diff --git a/lib/appenders/file.js b/lib/appenders/file.js
index da0e80b..b5b3fc8 100644
--- a/lib/appenders/file.js
+++ b/lib/appenders/file.js
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 "use strict";
 var layouts = require('../layouts')
+, async = require('async')
 , path = require('path')
 , fs = require('fs')
 , streams = require('../streams')
@@ -61,7 +62,12 @@ function fileAppender (file, layout, logSize, numBackups) {
   openFiles.push(logFile);
   
   return function(loggingEvent) {
-    logFile.write(layout(loggingEvent) + eol, "utf8");
+    logFile.write(layout(loggingEvent) + eol, "utf8", 
+                  function() { 
+                    // just here to keep the event loop
+                    // open  - doesn't work.
+                    return; 
+                  });
   };
 }
 
@@ -78,5 +84,16 @@ function configure(config, options) {
   return fileAppender(config.filename, layout, config.maxLogSize, config.backups);
 }
 
+function shutdown(cb) {
+  async.forEach(openFiles, function(file, done) {
+    if (!file.write(eol, "utf-8")) {
+      file.once('drain', function() {
+        file.end(done);
+      });
+    }
+  }, cb);
+}  
+
 exports.appender = fileAppender;
 exports.configure = configure;
+exports.shutdown = shutdown;
diff --git a/lib/log4js.js b/lib/log4js.js
index fc3baca..c61272e 100644
--- a/lib/log4js.js
+++ b/lib/log4js.js
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@
  * Website: http://log4js.berlios.de
  */
 var events = require('events')
+, async = require('async')
 , fs = require('fs')
 , path = require('path')
 , util = require('util')
@@ -301,6 +302,24 @@ function loadAppender(appender) {
   appenderMakers[appender] = appenderModule.configure.bind(appenderModule);
 }
 
+function shutdown(cb) {
+  var allAppenders = Object.keys(appenders).reduce(
+    function(accum, category) {
+      return accum.concat(appenders[category]);
+    }, []);
+  async.forEach(
+    allAppenders,
+    function(appender, done) {
+      if (appender.shutdown) {
+        appender.shutdown(done);
+      } else {
+        done();
+      }
+    },
+    cb
+  );
+}
+
 module.exports = {
   getLogger: getLogger,
   getDefaultLogger: getDefaultLogger,
@@ -309,6 +328,7 @@ module.exports = {
   loadAppender: loadAppender,
   clearAppenders: clearAppenders,
   configure: configure,
+  shutdown: shutdown,
   
   replaceConsole: replaceConsole,
   restoreConsole: restoreConsole,