diff --git a/src/component/Component.ts b/src/component/Component.ts
index 0da718c..f5e9d9e 100644
--- a/src/component/Component.ts
+++ b/src/component/Component.ts
@@ -93,9 +93,6 @@ export abstract class Component {
 
     createElements (): Element[] {
         // TODO: [C]
-        for ( const detachable of this.rerenderSubscriptions_ ) {
-            detachable.detach();
-        }
 
         let renderables = this.render.call(this.instanceProxy);
 
@@ -125,6 +122,8 @@ export abstract class Component {
             throw new Error('cannot re-render a component with zero elements');
         }
 
+        this.onWillDetachFromDOM_();
+
         // The reference element lets us know where to put new elements
         const referenceElement = this.elements_[0];
 
@@ -141,6 +140,24 @@ export abstract class Component {
         })
     }
 
+    notifyWillDetachFromDOM () {
+        this.onWillDetachFromDOM_();
+    }
+    onWillDetachFromDOM_ () {
+        // Detach rerender subscriptions 
+        for ( const detachable of this.rerenderSubscriptions_ ) {
+            detachable.detach();
+        }
+
+        // Detach listeners from child renderables generated last time
+        if ( ! this.renderChildren_ ) {
+            throw new Error('tried to detach before rendering');
+        }
+        for ( const renderable of this.renderChildren_ ) {
+            renderable.notifyWillDetachFromDOM();
+        }
+    }
+
     createDynamicVAO_ (vaoName: string, value?: any) {
         // TODO: [E], [I]
         this.vaos_[vaoName] = new ScalarVAO(value ?? null);
diff --git a/src/component/Tag.ts b/src/component/Tag.ts
index b752028..0c25f5c 100644
--- a/src/component/Tag.ts
+++ b/src/component/Tag.ts
@@ -61,6 +61,12 @@ export class Tag {
         return [el];
     }
 
+    notifyWillDetachFromDOM() {
+        for ( const axiom of this.axioms_ ) {
+            axiom.detach();
+        }
+    }
+
     notifyMounted (event: INotifyMounted) {
         console.log('notifyMounted called on a tag', this);
         if ( this.element_ == null ) {
diff --git a/src/component/componentdefs.ts b/src/component/componentdefs.ts
index d4e7f97..17712b5 100644
--- a/src/component/componentdefs.ts
+++ b/src/component/componentdefs.ts
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ export interface INotifyMounted {
 
 export interface Renderable {
     createElements: () => Element[]
+    notifyWillDetachFromDOM: () => void
     notifyMounted: (event: INotifyMounted) => void
 }
 export interface RenderableConstructor {