropChannel = function (Env, chanName) {
             expireChannel(Env, chanName);
         }, TEMPORARY_CHANNEL_LIFETIME);
     }
+    store.closeChannel(chanName, function () {});
 };
 
 /*  checkExpired
diff --git a/lib/storage/file.js b/lib/storage/file.js
index 2c2888f7a..98cbfd7db 100644
--- a/lib/storage/file.js
+++ b/lib/storage/file.js
@@ -286,6 +286,16 @@ var closeChannel = function (env, channelName, cb) {
     }
 };
 
+var closeInactiveChannels = function (env, schedule, active) {
+    Object.keys(env.channels).forEach(channelName => {
+        if (!active.includes(channelName)) {
+            schedule.ordered(channelName, function (next) {
+                closeChannel(env, channelName, next);
+            });
+        }
+    });
+};
+
 var clearOffset = function (env, channelId, cb) {
     var path = mkOffsetPath(env, channelId);
     // we should always be able to recover from invalid offsets, so failure to delete them
@@ -1445,6 +1455,9 @@ module.exports.create = function (conf, _cb) {
                     closeChannel(env, channelName, Util.both(cb, next));
                 });
             },
+            closeInactiveChannels: function (active) {
+                closeInactiveChannels(env, schedule, active);
+            },
             // write to a log file
             log: function (channelName, content, cb) {
 // you probably want the events in your log to be in the correct order.