diff --git a/dspace-api/src/main/java/org/dspace/app/itemexport/ItemExportServiceImpl.java b/dspace-api/src/main/java/org/dspace/app/itemexport/ItemExportServiceImpl.java
index a884f9b07564..7c80e1ea7dc6 100644
--- a/dspace-api/src/main/java/org/dspace/app/itemexport/ItemExportServiceImpl.java
+++ b/dspace-api/src/main/java/org/dspace/app/itemexport/ItemExportServiceImpl.java
@@ -490,7 +490,7 @@ public void exportAsZip(Context context, Iterator<Item> items,
 
         File wkDir = new File(workDir);
         if (!wkDir.exists() && !wkDir.mkdirs()) {
-            logError("Unable to create working direcory");
+            logError("Unable to create working directory");
         }
 
         File dnDir = new File(destDirName);
@@ -498,11 +498,18 @@ public void exportAsZip(Context context, Iterator<Item> items,
             logError("Unable to create destination directory");
         }
 
-        // export the items using normal export method
-        exportItem(context, items, workDir, seqStart, migrate, excludeBitstreams);
+        try {
+            // export the items using normal export method (this exports items to our workDir)
+            exportItem(context, items, workDir, seqStart, migrate, excludeBitstreams);
 
-        // now zip up the export directory created above
-        zip(workDir, destDirName + System.getProperty("file.separator") + zipFileName);
+            // now zip up the workDir directory created above
+            zip(workDir, destDirName + System.getProperty("file.separator") + zipFileName);
+        } finally {
+            // Cleanup workDir created above, if it still exists
+            if (wkDir.exists()) {
+                deleteDirectory(wkDir);
+            }
+        }
     }
 
     @Override