diff --git a/releng.control/cleanupArtifacts.sh b/releng.control/cleanupArtifacts.sh
index 252c1636594e62892137422250a7851df7b5c4b1..1f579a0265862c9bc3f6aff47f913a3e4daa46fb 100644
--- a/releng.control/cleanupArtifacts.sh
+++ b/releng.control/cleanupArtifacts.sh
@@ -164,19 +164,19 @@ echo;
 
 # artifacts are special, since they have a three-layer directory structure, 
 # and we want to be sure to always retain at least one, no matter how old. 
-echo;
+echo " ";
 echo "INFO: Checking to remove old artifacts."
 removeOldArtifactsDirectories ${PROJECT_ARTIFACTS} 3 1;
 
-echo;
+echo " ";
 echo "INFO: Checking to remove old project working directories."
 removeOldDirectories ${PROJECT_PROJECTS}  0;
 
-echo;
+echo " ";
 echo "INFO: Checking to remove old testing directories."
 removeOldDirectories ${PROJECT_TESTS} 0;
 
-echo; 
+echo " ";
 echo "INFO: Checking to remove old tmp directories and files."
 removeOldDirectoriesAndFiles ${RECOMMENDED_TMP_DIR} 13;
 
@@ -190,11 +190,11 @@ removeOldDirectoriesAndFiles ${RECOMMENDED_TMP_DIR} 13;
 # autodownload so when if/when we want it, we have to get our selves, and copy into prereqs directory.
 # And one of those, I think oagis_release? has some write protected files that prevents their deletion, 
 # once unzipped, so we have tweeked the permissions. 
-echo;
-echo "INFO: Checking to remove old pre-req directories and files not accessed for 3 months."
+echo " ";
+echo "INFO: Checking to remove old pre-req directories and files not accessed for 3 months.";
 removeOldDirectoriesAndFiles ${LOCAL_PREREQS_CACHE} 90;
 
-echo;
-echo "INFO: Checking to remove old basebuilders not accessed for 3 months."
+echo " ";
+echo "INFO: Checking to remove old basebuilders not accessed for 3 months.";
 removeOldDirectories ${BASE_BUILDERS} 90;
 
diff --git a/releng.control/removeUtils.shsource b/releng.control/removeUtils.shsource
index acb88750ca82698ea9d80f92e992bc13ea099e46..8e83647e2e18f98f57ae93c283c17447159c4aec 100644
--- a/releng.control/removeUtils.shsource
+++ b/releng.control/removeUtils.shsource
@@ -5,29 +5,30 @@ function removeIf ()
 {
        # echo "arg: $1";
        
-       if [ -z $1 ]
+       foundDirectory=$1
+       if [ -z "${foundDirectory}" ]
          then
            echo "ERROR: No argument. This function requires a directory as an argument. " ;
            return 1;
          fi
-       foundDirectory=$1
+      
        
-       if [ ! -d $foundDirectory ] 
+       if [ ! \( -d "${foundDirectory}" \) ] 
        then
          echo "ERROR: " "${foundDirectory}" ", is not a directory. This function requires a directory as an argument. "
          return 2;
        fi 
        
        # should already be in foundDirectory, if execDir used (and execDir, in a 'find' is recommended, as more secure)
-       cd $foundDirectory
+       #cd $foundDirectory
        
-       rm -fr $foundDirectory
+       rm -fr "${foundDirectory}"
        rcode=$?
        if [ $rcode -eq 0 ]
        then 
-         echo "               removed: $foundDirectory";
+         echo "               removed: "${foundDirectory}";
        else
-         echo "WARNING: rm returned non zero return code: " $rccode ". could not remove " $foundDirectory;
+         echo "WARNING: rm returned non zero return code: " $rccode ". could not remove " "${foundDirectory}";
        fi 
        
        return $rcode;
@@ -57,11 +58,10 @@ function removeArtifactsDirIf ()
          return 2;
        fi 
        
-       # should already be in foundDirectory, if execDir used (and execDir, in a 'find' is recommended, as more secure)
-       cd $foundDirectory
-       
+       # should already be in appropriate directory, if execDir in 'find' is used (and execDir, in a 'find' is recommended, as more secure)
+       # cd "${foundDirectory}"
        # move up one so we can examine syblings
-       cd ..
+       #cd ..
        currentDirectory=`pwd`
        echo "               current working directory: $currentDirectory";
        ndirs=`ls -lA | wc -l`
@@ -81,13 +81,13 @@ function removeArtifactsDirIf ()
            exit 101;
        fi
        
-       rm -fr $foundDirectory
+       rm -fr "${foundDirectory}"
        rcode=$?
        if [ $rcode -eq 0 ]
        then 
-         echo "               removed: $foundDirectory";
+         echo "               removed: "${foundDirectory}"";
        else
-         echo "WARNING: rm returned non zero return code: " $rccode ". could not remove " $foundDirectory;
+         echo "WARNING: rm returned non zero return code: " $rccode ". could not remove " "${foundDirectory}";
        fi 
        
        return $rcode;