diff --git a/js/jquery.tablesorter.js b/js/jquery.tablesorter.js
index e8ab35f6..4ec28271 100644
--- a/js/jquery.tablesorter.js
+++ b/js/jquery.tablesorter.js
@@ -867,30 +867,32 @@
 			};
 
 			ts.destroy = function(table, removeClasses, callback){
-				var $t = $(table), c = table.config,
-				$h = $t.find('thead:first');
-				// clear flag in case the plugin is initialized again
-				table.hasInitialized = false;
-				// remove widget added rows
-				$h.find('tr:not(.' + c.cssHeaderRow + ')').remove();
-				// remove resizer widget stuff
-				$h.find('.tablesorter-resizer').remove();
+				if (!table.hasInitialized) { return; }
 				// remove all widgets
 				ts.refreshWidgets(table, true, true);
+				var $t = $(table), c = table.config,
+				$h = $t.find('thead:first'),
+				$r = $h.find('tr.' + c.cssHeaderRow).removeClass(c.cssHeaderRow),
+				$f = $t.find('tfoot:first > tr').children('th, td');
+				// remove widget added rows, just in case
+				$h.find('tr').not($r).remove();
 				// disable tablesorter
 				$t
 					.removeData('tablesorter')
 					.unbind('sortReset update updateCell addRows sorton appendCache applyWidgetId applyWidgets refreshWidgets destroy mouseup mouseleave')
-					.find('.' + c.cssHeader)
-					.unbind('click mousedown mousemove mouseup')
+				c.$headers.add($f)
 					.removeClass(c.cssHeader + ' ' + c.cssAsc + ' ' + c.cssDesc)
-					.find('.tablesorter-header-inner').each(function(){
-						if (c.cssIcon !== '') { $(this).find('.' + c.cssIcon).remove(); }
-						$(this).replaceWith( $(this).contents() );
-					});
+					.removeAttr('data-column');
+				$r.find(c.selectorSort).unbind('mousedown.tablesorter mouseup.tablesorter');
+				// restore headers
+				$r.children().each(function(i){
+					$(this).html( c.headerContent[i] );
+				});
 				if (removeClasses !== false) {
-					$t.removeClass(c.tableClass);
+					$t.removeClass(c.tableClass + ' tablesorter-' + c.theme);
 				}
+				// clear flag in case the plugin is initialized again
+				table.hasInitialized = false;
 				if (typeof callback === 'function') {
 					callback(table);
 				}
diff --git a/js/jquery.tablesorter.widgets.js b/js/jquery.tablesorter.widgets.js
index 0df7c0ba..3191eda1 100644
--- a/js/jquery.tablesorter.widgets.js
+++ b/js/jquery.tablesorter.widgets.js
@@ -81,7 +81,8 @@ $.tablesorter.storage = function(table, key, val){
 			v = (d !== 0) ? $.parseJSON(k[d]) || {} : {};
 		}
 	}
-	if (val && JSON && JSON.hasOwnProperty('stringify')){
+	// allow val to be an empty string to 
+	if ((val || val === '') && window.JSON && JSON.hasOwnProperty('stringify')){
 		// add unique identifiers = url pathname > table ID/index on page > data
 		if (!v[url]) {
 			v[url] = {};
@@ -96,7 +97,7 @@ $.tablesorter.storage = function(table, key, val){
 			document.cookie = key + '=' + (JSON.stringify(v)).replace(/\"/g,'\"') + '; expires=' + d.toGMTString() + '; path=/';
 		}
 	} else {
-		return ( v && v.hasOwnProperty(url) && v[url].hasOwnProperty(id) ) ? v[url][id] : {};
+		return v && v[url] ? v[url][id] : {};
 	}
 };
 
@@ -263,6 +264,8 @@ $.tablesorter.addWidget({
 		var k, $tb,
 			b = c.$tbodies,
 			rmv = (c.widgetOptions.columns || [ "primary", "secondary", "tertiary" ]).join(' ');
+		c.$headers.removeClass(rmv);
+		$(table).children('tfoot').children('tr').children('th, td').removeClass(rmv);
 		for (k = 0; k < b.length; k++ ){
 			$tb = $.tablesorter.processTbody(table, b.eq(k), true); // remove tbody
 			$tb.children('tr').each(function(){
@@ -679,7 +682,7 @@ $.tablesorter.addWidget({
 			innr = '.tablesorter-header-inner',
 			firstRow = hdrCells.eq(0).parent(),
 			tfoot = $table.find('tfoot'),
-			t2 = $table.clone(), // clone table, but don't remove id... the table might be styled by css
+			t2 = wo.$sticky = $table.clone(), // clone table, but don't remove id... the table might be styled by css
 			// clone the entire thead - seems to work in IE8+
 			stkyHdr = t2.children('thead:first')
 				.addClass(css)
@@ -791,6 +794,7 @@ $.tablesorter.addWidget({
 			.removeClass('hasStickyHeaders')
 			.unbind('sortEnd.tsSticky pagerComplete.tsSticky')
 			.find('.' + css).remove();
+		if (wo.$sticky) { wo.$sticky.remove(); } // remove cloned thead
 		$(window).unbind('scroll.tsSticky resize.tsSticky');
 	}
 });