diff --git a/examples/cull-idle/cull_idle_servers.py b/examples/cull-idle/cull_idle_servers.py
index 8a4dfbf7..3ab21095 100644
--- a/examples/cull-idle/cull_idle_servers.py
+++ b/examples/cull-idle/cull_idle_servers.py
@@ -40,8 +40,11 @@ from tornado.options import define, options, parse_command_line
 
 
 @coroutine
-def cull_idle(url, api_token, timeout):
-    """cull idle single-user servers"""
+def cull_idle(url, api_token, timeout, cull_users=False):
+    """Shutdown idle single-user servers
+
+    If cull_users, inactive *users* will be deleted as well.
+    """
     auth_header = {
             'Authorization': 'token %s' % api_token
         }
@@ -54,26 +57,50 @@ def cull_idle(url, api_token, timeout):
     resp = yield client.fetch(req)
     users = json.loads(resp.body.decode('utf8', 'replace'))
     futures = []
-    for user in users:
-        last_activity = parse_date(user['last_activity'])
-        if user['server'] and last_activity < cull_limit:
-            app_log.info("Culling %s (inactive since %s)", user['name'], last_activity)
+
+    @coroutine
+    def cull_one(user, last_activity):
+        """cull one user"""
+
+        # shutdown server first. Hub doesn't allow deleting users with running servers.
+        if user['server']:
+            app_log.info("Culling server for %s (inactive since %s)", user['name'], last_activity)
             req = HTTPRequest(url=url + '/users/%s/server' % user['name'],
                 method='DELETE',
                 headers=auth_header,
             )
-            futures.append((user['name'], client.fetch(req)))
-        elif user['server'] and last_activity > cull_limit:
+            yield client.fetch(req)
+        if cull_users:
+            app_log.info("Culling user %s (inactive since %s)", user['name'], last_activity)
+            req = HTTPRequest(url=url + '/users/%s' % user['name'],
+                method='DELETE',
+                headers=auth_header,
+            )
+            yield client.fetch(req)
+
+    for user in users:
+        if not user['server'] and not cull_users:
+            # server not running and not culling users, nothing to do
+            continue
+        last_activity = parse_date(user['last_activity'])
+        if last_activity < cull_limit:
+            futures.append((user['name'], cull_one(user, last_activity)))
+        else:
             app_log.debug("Not culling %s (active since %s)", user['name'], last_activity)
     
     for (name, f) in futures:
         yield f
         app_log.debug("Finished culling %s", name)
 
+
 if __name__ == '__main__':
     define('url', default=os.environ.get('JUPYTERHUB_API_URL'), help="The JupyterHub API URL")
     define('timeout', default=600, help="The idle timeout (in seconds)")
     define('cull_every', default=0, help="The interval (in seconds) for checking for idle servers to cull")
+    define('cull_users', default=False,
+        help="""Cull users in addition to servers.
+                This is for use in temporary-user cases such as tmpnb.""",
+    )
     
     parse_command_line()
     if not options.cull_every:
@@ -82,7 +109,7 @@ if __name__ == '__main__':
     api_token = os.environ['JUPYTERHUB_API_TOKEN']
     
     loop = IOLoop.current()
-    cull = lambda : cull_idle(options.url, api_token, options.timeout)
+    cull = lambda : cull_idle(options.url, api_token, options.timeout, options.cull_users)
     # run once before scheduling periodic call
     loop.run_sync(cull)
     # schedule periodic cull