diff --git a/src/kernel/ntqthread.h b/src/kernel/ntqthread.h
index 695a61fb..0b38e5a3 100644
--- a/src/kernel/ntqthread.h
+++ b/src/kernel/ntqthread.h
@@ -120,6 +120,7 @@ protected:
 private:
     TQThreadInstance * d;
     friend class TQThreadInstance;
+    friend class TQThreadStorageData;
     friend class TQCoreApplicationThread;
     friend class TQApplication;
     friend class TQEventLoop;
diff --git a/src/kernel/qapplication.cpp b/src/kernel/qapplication.cpp
index fbdb9330..e8658cda 100644
--- a/src/kernel/qapplication.cpp
+++ b/src/kernel/qapplication.cpp
@@ -542,12 +542,19 @@ TQClipboard	      *tqt_clipboard = 0;	// global clipboard object
 TQWidgetList * tqt_modal_stack=0;		// stack of modal widgets
 
 #ifdef TQT_THREAD_SUPPORT
+
 // thread wrapper for the main() thread
 class TQCoreApplicationThread : public TQThread
 {
 public:
     inline TQCoreApplicationThread()
     {
+#ifdef QT_CHECK_STATE
+        if ( tqt_gui_thread_self )
+            tqWarning( "TQCoreApplicationThread: there should be exactly one main thread object" );
+#endif
+        tqt_gui_thread_self = this;
+
         TQThreadInstance::setCurrentThread(this);
 
         // thread should be running and not finished for the lifetime
@@ -556,11 +563,19 @@ public:
         d->finished = false;
         d->eventLoop = NULL;
     }
+
     inline ~TQCoreApplicationThread()
     {
+        tqt_gui_thread_self = nullptr;
+
         // avoid warning from TQThread
         d->running = false;
+        // do some cleanup, namely clean up the thread-local storage associated with the GUI thread
+        TQThreadInstance::finishGuiThread(d);
     }
+
+    static TQCoreApplicationThread* self() { return tqt_gui_thread_self; }
+
 private:
     inline void run()
     {
@@ -568,10 +583,15 @@ private:
         // only so that we can instantiate the object
         tqFatal("TQCoreApplicationThread: internal error");
     }
+
+    static TQCoreApplicationThread* tqt_gui_thread_self;
 };
 
+TQCoreApplicationThread* TQCoreApplicationThread::tqt_gui_thread_self = nullptr;
+
+// construct exactly one instance of the core thread with static storage duration. Do it static
+// rather than in the heap as we need it to be properly destroyed on the exit from the program.
 static TQCoreApplicationThread tqt_main_thread;
-static TQThread *mainThread() { return &tqt_main_thread; }
 #endif
 
 // Definitions for posted events
@@ -1035,7 +1055,7 @@ TQApplication::TQApplication(Display *dpy, int argc, char **argv,
 
 #ifdef TQT_THREAD_SUPPORT
 TQThread* TQApplication::guiThread() {
-	return mainThread();
+	return TQCoreApplicationThread::self();
 }
 
 bool TQApplication::isGuiThread() {
diff --git a/src/kernel/qthread_unix.cpp b/src/kernel/qthread_unix.cpp
index 7a6bc339..6a6f81b7 100644
--- a/src/kernel/qthread_unix.cpp
+++ b/src/kernel/qthread_unix.cpp
@@ -180,6 +180,11 @@ void TQThreadInstance::finish( void * )
     }
 }
 
+void TQThreadInstance::finishGuiThread(TQThreadInstance *d) {
+    TQThreadStorageData::finish( d->thread_storage );
+    d->thread_storage = 0;
+}
+
 TQMutex *TQThreadInstance::mutex() const
 {
     return qt_thread_mutexpool ? qt_thread_mutexpool->get( (void *) this ) : 0;
diff --git a/src/tools/qthreadinstance_p.h b/src/tools/qthreadinstance_p.h
index 14f0de59..076c2ba1 100644
--- a/src/tools/qthreadinstance_p.h
+++ b/src/tools/qthreadinstance_p.h
@@ -100,6 +100,8 @@ public:
     static void finish( TQThreadInstance * );
 #endif // Q_OS_WIN32
 
+    static void finishGuiThread( TQThreadInstance *d );
+
     TQEventLoop* eventLoop;
     int cleanupType;
     bool disableThreadPostedEvents : 1;
diff --git a/src/tools/qthreadstorage_unix.cpp b/src/tools/qthreadstorage_unix.cpp
index d53f6fb6..86192868 100644
--- a/src/tools/qthreadstorage_unix.cpp
+++ b/src/tools/qthreadstorage_unix.cpp
@@ -38,6 +38,8 @@
 
 #ifdef TQT_THREAD_SUPPORT
 
+#include "ntqapplication.h"
+#include "ntqthread.h"
 #include "qplatformdefs.h"
 
 #include "ntqthreadstorage.h"
@@ -88,6 +90,21 @@ TQThreadStorageData::TQThreadStorageData( void (*func)( void * ) )
 
 TQThreadStorageData::~TQThreadStorageData()
 {
+    // The Gui thread has static storage duration, TQThreadStorage are almost always static (it's
+    // technically possible to allocate those in the heap, but it's quite unusual). It's impossible
+    // to predict whichever of those one gets destroyed first, but usually it's a TQThreadStorage.
+    // In that case we have to do the cleanup of its storage ourself as it won't be possible after
+    // nullifying the destructor below.
+    TQThread *guiThread = TQApplication::guiThread();
+    if (guiThread) {
+	TQThreadInstance *d = guiThread->d;
+	TQMutexLocker locker( d->mutex() );
+	if (d->thread_storage && d->thread_storage[id]) {
+	    thread_storage_usage[id].func( d->thread_storage[id] );
+	    d->thread_storage[id] = nullptr;
+	}
+    }
+
     pthread_mutex_lock( &thread_storage_mutex );
     thread_storage_usage[id].used = FALSE;
     thread_storage_usage[id].func = 0;