diff --git a/gio/glocalfileinfo.c b/gio/glocalfileinfo.c
index edec7bdde..6f186957a 100644
--- a/gio/glocalfileinfo.c
+++ b/gio/glocalfileinfo.c
@@ -261,10 +261,12 @@ get_selinux_context (const char            *path,
 #define g_fgetxattr(fd,name,value,size)  fgetxattr(fd,name,value,size,0,0)
 #define g_flistxattr(fd,name,size)       flistxattr(fd,name,size,0)
 #define g_setxattr(path,name,value,size) setxattr(path,name,value,size,0,0)
+#define g_removexattr(path,name) removexattr(path,name,0)
 #else
 #define g_fgetxattr     fgetxattr
 #define g_flistxattr    flistxattr
 #define g_setxattr(path,name,value,size) setxattr(path,name,value,size,0)
+#define g_removexattr(path,name) removexattr(path,name)
 #endif
 
 static gssize
@@ -774,10 +776,10 @@ set_xattr (char                       *filename,
       return FALSE;
     }
 
-  if (attr_value->type != G_FILE_ATTRIBUTE_TYPE_STRING)
+  if (attr_value->type != G_FILE_ATTRIBUTE_TYPE_STRING && attr_value->type != G_FILE_ATTRIBUTE_TYPE_INVALID)
     {
       g_set_error_literal (error, G_IO_ERROR, G_IO_ERROR_INVALID_ARGUMENT,
-                           _("Invalid attribute type (string expected)"));
+                           _("Invalid attribute type (string or invalid expected)"));
       return FALSE;
     }
 
@@ -799,16 +801,27 @@ set_xattr (char                       *filename,
       escaped_attribute += strlen ("xattr-sys::");
       is_user = FALSE;
     }
-  
+
   attribute = hex_unescape_string (escaped_attribute, NULL, &free_attribute);
-  value = hex_unescape_string (attr_value->u.string, &val_len, &free_value);
 
   if (is_user)
     a = g_strconcat ("user.", attribute, NULL);
   else
     a = attribute;
-  
-  res = g_setxattr (filename, a, value, val_len);
+
+  if (attr_value->type == G_FILE_ATTRIBUTE_TYPE_STRING)
+    {
+      value = hex_unescape_string (attr_value->u.string, &val_len, &free_value);
+      res = g_setxattr (filename, a, value, val_len);
+    }
+  else
+    {
+      value = NULL;
+      val_len = 0;
+      free_value = FALSE;
+      res = g_removexattr (filename, a);
+    }
+
   errsv = errno;
   
   if (is_user)
diff --git a/gio/tests/g-file-info.c b/gio/tests/g-file-info.c
index 2786e75b7..427ebffcc 100644
--- a/gio/tests/g-file-info.c
+++ b/gio/tests/g-file-info.c
@@ -1015,7 +1015,7 @@ test_xattrs (void)
 {
   GFile *file = NULL;
   GFileIOStream *stream = NULL;
-  GFileInfo *file_info0 = NULL, *file_info1 = NULL;
+  GFileInfo *file_info0 = NULL, *file_info1 = NULL, *file_info2 = NULL;
   GError *local_error = NULL;
 
   g_test_summary ("Test setting and getting escaped xattrs");
@@ -1037,6 +1037,7 @@ test_xattrs (void)
   g_file_info_set_attribute_string (file_info0, "xattr::escaped", "hello\\x82\\x80\\xbd");
   g_file_info_set_attribute_string (file_info0, "xattr::string", "hi there");
   g_file_info_set_attribute_string (file_info0, "xattr::embedded-nul", "hi\\x00there");
+  g_file_info_set_attribute_string (file_info0, "xattr::deleteme", "this attribute will be deleted");
 
   g_file_set_attributes_from_info (file, file_info0, G_FILE_QUERY_INFO_NONE, NULL, &local_error);
 
@@ -1061,8 +1062,19 @@ test_xattrs (void)
       g_assert_cmpstr (g_file_info_get_attribute_string (file_info1, "xattr::escaped"), ==, "hello\\x82\\x80\\xbd");
       g_assert_cmpstr (g_file_info_get_attribute_string (file_info1, "xattr::string"), ==, "hi there");
       g_assert_cmpstr (g_file_info_get_attribute_string (file_info1, "xattr::embedded-nul"), ==, "hi\\x00there");
+      g_assert_cmpstr (g_file_info_get_attribute_string (file_info1, "xattr::deleteme"), ==, "this attribute will be deleted");
 
       g_object_unref (file_info1);
+
+      /* Check whether removing extended attributes works. */
+      g_file_set_attribute (file, "xattr::deleteme", G_FILE_ATTRIBUTE_TYPE_INVALID, NULL, G_FILE_QUERY_INFO_NONE, NULL, &local_error);
+      g_assert_no_error (local_error);
+      file_info2 = g_file_query_info (file, "xattr::deleteme", G_FILE_QUERY_INFO_NONE, NULL, &local_error);
+      g_assert_no_error (local_error);
+      g_assert_nonnull (file_info2);
+      g_assert_cmpstr (g_file_info_get_attribute_string (file_info2, "xattr::deleteme"), ==, NULL);
+
+      g_object_unref (file_info2);
     }
 
   /* Tidy up. */