diff --git a/README.rst b/README.rst
index 025659a8..5ec99e37 100644
--- a/README.rst
+++ b/README.rst
@@ -146,6 +146,8 @@ These parameters can be changed at any time and they will apply to all decorator
 *  `stale_after`
 *  `next_time`
 *  `wait_for_calc_timeout`
+*  `cleanup_stale`
+*  `cleanup_interval`
 
 The current defaults can be fetched by calling `get_default_params`.
 
@@ -192,6 +194,17 @@ Sometimes you may want your function to trigger a calculation when it encounters
 
 Further function calls made while the calculation is being performed will not trigger redundant calculations.
 
+Automatic Cleanup of Stale Values
+~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
+Setting ``cleanup_stale=True`` on a decorator will spawn a background thread that periodically removes stale cache entries. The interval between cleanup runs is controlled by ``cleanup_interval`` and defaults to one day.
+
+.. code-block:: python
+
+  @cachier(stale_after=timedelta(seconds=30), cleanup_stale=True)
+  def compute():
+      ...
+
+
 
 Working with unhashable arguments
 ---------------------------------
diff --git a/src/cachier/config.py b/src/cachier/config.py
index cb908a4a..53dfbe82 100644
--- a/src/cachier/config.py
+++ b/src/cachier/config.py
@@ -63,6 +63,8 @@ class Params:
     separate_files: bool = False
     wait_for_calc_timeout: int = 0
     allow_none: bool = False
+    cleanup_stale: bool = False
+    cleanup_interval: timedelta = timedelta(days=1)
 
 
 _global_params = Params()
@@ -130,7 +132,7 @@ def set_global_params(**params: Any) -> None:
     }
     cachier.config._global_params = replace(
         cachier.config._global_params,
-        **valid_params,  # type: ignore[arg-type]
+        **valid_params,
     )
 
 
diff --git a/src/cachier/core.py b/src/cachier/core.py
index 10431206..4db5e329 100644
--- a/src/cachier/core.py
+++ b/src/cachier/core.py
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 
 import inspect
 import os
+import threading
 import warnings
 from collections import OrderedDict
 from concurrent.futures import ThreadPoolExecutor
@@ -120,6 +121,8 @@ def cachier(
     separate_files: Optional[bool] = None,
     wait_for_calc_timeout: Optional[int] = None,
     allow_none: Optional[bool] = None,
+    cleanup_stale: Optional[bool] = None,
+    cleanup_interval: Optional[timedelta] = None,
 ):
     """Wrap as a persistent, stale-free memoization decorator.
 
@@ -183,6 +186,11 @@ def cachier(
     allow_none: bool, optional
         Allows storing None values in the cache. If False, functions returning
         None will not be cached and are recalculated every call.
+    cleanup_stale: bool, optional
+        If True, stale cache entries are periodically deleted in a background
+        thread. Defaults to False.
+    cleanup_interval: datetime.timedelta, optional
+        Minimum time between automatic cleanup runs. Defaults to one day.
 
     """
     # Check for deprecated parameters
@@ -236,6 +244,9 @@ def cachier(
     def _cachier_decorator(func):
         core.set_func(func)
 
+        last_cleanup = datetime.min
+        cleanup_lock = threading.Lock()
+
         # ---
         # MAINTAINER NOTE: max_age parameter
         #
@@ -261,7 +272,7 @@ def _cachier_decorator(func):
         # ---
 
         def _call(*args, max_age: Optional[timedelta] = None, **kwds):
-            nonlocal allow_none
+            nonlocal allow_none, last_cleanup
             _allow_none = _update_with_defaults(allow_none, "allow_none", kwds)
             # print('Inside general wrapper for {}.'.format(func.__name__))
             ignore_cache = _pop_kwds_with_deprecation(
@@ -280,11 +291,26 @@ def _call(*args, max_age: Optional[timedelta] = None, **kwds):
                 stale_after, "stale_after", kwds
             )
             _next_time = _update_with_defaults(next_time, "next_time", kwds)
+            _cleanup_flag = _update_with_defaults(
+                cleanup_stale, "cleanup_stale", kwds
+            )
+            _cleanup_interval_val = _update_with_defaults(
+                cleanup_interval, "cleanup_interval", kwds
+            )
             # merge args expanded as kwargs and the original kwds
             kwargs = _convert_args_kwargs(
                 func, _is_method=core.func_is_method, args=args, kwds=kwds
             )
 
+            if _cleanup_flag:
+                now = datetime.now()
+                with cleanup_lock:
+                    if now - last_cleanup >= _cleanup_interval_val:
+                        last_cleanup = now
+                        _get_executor().submit(
+                            core.delete_stale_entries, _stale_after
+                        )
+
             _print = print if verbose else lambda x: None
 
             # Check current global caching state dynamically
diff --git a/src/cachier/cores/base.py b/src/cachier/cores/base.py
index f4dbbced..edb8e7ed 100644
--- a/src/cachier/cores/base.py
+++ b/src/cachier/cores/base.py
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@
 import abc  # for the _BaseCore abstract base class
 import inspect
 import threading
+from datetime import timedelta
 from typing import Callable, Optional, Tuple
 
 from .._types import HashFunc
@@ -112,3 +113,7 @@ def clear_cache(self) -> None:
     @abc.abstractmethod
     def clear_being_calculated(self) -> None:
         """Mark all entries in this cache as not being calculated."""
+
+    @abc.abstractmethod
+    def delete_stale_entries(self, stale_after: timedelta) -> None:
+        """Delete cache entries older than ``stale_after``."""
diff --git a/src/cachier/cores/memory.py b/src/cachier/cores/memory.py
index 19e3718c..ddd0acdb 100644
--- a/src/cachier/cores/memory.py
+++ b/src/cachier/cores/memory.py
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 """A memory-based caching core for cachier."""
 
 import threading
-from datetime import datetime
+from datetime import datetime, timedelta
 from typing import Any, Dict, Optional, Tuple
 
 from .._types import HashFunc
@@ -103,3 +103,13 @@ def clear_being_calculated(self) -> None:
             for entry in self.cache.values():
                 entry._processing = False
                 entry._condition = None
+
+    def delete_stale_entries(self, stale_after: timedelta) -> None:
+        """Remove stale entries from the in-memory cache."""
+        now = datetime.now()
+        with self.lock:
+            keys_to_delete = [
+                k for k, v in self.cache.items() if now - v.time > stale_after
+            ]
+            for key in keys_to_delete:
+                del self.cache[key]
diff --git a/src/cachier/cores/mongo.py b/src/cachier/cores/mongo.py
index 05edf4bd..fbc93711 100644
--- a/src/cachier/cores/mongo.py
+++ b/src/cachier/cores/mongo.py
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
 import time  # to sleep when waiting on Mongo cache\
 import warnings  # to warn if pymongo is missing
 from contextlib import suppress
-from datetime import datetime
+from datetime import datetime, timedelta
 from typing import Any, Optional, Tuple
 
 from .._types import HashFunc, Mongetter
@@ -146,3 +146,10 @@ def clear_being_calculated(self) -> None:
             },
             update={"$set": {"processing": False}},
         )
+
+    def delete_stale_entries(self, stale_after: timedelta) -> None:
+        """Delete stale entries from the MongoDB cache."""
+        threshold = datetime.now() - stale_after
+        self.mongo_collection.delete_many(
+            filter={"func": self._func_str, "time": {"$lt": threshold}}
+        )
diff --git a/src/cachier/cores/pickle.py b/src/cachier/cores/pickle.py
index 82650ba9..344fcba7 100644
--- a/src/cachier/cores/pickle.py
+++ b/src/cachier/cores/pickle.py
@@ -10,7 +10,8 @@
 import os
 import pickle  # for local caching
 import time
-from datetime import datetime
+from contextlib import suppress
+from datetime import datetime, timedelta
 from typing import Any, Dict, Optional, Tuple, Union
 
 import portalocker  # to lock on pickle cache IO
@@ -260,16 +261,16 @@ def mark_entry_not_calculated(self, key: str) -> None:
                 cache[key]._processing = False
                 self._save_cache(cache)
 
-    def _create_observer(self) -> Observer:
+    def _create_observer(self) -> Observer:  # type: ignore[valid-type]
         """Create a new observer instance."""
         return Observer()
 
-    def _cleanup_observer(self, observer: Observer) -> None:
+    def _cleanup_observer(self, observer: Observer) -> None:  # type: ignore[valid-type]
         """Clean up observer properly."""
         try:
-            if observer.is_alive():
-                observer.stop()
-                observer.join(timeout=1.0)
+            if observer.is_alive():  # type: ignore[attr-defined]
+                observer.stop()  # type: ignore[attr-defined]
+                observer.join(timeout=1.0)  # type: ignore[attr-defined]
         except Exception as e:
             logging.debug("Observer cleanup failed: %s", e)
 
@@ -296,7 +297,7 @@ def wait_on_entry_calc(self, key: str) -> Any:
             else:
                 raise
 
-    def _wait_with_inotify(self, key: str, filename: str) -> Any:
+    def _wait_with_inotify(self, key: str, filename: str) -> Any:  # type: ignore[valid-type]
         """Wait for calculation using inotify with proper cleanup."""
         event_handler = _PickleCore.CacheChangeHandler(
             filename=filename, core=self, key=key
@@ -306,14 +307,14 @@ def _wait_with_inotify(self, key: str, filename: str) -> Any:
         event_handler.inject_observer(observer)
 
         try:
-            observer.schedule(
+            observer.schedule(  # type: ignore[attr-defined]
                 event_handler, path=self.cache_dir, recursive=True
             )
-            observer.start()
+            observer.start()  # type: ignore[attr-defined]
 
             time_spent = 0
-            while observer.is_alive():
-                observer.join(timeout=1.0)
+            while observer.is_alive():  # type: ignore[attr-defined]
+                observer.join(timeout=1.0)  # type: ignore[attr-defined]
                 time_spent += 1
                 self.check_calc_timeout(time_spent)
 
@@ -324,7 +325,7 @@ def _wait_with_inotify(self, key: str, filename: str) -> Any:
             return event_handler.value
         finally:
             # Always cleanup the observer
-            self._cleanup_observer(observer)
+            self._cleanup_observer(observer)  # type: ignore[attr-defined]
 
     def _wait_with_polling(self, key: str) -> Any:
         """Fallback method using polling instead of inotify."""
@@ -364,3 +365,28 @@ def clear_being_calculated(self) -> None:
             for key in cache:
                 cache[key]._processing = False
             self._save_cache(cache)
+
+    def delete_stale_entries(self, stale_after: timedelta) -> None:
+        """Delete stale cache entries from the pickle cache."""
+        now = datetime.now()
+        if self.separate_files:
+            path, name = os.path.split(self.cache_fpath)
+            for subpath in os.listdir(path):
+                if not subpath.startswith(f"{name}_"):
+                    continue
+                entry = self._load_cache_by_key(
+                    hash_str=subpath.split("_")[-1]
+                )
+                if entry is not None and (now - entry.time > stale_after):
+                    with suppress(FileNotFoundError):
+                        os.remove(os.path.join(path, subpath))
+            return
+
+        with self.lock:
+            cache = self.get_cache_dict(reload=True)
+            keys_to_delete = [
+                k for k, v in cache.items() if now - v.time > stale_after
+            ]
+            for key in keys_to_delete:
+                del cache[key]
+            self._save_cache(cache)
diff --git a/src/cachier/cores/redis.py b/src/cachier/cores/redis.py
index 4b85a146..ccd0ffe0 100644
--- a/src/cachier/cores/redis.py
+++ b/src/cachier/cores/redis.py
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 import pickle
 import time
 import warnings
-from datetime import datetime
+from datetime import datetime, timedelta
 from typing import Any, Callable, Optional, Tuple, Union
 
 try:
@@ -223,3 +223,28 @@ def clear_being_calculated(self) -> None:
             warnings.warn(
                 f"Redis clear_being_calculated failed: {e}", stacklevel=2
             )
+
+    def delete_stale_entries(self, stale_after: timedelta) -> None:
+        """Remove stale entries from the Redis cache."""
+        redis_client = self._resolve_redis_client()
+        pattern = f"{self.key_prefix}:{self._func_str}:*"
+        try:
+            keys = redis_client.keys(pattern)
+            threshold = datetime.now() - stale_after
+            for key in keys:
+                ts = redis_client.hget(key, "timestamp")
+                if ts is None:
+                    continue
+                try:
+                    ts_val = datetime.fromisoformat(ts.decode("utf-8"))
+                except Exception as exc:
+                    warnings.warn(
+                        f"Redis timestamp parse failed: {exc}", stacklevel=2
+                    )
+                    continue
+                if ts_val < threshold:
+                    redis_client.delete(key)
+        except Exception as e:
+            warnings.warn(
+                f"Redis delete_stale_entries failed: {e}", stacklevel=2
+            )
diff --git a/src/cachier/cores/sql.py b/src/cachier/cores/sql.py
index ad4364cf..543531ef 100644
--- a/src/cachier/cores/sql.py
+++ b/src/cachier/cores/sql.py
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 import pickle
 import threading
-from datetime import datetime
+from datetime import datetime, timedelta
 from typing import Any, Callable, Optional, Tuple, Union
 
 try:
@@ -286,3 +286,17 @@ def clear_being_calculated(self) -> None:
                 .values(processing=False)
             )
             session.commit()
+
+    def delete_stale_entries(self, stale_after: timedelta) -> None:
+        """Delete stale entries from the SQL cache."""
+        threshold = datetime.now() - stale_after
+        with self._lock, self._Session() as session:
+            session.execute(
+                delete(CacheTable).where(
+                    and_(
+                        CacheTable.function_id == self._func_str,
+                        CacheTable.timestamp < threshold,
+                    )
+                )
+            )
+            session.commit()
diff --git a/tests/test_cleanup.py b/tests/test_cleanup.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1613a33c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_cleanup.py
@@ -0,0 +1,49 @@
+import os
+import pickle
+import time
+from dataclasses import replace
+from datetime import timedelta
+
+import pytest
+
+import cachier
+from cachier import cachier as cachier_dec
+
+_copied_defaults = replace(cachier.get_global_params())
+
+
+def setup_function() -> None:
+    cachier.set_global_params(**vars(_copied_defaults))
+
+
+def teardown_function() -> None:
+    cachier.set_global_params(**vars(_copied_defaults))
+
+
+@pytest.mark.pickle
+def test_cleanup_stale_entries(tmp_path):
+    @cachier_dec(
+        cache_dir=tmp_path,
+        stale_after=timedelta(seconds=1),
+        cleanup_stale=True,
+        cleanup_interval=timedelta(seconds=0),
+    )
+    def add(x):
+        return x + 1
+
+    add.clear_cache()
+    add(1)
+    add(2)
+    fname = f".{add.__module__}.{add.__qualname__}".replace("<", "_").replace(
+        ">", "_"
+    )
+    cache_path = os.path.join(add.cache_dpath(), fname)
+    with open(cache_path, "rb") as fh:
+        data = pickle.load(fh)
+    assert len(data) == 2
+    time.sleep(1.1)
+    add(1)
+    time.sleep(0.2)
+    with open(cache_path, "rb") as fh:
+        data = pickle.load(fh)
+    assert len(data) == 1
diff --git a/tests/test_core_lookup.py b/tests/test_core_lookup.py
index 877b683f..2b2a9191 100644
--- a/tests/test_core_lookup.py
+++ b/tests/test_core_lookup.py
@@ -12,6 +12,8 @@ def test_get_default_params():
         "backend",
         "cache_dir",
         "caching_enabled",
+        "cleanup_interval",
+        "cleanup_stale",
         "hash_func",
         "mongetter",
         "next_time",