diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index c0aa9305e4f9b037fa59ecf08d017db6991e5a51..587392cce19b92e2a69066327dcc54721f73326f 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -1,39 +1,6 @@
-
-/dune-gfe.pc
-/build-cmake
-
-# /doc/doxygen/
-/doc/doxygen/html
-/doc/doxygen/semantic.cache
-/doc/doxygen/Doxyfile.in
-/doc/doxygen/Doxyfile
-/doc/doxygen/doxygen-tag
-/doc/doxygen/doxygen.log
-/doc/doxygen/doxyerr.log
-
-# /locking_testsuite/
-/locking_testsuite/*.log
-/locking_testsuite/ipopt.out
-
-/src/*.pyc
-
-/src/# executable files
-/src/cosserat-continuum
-/src/harmonicmaps
-/src/rod3d
-
-# /test/
-/test/.deps
-/test/cosseratenergytest
-/test/frameinvariancetest
-/test/globalgfetestfunctionbasistest
-/test/localgeodesicfefunctiontest
-/test/localgeodesicfestiffnesstest
-/test/localgfetestfunctiontest
-/test/harmonicenergytest
-/test/averagedistanceassemblertest
-/test/nestednesstest
-/test/orthogonalmatrixtest
-/test/rodassemblertest
-/test/rotationtest
-/test/targetspacetest
+# ignore all build folders
+/build*/
+# ignore backup files
+*~
+# ignore Python files
+*.pyc