diff --git a/src/common/filesys.cpp b/src/common/filesys.cpp
index 149df69350..82bb76e86c 100644
--- a/src/common/filesys.cpp
+++ b/src/common/filesys.cpp
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ wxString wxFileSystemHandler::GetMimeTypeFromExt(const wxString& location)
         wxFileType *ft = wxTheMimeTypesManager->GetFileTypeFromExtension(ext);
         if ( !ft || !ft -> GetMimeType(&mime) )
         {
-            mime = wxEmptyString;
+            mime.clear();
         }
 
         delete ft;
@@ -427,7 +427,7 @@ void wxFileSystem::ChangePathTo(const wxString& location, bool is_dir)
                 }
             }
             if (i == (int) m_Path.length())
-                m_Path = wxEmptyString;
+                m_Path.clear();
         }
         else
         {
@@ -480,7 +480,7 @@ wxFSFile* wxFileSystem::OpenFile(const wxString& location, int flags)
         }
         if (meta != 0) break;
     }
-    m_LastName = wxEmptyString;
+    m_LastName.clear();
 
     // try relative paths first :
     if (meta != wxT(':'))
diff --git a/src/common/intl.cpp b/src/common/intl.cpp
index a2e6a68a03..df4c840a84 100644
--- a/src/common/intl.cpp
+++ b/src/common/intl.cpp
@@ -535,7 +535,7 @@ bool wxLocale::Init(int language, int flags)
         ret = false;
 #elif defined(__WXMAC__)
     if (lang == wxLANGUAGE_DEFAULT)
-        locale = wxEmptyString;
+        locale.clear();
     else
         locale = info->CanonicalName;
 
diff --git a/src/common/tarstrm.cpp b/src/common/tarstrm.cpp
index 944835e927..d909e7fcb2 100644
--- a/src/common/tarstrm.cpp
+++ b/src/common/tarstrm.cpp
@@ -596,7 +596,7 @@ wxString wxTarEntry::GetInternalName(const wxString& name,
     while (!internal.empty() && internal.compare(0, 2, wxT("./")) == 0)
         internal.erase(0, 2);
     if (internal == wxT(".") || internal == wxT(".."))
-        internal = wxEmptyString;
+        internal.clear();
 
     return internal;
 }
diff --git a/src/common/uri.cpp b/src/common/uri.cpp
index ff01b850f5..959f4ea2c9 100644
--- a/src/common/uri.cpp
+++ b/src/common/uri.cpp
@@ -67,13 +67,13 @@ bool wxURI::Create(const wxString& uri)
 
 void wxURI::Clear()
 {
-    m_scheme =
-    m_userinfo =
-    m_server =
-    m_port =
-    m_path =
-    m_query =
-    m_fragment = wxEmptyString;
+    m_scheme.clear();
+    m_userinfo.clear();
+    m_server.clear();
+    m_port.clear();
+    m_path.clear();
+    m_query.clear();
+    m_fragment.clear();
 
     m_hostType = wxURI_REGNAME;
 
diff --git a/src/common/variant.cpp b/src/common/variant.cpp
index a8693207dd..e01d1e84f7 100644
--- a/src/common/variant.cpp
+++ b/src/common/variant.cpp
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ void wxVariant::MakeNull()
 
 void wxVariant::Clear()
 {
-    m_name = wxEmptyString;
+    m_name.clear();
 }
 
 wxVariant::wxVariant(const wxVariant& variant)
@@ -2071,7 +2071,7 @@ bool wxVariantDataList::Write(wxSTD ostream& str) const
 
 bool wxVariantDataList::Write(wxString& str) const
 {
-    str = wxEmptyString;
+    str.clear();
     wxVariantList::compatibility_iterator node = m_value.GetFirst();
     while (node)
     {
diff --git a/src/common/xtixml.cpp b/src/common/xtixml.cpp
index 4a37afe6b6..d30af28a3f 100644
--- a/src/common/xtixml.cpp
+++ b/src/common/xtixml.cpp
@@ -363,7 +363,7 @@ int wxObjectXmlReader::ReadComponent(wxXmlNode *node, wxObjectReaderCallback *ca
             {
                 if ( propertyNames[j] == paramName )
                 {
-                    propertyNames[j] = wxEmptyString;
+                    propertyNames[j].clear();
                     break;
                 }
             }
diff --git a/src/common/zipstrm.cpp b/src/common/zipstrm.cpp
index aa68db4bb4..ab6bef75d6 100644
--- a/src/common/zipstrm.cpp
+++ b/src/common/zipstrm.cpp
@@ -901,7 +901,7 @@ wxString wxZipEntry::GetInternalName(const wxString& name,
             (internal[0] == wxS('.') && IsDOSPathSep(internal[1])))
         internal.erase(0, 2);
     if (internal == wxT(".") || internal == wxT(".."))
-        internal = wxEmptyString;
+        internal.clear();
 
     return internal;
 }
diff --git a/src/html/styleparams.cpp b/src/html/styleparams.cpp
index 51ed812dfe..929eb98d43 100644
--- a/src/html/styleparams.cpp
+++ b/src/html/styleparams.cpp
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ wxHtmlStyleParams::wxHtmlStyleParams(const wxHtmlTag& tag)
         else
         {
             // Syntax problem change to blank string
-            wd = "";
+            wd.clear();
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/src/osx/fswatcher_fsevents.cpp b/src/osx/fswatcher_fsevents.cpp
index 849beb97ec..b90f96febf 100644
--- a/src/osx/fswatcher_fsevents.cpp
+++ b/src/osx/fswatcher_fsevents.cpp
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ private:
 static int wxFSEventsToWatcherFlags(FSEventStreamEventFlags flags,
 wxFSWWarningType& warning, wxString& msg)
 {
-    msg = "";
+    msg.clear();
     warning = wxFSW_WARNING_NONE;
 
     // see https://developer.apple.com/library/mac/documentation/Darwin/Reference/FSEvents_Ref/index.html