diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index d6111451..871a6d9c 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -5,8 +5,6 @@
 # Authors: Axel Huebl
 # License: BSD-3-Clause-LBNL
 #
-from distutils.command.build import build
-from distutils.command.clean import clean
 import os
 import platform
 import re
@@ -15,6 +13,7 @@
 import sys
 
 from setuptools import Extension, setup
+from setuptools.command import build
 from setuptools.command.build_ext import build_ext
 
 
@@ -32,10 +31,8 @@ def run(self):
         #   by default, this stays around. We want to make sure generated
         #   files like amrex_*d_pybind.*.(so|pyd) are always only the
         #   ones we want to package and not ones from an earlier wheel's stage
-        c = clean(self.distribution)
-        c.all = True
-        c.finalize_options()
-        c.run()
+        if os.path.exists(self.build_base):
+            shutil.rmtree(self.build_base)
 
         # call superclass
         build.run(self)