diff --git a/src/serverenvironment.cpp b/src/serverenvironment.cpp
diff --git a/src/serverenvironment.h b/src/serverenvironment.h
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ class PlayerDatabase;
 class PlayerSAO;
 class ServerEnvironment;
 class ActiveBlockModifier;
+struct StaticObject;
 class ServerActiveObject;
 class Server;
 class ServerScripting;
@@ -368,7 +369,7 @@ class ServerEnvironment : public Environment
 	u16 addActiveObjectRaw(ServerActiveObject *object, bool set_changed, u32 dtime_s);
 
 	/*
-		Remove all objects that satisfy (m_removed && m_known_by_count==0)
+		Remove all objects that satisfy (isGone() && m_known_by_count==0)
 	*/
 	void removeRemovedObjects();
 
@@ -388,6 +389,14 @@ class ServerEnvironment : public Environment
 	*/
 	void deactivateFarObjects(bool force_delete);
 
+	/*
+		A few helpers used by the three above methods
+	*/
+	void deleteStaticFromBlock(
+			ServerActiveObject *obj, u16 id, u32 mod_reason, bool no_emerge);
+	bool saveStaticToBlock(v3s16 blockpos, u16 store_id,
+			ServerActiveObject *obj, const StaticObject &s_obj, u32 mod_reason);
+
 	/*
 		Member variables
 	*/

diff --git a/src/serverobject.h b/src/serverobject.h
@@ -212,23 +212,27 @@ class ServerActiveObject : public ActiveObject
 		  it anymore.
 		- Removal is delayed to preserve the id for the time during which
 		  it could be confused to some other object by some client.
-		- This is set to true by the step() method when the object wants
-		  to be deleted.
-		- This can be set to true by anything else too.
+		- This is usually set to true by the step() method when the object wants
+		  to be deleted but can be set by anything else too.
 	*/
-	bool m_removed = false;
+	bool m_pending_removal = false;
 
 	/*
-		This is set to true when an object should be removed from the active
-		object list but couldn't be removed because the id has to be
-		reserved for some client.
+		Same purpose as m_pending_removal but for deactivation.
+		deactvation = save static data in block, remove active object
 
-		The environment checks this periodically. If this is true and also
-		m_known_by_count is true, object is deleted from the active object
-		list.
+		If this is set alongside with m_pending_removal, removal takes
+		priority.
 	*/
 	bool m_pending_deactivation = false;
 
+	/*
+		A getter that unifies the above to answer the question:
+		"Can the environment still interact with this object?"
+	*/
+	inline bool isGone() const
+	{ return m_pending_removal || m_pending_deactivation; }
+
 	/*
 		Whether the object's static data has been stored to a block
 	*/